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The Charlottesville Area Association of Realtors is celebrating 100 years of connecting prospective buyers with their dream homes and, generally, providing real estate expertise in Central Virginia.
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"Realtors are vital to the real estate process and journey," CAAR President Josh White told The Daily Progress. "Over the past century, they have been actively involved in our community's civic and social life by creating meaningful relationships with their clients and guiding them through one of the most expensive purchases of their lives: their home."
The organization, comprising 1,000 local real estate agents as well as 300 affiliate members, was recently recognized for its century of service by several of the localities within the CAAR coverage area, which extends from the city of Charlottesville out into the counties of Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa and Nelson.
At a Charlottesville City Council meeting on March 4, councilors passed a resolution in honor of the association's work to enrich the area's housing market, not only with its realty support, but also through educational programs, community service and a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.
Albemarle County's Board of Supervisors gave CAAR a similar tip of the hat at the start of its own meeting the following day.
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"Over the past century, CAAR has made significant contributions to the Albemarle real estate industry by advocating for the protection of private property rights and providing its members with the tools and technology needed to achieve expertise in serving the needs of their customers and clients," Supervisor Ned Gallaway said at the meeting, reading from prepared remarks. "The association's commitment to professionalism and ethics has established it as a trusted and reliable resource in the real estate community."
CAAR was issued its charter from the National Association of Realtors on June 22, 1925. At the time, CAAR was helmed by H.K. Hawthorne.
There is little recorded concerning CAAR's first president, but a man with the same name appears in a 1906 edition of The Daily Progress' Historical and Industrial Magazine in a column titled, "Who's Who in Charlottesville: Leading Professional Men, Manufacturers & Merchants."
According to the brief column preserved at the University of Virginia Library, Hawthorne was born and educated in Alabama before arriving in Charlottesville in 1902 and establishing himself in the real estate market at a firm called Randolph & Hawthorne.
"He is a young man of splendid business ability and through his fair and honest treatment of patrons has won a high place in the opinion of the public," the column reads.
CAAR has worked to maintain this quality of customer service over the decades. Its members understand the importance of homeownership as the foundation of a "functioning, healthy and vibrant community," according to White.
In addition to guiding clients through the often-murky waters of the housing market, the association has been involved in several community endeavors over the years. In 2003, the association created the CAAR Workforce Housing Fund to provide "down payment assistance to teachers, nurses, police officers and firefighters," according to CAAR.
The philanthropic arm of the organization, the CAAR Foundation, grew out of the fund several years ago as a means for Realtors to donate their time and talents for relevant causes, particularly in the realm of affordable housing.
"Homeownership represents the American dream," said White. "It is a wealth building tool and probably the greatest way to build generational wealth. It is accessible and democratic."
Emily Hemphill (540) 855-0362
@EmilyHemphill06 on X
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