History
History of the Ann Arbor Area Board of REALTORS®
and the Multiple Listing Service
and the Multiple Listing Service
The Ann Arbor Board of REALTORS® established in 1919 with twenty members and affiliated itself with the Michigan Real Estate Association. The Ypsilanti Board of REALTORS® was established in 1943, chartered by the National Association of Real Estate Boards.
The Ann Arbor Board of REALTORS was organized by L.D. Carr (served as the first Board President); C.J. Tremmel (first served as President in 1926); John Huss, Allen Payton and Bernard Hawkins (first served as President in 1922). The Ypsilanti Board of REALTORS was under the leadership of Fred Greenstreet (one of the city’s first REALTORS) and included a seven-member board.
Ruth J. Hobbs became the first female President of the Ann Arbor Board of REALTORS® in 1963. A few years later, Ruth Murray became the first female President of the Ypsilanti Board of REALTORS® in 1969. The Women’s Council of REALTORS® was founded in 1978 to ensure recognition of the Equal Rights Amendment for female board members.
The Ann Arbor Board of REALTORS® first implemented the Multiple Listing Service in 1928. In 1968, the first computerized listing of the Multiple Listing Service was implemented as part of a nine-month trial. The Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor Board of REALTORS® cooperated to publish the first countywide Multiple Listing Book in 1977.
The Ann Arbor Board of REALTORS® celebrated its 50th anniversary in a newly constructed building that was completed and purchased by the Board in 1968. The land at 1919 W. Stadium Blvd. continued under a lease from owners John S. Dobson and John R. Laird, until it was made available for purchase in July 2005.
The name was officially changed to the Ann Arbor Area Board of REALTORS® in 1986 when the two boards merged, and the membership has grown from 20 REALTOR® members in 1919 to over 1,000 REALTOR® and Affiliate members today. Today, the Association offers Orientation to new members; state and national designation pages, including GRI, CRS, ABR; continuing education courses; and information sessions at annual General Membership Meetings.
The first lockbox was introduced in the 1970s. The first electronic lockbox was introduced in 1992 and changed to Infrared lockbox technology with Palm PDA keys in 2003. the first generation Internet-based Multiple Listing Service was introduced in 1999 and updated to a second generation in 2003, which in 2006 offers all agents the ability to have their own Web sites and wireless access.
The Ann Arbor Area Board of REALTORS® continues to be a pioneering organization, committed to the service of our members and our community.