Marking PAR’s 100th Anniversary: Past President Leon Brisson

Editor’s note: The Pennsylvania Association of Realtors® is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. As part of our Member Profile feature, we’ll be highlighting some of the Realtors® who have served as president of the organization.

Name: Leon Brisson
Served as PAR president: 1981
Company: Howard Hanna Real Estate Services
Years in real estate: 56 years
Speciality: Residential sales, real estate instructor
Local association: Lancaster County Association

If you could go back in time, what advice would you give to your younger self?
I would give Leon Brisson this advice: Be patient, learn patience. I’ve always been type of individual that I want to get things done yesterday and often times, it doesn’t work that way. And when you step into a leadership role, such as being president of state association, one of the largest trade associations in the state, you’re really dealing with a lot of obstacles and patience is required. That’s the best advice I’d give to Leon.

Why should Realtors® get involved in their local, state or national associations?
Pure and simple? There’s one reason. I came from a very large family and our mother always taught us it’s better to give than receive. You get so much more out of the association by getting involved and by giving. You get a better appreciation for our association, what it does, what it represents, what it hopes to accomplish and the services that it provides to the members. I got involved because I wanted to learn more about the state association and my local association, and I wanted to give back to an industry that’s been very, very good to me.

What advice would you give to someone who was thinking about moving up through the offices at PAR?
If someone is thinking about getting involved, learn more about what your association does. A good example is the state association offers so many services to its members, many of which some members are probably unaware of. I can think of one in particular. It’s a very important one, PAR’s Public Policy Department, where their main responsibility is to review pending legislation that may positively or negatively affect our industry. And without that protection, without those people out there knowing what’s going on, learning what’s going on and getting the information back to the members, we might miss issues. It’s very important.

What’s the biggest change you’ve seen in the real estate market since you started?
I’ve been doing this for 56 years, so I’ve seen a lot of changes. There are so many, but some of the ones that come to my mind immediately would be for the example of the RESPA act. Also, the disclosure laws, the growth of real estate franchises and probably No. 1 would be technology and computerized MLS systems. I remember when I was president of the Lancaster County Association of Realtors® reporting back in 1975, we were one of the first boards to really get involved in a computerized MLS system. And it’s just simply grown from there. That’s been such a tremendous, tremendous change. There have been a lot of changes, but those are the most important that come in my mind immediately.

Do you think the environment or technology will have a bigger impact on real estate in the next 100 years?
I think technology has had the biggest impact. It’s followed closely by the environment, particularly as it relates to developers and the problems that face the homebuilders, which is greatly related to our industry. Of course, without them we need product, and they create the product. But I think technology has had the biggest impact. I don’t think we’re ever going to see a robot showing real estate or writing a contract. There’s such an important need for information and technology gives us the information in just such a speedy form. It’s incredible. So, I think technology is probably the biggest.

How has the mortgage financing industry changed since you started?
I found that that back in the ‘70s, for example, I remember specifically in 1974, that there was a difficulty in getting mortgages because of a lack of funds. When you’ve been doing this for those long as I’ve been doing it – 56 years – you see how these things have gone up and down at different times. There were issues with regard to the availability of money at that time. All of a sudden, there was lots of money, but interest rates reached 17 or 18%. It was crazy. With those rates, people weren’t buying as frequently. Today’s rates are incredible. That’s the one thing that gets us through and got us through. Those high rates will come down, and if they come down, properties will probably appreciate. And then owners can refinance once the rates are lower. We can’t guarantee that, but that’s exactly what happened.

How has some legislation changed the industry?
Since the recent tax changes, a lot of people aren’t taking able to take advantage of the mortgage interest deduction. That’s been a very negative situation. It’s a reminder of how important PAR’s Public Policy Department is and the Realtors® Political Action Committee. Some of the legislation that has been presented could be harmful. For example, as an agent, would you like to have an attorney draw up all of your contracts? Would you like to live in an environment where an attorney has to review the contract that you wrote before you can present it? Or would you like to live in an environment where once you draw a contract and present the contract, and it’s accepted? Fortunately, our Public Policy Department and RPAC both protect the real estate industry.