Realtors add real value
The column “Do-it-yourself trend slow to expand into real estate market” (Business, Oct. 4) failed to address the liability issues, risk reduction, knowledge of changing policies and overall safety precautions that Realtors are trained to handle on behalf of their clients in a real estate transaction.
The indication that the real estate profession is dying, is simply not true. The National Association of Realtors is the largest trade association in the world with 1.2 million members and, according to the Atlanta Board of Realtors, our membership has increased by 32 percent since 2012. Buying or selling a home is a major financial, life-changing and often-emotional task. While there are people who are qualified to sell their homes, the entire transaction is a very complicated process. An experienced and educated Realtor can navigate the serious changes that buyers or sellers experience in today’s housing market.
Realtors are in strong favor of a competitive housing market with different offerings and business models. While there is always information available online, as with any professional industry, real estate agents must be certified to represent homebuying negotiations and transactions. The valuable and critical role of Realtors is to guide and protect their client.
ENNIS ANTOINE, 2015 PRESIDENT, ATLANTA BOARD OF REALTORS
One way to pay tribute King legacy
The solution to the controversy over putting a monument or Liberty Bell in the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Stone Mountain, the former spiritual home of the KKK, can be resolved simply by having the state of Georgia build a large plaque with a detailed and sincere apology for slavery. Then install the bell. This would be “coming together” as Andrew Young suggests.
DON WHITE, ATLANTA
The two Georgias of academic success
Regarding Georgia students’ math performance, AJC columnist Maureen Downey writes that we have two choices; to enhance math education or decree that students are not college-bound. I would argue that it is time to quit ignoring the real issues. There are two Georgias in terms of academic success. In affluent neighborhoods, students routinely score above the national average and a large percentage graduate and attend college. In the less-advantaged neighborhoods, achievement is often far below that. We need to face the fact that we have this disparity and work to create strategies that actually address it. Second, we need to face that many students, elementary to high school, are not trying their best to succeed. We can enhance instruction and use every standardized test available but still not reach students who refuse to actively participate in their education. Reversing the culture that accepts and even glamorizes underachievement should be our first priority.
DON LEE, LAWRENCEVILLE
