Virginia REALTORS® Launches Fairhaven Competition

Left to right: Quinton Beckham, President of CAAR; Leslie J. Frazier, Senior Vice President of Community and Industry Relations, Virginia REALTORS®; and Abby Tammen, CEO of CAAR.

When the National Association of REALTORS^® (NAR) first launched its interactive fair housing tool, Fairhaven, there was one state association in particular that immediately embraced the platform: Virginia REALTORS^®.

Shortly after her term began, Virginia REALTORS^® 2021 President Beth Dalton, challenged the state’s more than 36,000 REALTOR^® members to complete Fairhaven. Taking it a step further, the association decided it would honor the top five associations with the highest percentage of Fairhaven completion during its annual convention and centennial celebration.

“When NAR rolled out Fairhaven, I immediately took the training”, said President Dalton. “After seeing how real the scenarios presented were and realizing that I did not know as much about fair housing as I thought I did, I knew it was essential that Virginia REALTORS^® push this out to our members. The Fairhaven Challenge has been a major priority during my presidential term, and I am so glad NAR created such an informative, user-friendly platform.”

The Fairhaven Challenge fostered friendly competition amongst Virginia’s twenty-eight local associations. Each month, Virginia REALTORS^® sent a status report to local Association Executives (AEs) with the total number and overall percentage of Fairhaven completion amongst their members. Many local associations even took the challenge to the next level – from highlighting members who completed Fairhaven on social media to requiring Fairhaven at new member orientation.

Virginia’s challenge quickly gained national attention and inspired other state associations to follow suit. In addition to monthly reports to local AEs, Virginia REALTORS^® frequently put out communications to highlight Fairhaven. The initial promotion, declaring “Fairhaven Fridays” on social media during Fair Housing Month, along with a big summer push, all helped make REALTORS^® more aware of the tool and the President’s Challenge.

In September, Virginia REALTORS^® announced and honored the top five local associations with the highest percentage of Fairhaven completion. In addition to a physical award, the winners received a small monetary prize from the state association. The winners are:

• Charlottesville Area Association of REALTORS^®
• Bristol Tennessee-Virginia Association of REALTORS^®
• Chesapeake Bay and Rivers Association of REALTORS^®
• Harrisonburg-Rockingham Association of REALTORS^®
• Lynchburg Association of REALTORS^®

Although the formal challenge has ended, Virginia REALTORS^® is continuing to push Fairhaven amongst its members. The association is committed to making sure that housing is, indeed, fair, and is encouraging other associations to join in this effort and promote Fairhaven.

To learn more about the Virginia REALTORS effort on Fairhaven and Fair Housing, contact Leslie Frazer, Senior Vice President of Community and Industry Relations, lfrazier@virginiarealtors.org