Big Walnut Area Realty Association
By-Laws and Constitution
Article I – NAME
The name of the association shall be Big Walnut Area Realty Association.
Article II – PURPOSE
The purpose shall be to promote the cooperation and networking among agents and companies working in the suburban areas.
Article III – NON-PROFIT STATUS
The Association is an un-incorporated organization and shall have no legal status and therefore shall assume no liabilities or responsibilities to members or anyone else.
Article IV – WHO MAY BELONG
Any licensed Realtor in good standing with his board and any other individual in an associated and/or closely related field (i.e. lawyers, financial associates, title companies, etc.) may be members.
Article V – OFFICES AND ELECTIONS
Section 1: Officers consist of President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Membership/Tour Director term of one year.
Section 2: The Office of the President is only to be held by licensed Real Estate Agents or Brokers. The offices of Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Membership/Tour Director may be held by a licensed Real Estate Agent, Broker, or Affiliate.
Section 3: Officers shall assume their duties effective January 1.
Section 4: The Nominating Committee shall present and read to the membership a slate of officer nominations for the following year at the first meeting in November. Nominations shall be taken from the floor and be open to all members who have been a paid member a minimum of 60 days at the time. Elections shall be held at the second meeting in November. To be eligible to vote members must have dues paid at least 60 days prior to the election.
Section 5: In the case of a vacancy, the remaining officers shall appoint a member to fill the vacancy.
Article VI – DUTIES OF OFFICERS
Section 1: President: The President shall preside over all meetings and assemblies of which the Association is the sponsor, guide and direct the Association. The President will appoint chairman for all committees.
Committees consist of, but are not limited to: Realtor Care Day, Christmas Family, Christmas Breakfast, CORPAC, Nomination Committee, Scholarship Fund, and Membership Drive.
Section 2: Vice-President: The Vice-President shall assist the President and be ready to assume, temporarily in the event the president is unable to complete his/her term. The Vice-President shall carry out all of those duties assigned to him/her by the President. The Vice-President shall be responsible for public relations, meeting speakers, breakfast sponsors, and assist the Tour Director as needed.
Section 2.1: Meeting Sponsor shall provide breakfast for the group. The meeting sponsor will receive 10 minutes of floor time to promote their product.
Section 3: Secretary: The secretary shall keep careful and authentic records of minutes of all meetings of the Association. A written report shall be made available to the membership. The secretary shall assist with the membership directory, advertising, and marketing. Minutes will be posted online and emailed to members. The secretary will also participate in timely online communications. The secretary shall send out meeting announcements.
Section 4: Treasurer: The Treasurer shall be the official custodian and dispersing officer of funds and render the verbal financial statement to members at each meeting. The Treasurer shall be responsible for collection of fees of the meeting sponsor. Additionally, the treasurer shall provide a written report every six months. The treasurer shall gather and provide membership forms throughout the year to the President.
Section 5: Tour Director: The Tour Director shall perform all duties associated with the coordination of house tours, both virtual and physical, for the broker/realtor member listing as outlined in Article IV and Article VIII (Boundaries). The Tour Director should be someone with MLS access.
Article VII – VOTING
To be eligible to vote the member must have paid dues for a minimum of 60 days prior to the election.
Article VIII – TOURS
Section 1: The physical tour boundaries are as follows:
Our association’s tour area serves all of Big Walnut School District. To minimize drive times between properties, homes north of State Route 36 (North Tour) will generally be on tour the 1st Friday of the month and homes south of State Route 36 (South Tour) will be on the 3rd Friday. Deviations from this schedule will be made based on the number of homes requested for tour and the driving distance between properties. Preference will always be given based on the North/South tour schedule but every effort will be made to include all requested properties as soon as possible.
As a courtesy to our members, we will also accept tour requests for Buckeye Valley Schools with a Sunbury mailing address or Olentangy Schools east of I-71, but can only occasionally fit them in to our schedule. The Tour Director will consult with the President who will reach out to the board to make exceptions.
The agent must be present to have a house on tour, or the Realtor’s LPA may be present, however, the LPA must be knowledgeable of the home and must be present for the complete tour. The agent or LPA must also attend all home tours the day of their tour. APPLICATIONS FOR TOURS MUST BE SUBMITTED THE FRIDAY BEFORE THE MEETING. Applications are available online at Bigwalnutara.com
Up to three houses/condominiums for tour. If there is not a full tour and an agent wants to put an additional house on the physical tour, it will be at the discretion of the board.
Section 2: For listings outside of the physical tour boundaries, a video tour can be planned. It will be approximately three minutes in length and viewed prior to the physical tour for that day.
Article IX – MEETINGS
There shall be two meetings monthly. The meetings shall be on the first and third Friday of each month. The time and location shall be determined by the executive committee. The annual calendar of meetings shall be reviewed and announced to the members to address holiday changes that may be needed. The meeting shall be canceled due to inclement weather, if and when the Big Walnut School System is closed. (School delay does not cancel BWARA meetings.)
Article X-DUES
Annual dues of 25.00 per member per year.
The executive committee may impose a meeting fee with input from the membership if deemed necessary to cover various community donations voted on by the membership and/or to cover service charges imposed at meeting locations. The current meeting fee is $3.00 per meeting. Members will have the option to pay an annual fee of $50.00. This $50.00 fee is non-refundable and transferable.
Fees are due and payable the first of each year or upon joining the association at any time. Dues must be paid 60 days prior to the elections to be eligible to vote. Elections are held in November each year.
Article XI – AMENDMENTS
Proposed amendments, additions or deletions shall be discussed at two meetings prior to being voted on. Amendments must be passed by a two-thirds (2/3) majority of PAID members present at the meeting using the same procedure as with election of officers.
MEETINGS: 1ST & 3RD Friday of each month at 8:45 AM. Meetings are held at the Vineyard Church of Delaware County, 1001 W. Cherry St., Sunbury, OH 43074
Last Updated 11/8/2022