Merged Realtors Group Takes Regional Outlook

Members of the Ventura County Assn. of Realtors held an open house recently to mark the relocation of their headquarters to an office on Solar Drive in Oxnard. But more than simply finalizing a change of residence, the ribbon-cutting put the final touches on a reshaping of the west county real estate community.

The Realtors association is the product of a merger, earlier this year, of the Realtors associations of Ventura, Camarillo and Oxnard. The unification was the membership’s way of dealing with changes in government regulations and the real estate industry.

“Mergers within associations of Realtors organizations nationwide, but even more so in California, have been taking place on a fairly regular basis the last couple of years,” said Bob Seitz, chief executive of the new 1,400-member Ventura County association.

“The associations are seeing more of a need to look at the issues that affect their business on a regional basis,” he said. “More and more, development issues, taxation issues and growth issues in Ventura County, and personal property rights, are very much being looked at on a regional basis rather than by municipality.”

The Ventura County Assn. of Realtors, part of a nationwide trade organization, promotes its members and provides them with educational seminars, workshops and other programs. Locally, there are separate Realtor groups serving Ojai, Simi Valley and the Conejo Valley.

By combining the west county associations, Seitz said, the groups also consolidated their offices and cut their administrative expenses. Instead of three offices with about 11 staff members, the association now has the one office with seven full-time employees.

“Human resources, as well as the money being saved through the merger, are being freed up so we can develop new products and services for the members themselves,” said Seitz, formerly executive director of the Oxnard Chamber of Commerce.

“We’ll have more up-to-date services, and we’re looking at developing a Web site for the association, giving members access to advertise the properties they represent on the Internet,” he said. “The industry is changing, and technology is the driving force behind that.”

Seitz said the Ventura County Assn. of Realtors also will institute a public awareness campaign, with members becoming more active in the community.

“We’re looking at developing more coalitions with other businesses, becoming more involved with civic groups and charitable organizations,” he said.