Boards of Realtors merge to create new Butler-Warren Association

BUTLER-WARREN ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS

The following are members of the board of directors of the newly merged professional trade group:

Paul Renwick, of Middletown, president (also District #5 vice president for Ohio Association of Realtors);

Daryl Dunn, of Warren County, vice president;

Eileen Vogel, of Hamilton-Fairfield-Oxford area, treasurer;

Reva Owens, of Middletown, secretary;

John Prazynski, of Hamilton-Fairfield-Oxford area, director;

Missy Stone, of Warren County, director;

Rachel Lewitt, of Middletown, director;

Amy Davis, of Warren County, director;

Bill Gabbard, of Hamilton-Fairfield-Oxford area, director; and

Leslie Besl, of Hamilton-Fairfield-Oxford area, chief staff officer

Property owners in Butler and Warren counties now have a new and larger group advocating on behalf of their property rights and representing them at the deal table for sales.

The Middletown Board of Realtors, Hamilton-Fairfield-Oxford Board of Realtors and Warren County Board of Realtors have merged effective January 31 this year.

Now the combined trade group is named the Butler-Warren Association of Realtors and consists of more than 700 Realtor and other affiliate members such as lenders, said Leslie Besl, chief staff officer of the association.

“This larger association will enable us to become the voice for real estate in the Butler-Warren areas,” Besl said.

“We will be a one-stop spot to get industry information and updates as well as access to the local real estate experts who streamline the home buying and selling process, ensuring a smooth transition for what is for many consumers the largest investment they make,” she said.

The real estate business has changed drastically since the Middletown board was founded in 1918 and the Hamilton-Fairfield-Oxford board started a year later in 1919, Besl said. Real estate agents travel across multiple communities now, and clients can research properties online.

“The technology has been the biggest change,” Besl said about the 18 years she’s worked for the local Realtors board in Hamilton. “And the way consumers are buying real estate is somewhat changing.”

By joining forces, the new private nonprofit can reduce duplicate software systems and buildings for operations, Besl said. One of the purposes of Realtor boards is to provide networking and training opportunities for its professional members and the new larger Butler-Warren group can offer more educational opportunities, she said.

The Butler-Warren board has three staff members: Besl, who previously worked for the Hamilton-Fairfield-Oxford group; Joan Shelton, formerly of the Middletown board; and Beth Brady, of Warren County. Meanwhile, the Butler-Warren Association is looking for new, centralized office space, Besl said.

Agents are looking forward to holding more events and getting more involved in the communities, said Eileen Vogel, treasurer of the Butler-Warren Association and broker/owner of Advantage One Realtors of Hamilton.

“I think the benefit of the merger is truly keeping costs down and having more people to help pay expenses,” Vogel said. “I think we’ll have more services to offer as well because we have literally doubled our membership.”