NAR Honors Chris McElroy With DSA

NAR DSA WINNER CHRIS McELROY

Colorado Industry Leader Finds Work Life Balance, Gives Sales Wisdom From 40-Year Career

At the National Association of REALTORS®(NAR) mid-year meetings earlier this month, real estate leader and gamechanger Chris McElroy received NAR’s 2022 Distinguished Service Award (DSA). McElroy was CAR Chair in 1994, REALTOR® of the Year in 2000, has served on many CAR committees, and several years ago, he founded the popular Strategic Thinking Committee. Chris saw a need for industry thought leaders and experts to come together to make predictions and hurdle over obstacles in the business.

His start was decidedly not in the real estate business. Few people know that when Chris moved to Fort Collins from Nebraska in 1974, and before he became a REALTOR®, he wanted to be a vet. The plan was to receive a degree from the Colorado State University’s renowned veterinary medicine program.

And then life took a turn: “We ended up buying a pawnshop… good training to be a REALTOR®!” he joked. As a pawnshop owner, Chris was a proponent of meeting people where they stood. One woman brought in a radio for $5. “It was her prize possession. She paid the interest on that the whole time,” he said. Another woman brought in a 10-karat diamond ring, because “she thought the employees at the retirement home she was living in would steal it. She paid us to keep it in our safe.”

Finally, Chris’ REALTOR® said he should get into the real estate business. Bob Nolin, the Fort Collins Board of REALTORS® (FCBR) association executive at the time, was his mentor. “He helped me get involved early in my career in volunteer leadership roles,” he said. One of these roles was as the FCBR Chair in 2000.

Chris continues to serve because the industry is ever-changing. “Involvement helps me keep a keen eye on those changes. But the best part of involvement is the friendships created with REALTORS® all over the state and country. Truly, the REALTOR® family.”

Some of his favorite mentors (along with Nolin), are people like his long-time friend Ken Libby, a Vermont REALTOR® whom he met and became close with because of their similar involvement in state association leadership roles. “We went through some tough times together,” said Chris.

And there’s more: “With an award, the moment one starts mentioning names outside of one’s family, then there are so many more people a person can mention,” Chris said. He also credits Tyrone Adams, Suzan Koren, John Wendt, Kevin Cook, Connie Salazar, and George Harvey as examples of “long-lasting friendships that occur through leadership.”

One of McElroy’s proudest moments of distinguished service is that he is a founder of CAR’s Strategic Thinking Committee, which gave members “a platform for percolating ideas important to our future as REALTORS®,” he said.

One of the things he thinks about most is how the economy will impact potential homebuyers’ future with inflation. At the recent NAR meetings in Washington D.C., NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun showed a slide about consumer pricing in terms of the rate of inflation. He was floored. “Housing prices aren’t even part of those numbers,” McElroy said. “As REALTORS® we need to make sure we are helping people find the American Dream.”

He notes the building explosion going on right now in his beloved home of Fort Collins. “I’m seeing huge housing developments go up now, but they are strictly for rent,” said Chris. “While that’s important, we need to find opportunities for rent-to-own homes. We need to help Americans with home ownership.”

From 2011 to 2017, McElroy was a Colorado Real Estate Commissioner. At the national level, he helped create the Little Blue Book: Rules to Live By for REALTORS®. In 2018, he received the first-ever Career Lifetime Achievement Award from the Fort Collins Board of REALTORS® for contributions to the real estate industry. He has a national certification for Diversity and Fair Housing. In 2003, he was named a NAR Hometown Hero for his charitable work.

He has worked with developmentally disabled children in Fort Collins for more than 20 years. “All those years ago, I had a client with a child who needed care,” Chris said. “As a REALTOR®, I thought it was important to help and I learned about Respite Care, Inc. in Fort Collins.” Ever since, he has been helping the nonprofit fundraise and is happy to see them renovate into a much larger property.

“The essence of the NAR Distinguished Service Award is service. I am passionate about making a difference in my community and the real estate industry,” he said. “Of key importance is upholding the REALTOR® Code of Ethics and protecting consumer rights.” CAR CEO Tyrone Adams said, “Chris is the ultimate example of what future leadership should aspire to be. Not only is he a leader in the REALTOR® associations, he is also a leader in his community. I can’t imagine any other member who is prouder to be a REALTOR® than Chris.”

While he is a statewide leader in the association and in business, Chris also knows about work-life balance. A quote from Albert Einstein has been on his business plan for the last 30 years: “A calm and modest life brings more happiness than the pursuit of success combined with constant restlessness.”

McElroy keeps this quote in perspective relative to real estate. “I know that many of us REALTORS® have felt the constant push and pull that our industry is,” he said. “This quote reminds me to bring a calm and modest life to my own business.”

And how about that work-life balance? “Focus on your daily routine and your relationships. Start the day with centering yourself, not with emails,” he said. Teresa, his wife of almost 50 years, and Chris have coffee together every day and play ball with their “awesome” standard poodle, Finn. “Teresa has been my partner in life and business,” he said. “She is creative and the most organized person that I know, plus a fabulous cook.”

Chris has three daughters, who are all his favorites. “My favorite youngest daughter, Katherine, is a Mobile Presenter for Land Title in Colorado, and we ‘talk shop’ about real estate. My favorite oldest daughter, Meg, lives in Austin, TX, and is a certified physician’s assistant- she keeps me healthy. My favorite middle daughter, Kelley, works in the insurance industry and is my sports buddy, conveniently living in downtown Denver with her husband, Troy, and our almost three-years-old grandson, Felix. Felix and our dog Finn have been best friends since they met a couple of years ago. They always hug when they see each other.” All of them are passionate about travel, food, drink, and their pets. The McElroys just got back from Chaco Canyon, NM, and have hiked along Hadrian’s Wall in England and the maritime provinces of Canada.

Chris' family at Hadrian's Wall in England

Chris McElroy’s best sales advice from 40 years of real estate:

• Keep in touch and be transparent with your clients. It is not how much you make but how helpful you are with what’s going on in their lives.

• Have your trusted lending team in place for quick turnaround closings or showing the value of adjustable-rate mortgages. They have fallen out of favor, but now could be a good time to take another look.

• Meet appraisers with a package of information for their use on every contract.

• Make sure to constantly thank all those involved in your business. Written thank you notes are the best medicine.