Last weekend, I had the opportunity to attend the 2008 Georgia Association of Realtors Inaugural Convention on Hilton Head Island, S.C. Although I am not a member of the Realtors trade group, I respect their code of ethics and believe their organization promotes honest business practices.

I had been asked to present a one-hour continuing education program on why real estate agents should invest in real estate on their own account, and I was uncertain if agents would warm to my suggestions.

But as the class began, I was pleased to learn that most of those attending had already invested in the product they offer to the public. I spent a considerable amount of time talking to agents and brokers, and I came away with several impressions:

• Most of these real estate salespeople are well-educated about the business and are committed to learning more about their profession. The National Association of Realtors sponsors dozens of professional designations, each of which signifies proficiency in a specific area of the real estate practice. Among others, there is GRI, which stands for graduate of the Realtors Institute; there is CCIM, which designates certified commercial investment members; there is CRS and CRB, which signify certified residential specialist and certified residential management broker, and many more areas of specialty. Each of these professional designations requires a series of courses designed to make the member more knowledgeable in the particular area of expertise, and hopefully better able to serve you.

When I became licensed in 1978, there was no continuing education requirement for real estate licensees in Georgia. Today, things have changed, and the average salesperson is, in my opinion, better equipped to meet the challenges of real estate sales than in the past.

• These people are connected. Not only does everybody have a fancy cellphone, but they all seem to have laptops with always-on Internet, plus integrated e-mail, Web sites and wireless communications. Wherever they are, they carry what amounts to a mobile office with them, so they can transact business and market properties around the globe.

Many years ago, I remember one of my first contracts was signed by the buyer after 6 p.m., and I had difficulty finding a store that had a photocopy machine open at that hour. Once I found a copy machine, I had to deliver copies to all the parties myself to make the agreement binding. Agents today can accomplish the same tasks at the touch of a button.

In addition, I used to carry around two large "multiple listing books," each the size of an old Atlanta telephone directory, and this was my inventory of homes for sale. Never mind that the books were printed once every two weeks and were essentially obsolete by the time I received them.

Today, the Internet brings listings to an agent's computer screen with just a few keystrokes, and the information can be brought into their Blackberry devices or hand-held computers just as easily, including full color virtual tours of the inside of the homes. What a time saver! Without question, the Internet era has been good to the real estate industry.

• I can also report to you that these agents and brokers feel almost universally that the real estate industry has been the whipping boy of the television media over the past 12 months. Yes, they recognize that residential real estate prices in certain parts of the country accelerated at unsustainable rates and were due for a cool-down. But they also know that all real estate is local, and that the overheated prices were largely on the West and East coasts, and that home prices in Georgia have been much more stable than the nation as a whole. They are quite optimistic that real estate will continue to represent a good investment in the years and decades ahead.

The agents I talked with pointed out that interest rates are currently near their historical lows and that sellers are highly motivated to make a deal. In addition, there is still a large inventory of new homes for sale, giving the negotiating edge to the buyer in this marketplace. These real estate professionals see no evidence that Georgia homes will become less desirable in the future.