January 2011

Introducing REALTOR® Sheryl Grider Whitehurst,
President of the Illinois Association of REALTORS®

By Mary B. Schaefer, CAE, Editor

Buying your own home at the age of 18 is not an achievement that many can claim. But Illinois Association of REALTORS® President Sheryl Grider Whitehurst has accomplished this as well as devoted her 29-year real estate career to helping others realize the dream of homeownership. Growing up in Abingdon, Illinois, where both of her parents contributed significantly through community service, she also is driven to volunteer.

Whitehurst was clearly in her element at the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) Volunteer Build Days last fall working alongside 31 others representing the Illinois Association of REALTORS® to help side a home and nail down hurricane straps inside as part of the NAR partnership with the local Habitat for Humanity and Rebuilding Together New Orleans organizations. The project brought a sense of community not only to Shirley Hayes of New Orleans who was presented the keys to her new home but to the many Illinois REALTORS® who stepped up to the plate to volunteer for this multi-site national homebuilding effort.

“Community service programs like Habitat not only foster personal growth, but at the same time also work to build camaraderie among the REALTORS® involved,” she says.

This is the second time Whitehurst has traveled to the Gulf Coast region to help Habitat efforts; the first in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 also in conjunction with the NAR convention. She has also contributed her time at two builds for her local Peoria area Habitat program.

Helping others is part of Whitehurst’s mantra in life. She keeps a quote by Sir Winston Churchhill nearby on her desk: “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” To keep herself and the firm’s agents motivated in her role of Director of Development and Operations for Traders Realty in Peoria in charge of supervising, hiring and training agents, she surrounds herself daily with motivational quotes including a Life’s Little Instruction daily calendar to keep her focused on her goals.

She is a driver in every sense of the word, does her homework on issues and constantly strives to advance her own knowledge about changing trends in real estate. She has earned the REALTOR® designations Accredited Buyer’s Representative (ABR), Certified Real Estate Brokerage Manager (CRB) and Graduate REALTOR® Institute (GRI) as well as the e-PRO certification.

“Getting a license is just one step in the process,” Whitehurst says. “The designations you earn are like getting your specialist degree in real estate.” Traders Realty recently implemented a requirement that each person must earn a designation within the first four years of affiliation with the company.

She never looks at any glass as half empty. Starting her own real estate career in 1981 during a hard, economic recession, Whitehurst understands difficult times but encourages agents to focus on expanding opportunities.

“I am working with agents to time-block their schedule, encouraging them to focus on talking to past clients, showing them where their return on investment is, focusing on new opportunities,” she says. “REALTORS® today are asked to be more of a trusted advisor to help interpret housing and economic data and the headlines and what it means to the consumer. That means agents must have good communication and presentation skills.”

Reading is a priority and not just the fun stuff. “You aren’t going to learn if you don’t read the information sent to you from the REALTOR® association,” she says. “Agents need to bridge to build an in-depth knowledge of the resources available to buyers and sellers and understand elements of the new laws and information.”

To deliver that message home, Whitehurst hosts “lunch and learn” programs at her office where real estate agents meet twice a month to grab lunch and attend a one-hour educational session designed to get back to the “basics of real estate.”

REALTOR® Jeff Kolbus, broker-owner of Traders Realty says: “Sheryl is one of the most driven people I know in the business. She constantly strives to make other REALTORS® better by way of the research, training and education she provides to our agents, and she serves as a great mentor to others. Her work is built on the passion she shares for improving business standards.”

Her contributions to her local REALTOR® association are many including serving as president and a three-time recipient of the President’s Award.

“For almost 30 years, Sheryl has been a member of the Peoria Area Association of REALTORS® (PAAR) and active on committees every year since joining as well as the Board of Directors,” says Dallas Hancock, association executive of PAAR. “She has always lived her philosophy that it’s critical to have a voice in your profession and the best way to be heard is through your involvement in your association.”

Her contributions to the REALTOR® association extend beyond the local level and have stretched to the state association where she has focused her involvement in the areas of REALTOR® education and professional standards. She currently serves as a member of the NAR Communications Committee, which oversees both the NAR Public Awareness Campaign and the new Homeownership Matters campaign launched last fall at the NAR convention. Homeownership Matters is a multifaceted campaign that includes not only media and consumer outreach but legislative and political advocacy, research and coalition-building to reinforce the fact that homeownership matters to people, to communities and to America.

“Homeownership definitely matters and helps build community and the dreams shared by all Americans,” Whitehurst says. “At the same time a home is not something that should be looked at as a bank but as a great long-term investment. If I make a comparison on what you pay in rent and what you pay in a home, homeownership almost always makes sense. It’s also a place to call mine.”

How will the housing market evolve as we recover from the recession?

When all is said and done, we will get more sound practices in place as far as qualifications in loan processes so we don’t relive past experiences. Some people simply were not ready to be homeowners yet. You have to have a good balance but not be so conservative that no one can get qualified.

REALTORS® need to become trusted advisors. I think we have to do better presentations than we have in the past. It is not always about closing a transaction but being a person that they are going to call when they have a real estate question. You need to be that person.

Why is RPAC important?

It is important to have lawmakers at the table making decisions that support housing concerns—RPAC gets us there. It is not about how it is necessarily going to benefit us personally with housing policy but overall how we benefit the consumer by making sure bad legislation doesn’t get passed and good legislation does.

This year we will be asking 100 percent of our members to contribute their fair share $20 contribution to RPAC.

At the end of your year as IAR president, what do you hope to achieve?

The association is in a better place; that we have increased participation in RPAC and in our Calls for Action, and that we are well on our way toward making a smooth transition with our new license law.

Off-hours I enjoy: Golf, movies and concerts

I’m most proud of: My close relationship with my family. We have a family reunion every year that involves four generations.

My favorite sports teams are: Chicago Bears, Chicago Cubs and Bradley Braves

Favorite vacation spot: Anywhere that involves sunshine

I am motivated to: Be a better me. There is a saying “Always be a learner—and not a learned.” Once you think you’ve learned it all you stop growing as a person.

Best advice for someone just entering real estate: Emulate and listen to successful people, not non-productive negative people. Surround yourself with people who are trying to accomplish the goals you’d like to accomplish. No transaction is worth compromising your reputation.