Des Moines REALTOR® Kurt Schade Installed as President of the Iowa Association of REALTORS®

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IAR Leadership team, left to righ: Carey Jensen, past president; Dale Gross, president-elect; Kurt Schade, president; and Don Marple, treasurer.

CLIVE, IA (10/18/2010)(readMedia)-- The Iowa Association of REALTORS® (IAR) announced its 2011 leadership on Sept. 23 at its annual convention held in Dubuque. The IAR installed Kurt Schade of Des Moines as president and Dale Gross of Atlantic as president-elect. Don Marple of Davenport will serve as treasurer.

Schade, a long-time REALTOR® and leader in the Des Moines community, just finished his term as 2009 president of the Des Moines Area Association of REALTORS® (DMAAR). Schade is a broker-associate at Coldwell Banker Mid-America Group, REALTORS® in West Des Moines, where he has worked for the past 13 years. Schade has been a licensed REALTOR® in Iowa since 1976, and has more than 33 years experience in real estate, home building and appraising.

Schade has served in many leadership roles within the IAR, received the 2005 DMAAR REALTOR® Salesperson of the Year Award, and has earned several of the real estate industry's highest professional designations.

According to Dave Bert, CEO of the Iowa Association of REALTORS®, Schade is a strong and seasoned leader. "Kurt has excellent leadership and communication skills. He has been a strong presence within the IAR for many years, and we are pleased to have him in this new role. He will bring fresh ideas, hard work and dedication to the IAR and our members," says Bert.

Schade is up for the challenge of leading the statewide REALTOR® organization. "I've found that providing the very best service in real estate is essentially about putting my clients first. This means keeping myself accessible, responding quickly to their needs, and being a good listener and communicator. This philosophy is also the foundation for how I work in leadership roles," explains Schade. "It's going to be an exciting year, and I look forward to helping the IAR meet the real estate challenges ahead."

Schade has been a member of the IAR since 1976, and has served on numerous committees and task forces, including legislative, public policy, personnel and legal reference, and coaching and mentoring. He has served on the REALTOR® Foundation of Iowa Board and was recently appointed to serve on the National Association of REALTOR®'s Membership Policy and Board Jurisdiction Committee. He is also very active in his local board, DMAAR, serving in a number of leadership over the years, including president last year.

IAR officers, including Schade, Gross and Marple, volunteer in these leadership positions, while still selling real estate at their respective local offices. The Iowa Association of REALTORS® is the state's largest real estate professional organization, representing more than 6,700 members and affiliates.