Our Member: Hawaii Island Board of
REALTORS®
Member Since: November 2009
About Hawaii Island Board of REALTORS®:
The Hawaii Island Board of REALTORS®, Inc. was chartered in 1967 with a
vision of helping REALTORS® better serve property owners. The Hawaii
Island Board of REALTORS®, Inc. is governed by an elected Board of
Directors consisting of the President, President Elect, Vice President,
Secretary, Treasurer, Past President and seven Directors, all of whom
are active REALTORS® and REALTOR® Sales Agents. There are six local
Boards within the State of Hawaii and 1,700 Boards of REALTORS® in the
Country. The National Association of REALTORS® currently has 1,260,000
members. It is the largest professional trade organization in the United
States. You can learn more about the Hawaii Island Board of REALTORS®
by going to www.hibr.org.
Karen Gremp, the current President of Hawaii Island Board of REALTORS®
(and Director since 2007) said “aloha” to us all the way from Hilo,
Hawaii. Gremp was one of the first members of REALTORS® Federal Credit
Union and is also on the Board of Directors for Hawaii Association of
REALTORS®.
REALTORS® FCU: How long have you been with Hawaii Island Board of
REALTORS®?
Gremp: Almost 12 years, as soon
as we moved to Hawaii.
REALTORS® FCU: How did you learn about REALTORS® Federal Credit
Union?
Gremp: I learned about it at the
midyear conference in DC last May. I signed up at the convention right
then and there. I happened to be looking for a CD and it was perfect
timing! Hawaii Island Board of REALTORS® joined in November as soon as
you started taking business deposits. We were trying to join on the very
first day, but we had to wait!
REALTORS® FCU: Why did you join
the REALTORS® Federal Credit Union?
Gremp: Because it seemed to make so much sense! Here we are in
the business of real estate and NAR offers all of these wonderful
programs. Being a part of the credit union was a no brainer. We were
looking for someone with the best rates, and good service. How and why
would you not become a part of it? When REALTORS® Federal Credit Union
starts giving out business loans, getting a loan will be so easy for us.
REALTORS® FCU: What products/services do you like best?
Gremp: We will use savings/CDs
the most - particularly CDs. We have some good reserves and try to honor
some of the people in the community that are also our sponsors, but
they don’t always have the best rates.
REALTORS® FCU: What do you look
for in a financial services provider?
Gremp: It has to be safe and
secure with insurance and backing. Ease of use is important, and the
fact that the credit union is all electronic works for us. We also look
for one that offers the best interest rates and personal service, which
has so far been my experience.
REALTORS® FCU: How can real
estate professionals benefit from REALTORS® Federal Credit Union
membership?
Gremp: REALTORS® can benefit from having a financial institution
that understands the specific needs of being an independent contractor.
It can be difficult to get loans because we don’t fall into any nice
little category and are often told that we’re a risk. This is especially
true now. This is our profession – and we’ve been able to sustain
ourselves for the past 2 years and only someone in the real estate
industry would understand that. REALTORS® Federal Credit Union would
understand and appreciate what we do and what our situation is like.
REALTORS® FCU: What are some of the significant accomplishments
of Hawaii Island Board of REALTORS® this year?
Gremp: We were able to not only work on a balanced budget, but
had a net income at the end of the year because of our conservative
practices. We budgeted for a loss of membership, but actually had a gain
in membership. Even though we raised our dues we were able to offer the
mandatory CE classes for free and establish some other programs (like
Hot Topics) and offer them to our members for very little money. We were
able to look at our members and see what we could offer them.
REALTORS® FCU: What is the future vision for your company?
Gremp: Buying a building is my
personal future mission for Hawaii Island Board of REALTORS®. I would
also like to bring as many courses and designations from the mainland as
we can. We’re all about being Green here in Hawaii so we have the NAR
Green designation coming! This is our year for focusing on education.
REALTORS® FCU: What would you say to someone who is reluctant to
use a virtual credit union?
Gremp: Ask questions, and let
the staff address any of your concerns. It’s probably just as secure if
not more secure than a regular bank that you walk up to.
