Strong schools, stable neighborhoods and increasing property values: It’s a real estate mantra echoed by the young and growing organization, Realtors Supporting Richardson Schools.
Founded by RISD trustee and Realtor Anne Foster, the group works to provide real estate professionals with detailed, accurate information about RISD schools.
“So much of our community is built around the school community,” Foster says.
Yet she finds that many Realtors can be as uninformed as the public about education in the district.
The group’s 30-plus members, many of whom live within the district, share her goal.
Take Gerry Mezera, who is one of a half-dozen Lake Highlands Realtors who have joined the group. (Gloria Young and Paula Parks of Ebby Halliday and Missy and Dean Vanderbilt of RE/MAX Associates also are members.)
Mezera, a long-time neighborhood resident, sent three children through Lake Highlands schools and continues to be involved in educational issues. Too often, he believes, people form negative impressions of public education based on unfounded rumors.
“Skyview, for example, offers wonderful programs,” he says of the neighborhood elementary where he serves on the Local School Council. “But people aren’t aware of them.”
As a homeowner, Mezera hopes to encourage others to examine schools for themselves.
“It’s time for me to give back to the community,” he says. “This is our home.”
It’s also his business. Working from the RE/MAX Associates office, he sells between 40 and 50 homes each year in Lake Highlands. And accurate information about schools is crucial to families deciding where to live, he says. The Realtors group encourages members to learn first-hand about RISD schools. The organization sponsors several school visits each year, as well as two major events. In the fall, Realtors met at Westwood Junior High to learn about programs offered at junior highs throughout the district. A spring event also is being planned.
To join the group, members must demonstrate their commitment to learning first-hand about RISD schools. They may visit schools, attend school and PTA functions, familiarize themselves with the district’s web page, and subscribe to local publications.
As the group grows, so does its visibility in the community. Expect to see more of the group’s “I Support Richardson Schools” riders attached to For Sale signs, Foster says.
For more information, call 972-733-8083.
