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Realtors Association breaks ground on new facility in Kissimmee

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  • RENDERING/OSCEOLA COUNTY ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS The Osceola County Association of Realtors’ new 4,400-square foot building will be nearly three times the size of the association’s current office. Above is a rendering of the new headquarters.
    RENDERING/OSCEOLA COUNTY ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS The Osceola County Association of Realtors’ new 4,400-square foot building will be nearly three times the size of the association’s current office. Above is a rendering of the new headquarters.
  • Photo/osceola county association of realtors Above is the Osceola County Association of Realtors facility that was built in 1985.
    Photo/osceola county association of realtors Above is the Osceola County Association of Realtors facility that was built in 1985.
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OSCEOLA COUNTY ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS

The real estate business is booming in Osceola County.

And so is the Osceola County Association of Realtors.

The association is bursting at the seams at its current location on Shady Lane in Kissimmee, and on Friday, it broke ground on a new building.

“We’ve outgrown the facility,” said Joe Johnson, president of the board of directors.

“Our association has been steadily growing, year after year, and now we have over 4,000 members,” he said.

The new building is being constructed on the same site as the current facility, but will have a new address on Cross Prairie Parkway once it’s completed in October.

The 4,400-square foot building will be nearly three times the size of the association’s current office, built in 1985.

“It’s going to be a substantial benefit to our members because we’re going to offer top-notch technology and top-notch classes,” Johnson said.

What’s more, the new facility will serve as an event space for the public, with significantly more parking, he said.

“We don’t have a lot of rental space for events in the community, so we saw a need there,” he said.

Osceola’s largest trade association, OSCAR has provided professional development courses, advocacy and community engagement for real estate agents and brokers since 1924.

It was officially designated a member of the National Association of Real Estate Boards in 1950.

With Osceola being the fastest-growing county in the state, selling real estate is “a business that a lot of people have thought about getting into and are finally doing it,” Johnson said.

However, the basic course to earn a license to sell real estate in Florida “doesn’t get into the day-to-day business of real estate,” Johnson said. “So one of the things we do as an organization is to offer classes and educational series that teach our members how to run a business and be successful.”

Last year, OSCAR offered some 220 classes – from the Graduate Realtor Institute (GRI) course to classes on real estate ethics and international property.

“A lot of brokers have limited ability to educate their agents,” Johnson said. “So we offer a wide variety of classes for everyone, from newcomers to those who’ve been in the business for 30 years.”

The association’s annual dues are $585 dollars, which includes membership in the state association, Florida Realtors, as well as the National Association of Realtors.

Unlike many other county associations, OSCAR offers most classes for free to its members, with the exception of those that are required for specific state or national certifications or designations, Johnson said.

The organization also offers its own “unique” course on the ins and outs of real estate in Osceola County, he said.