CLIVE, IA (10/18/2010)(readMedia)-- The Iowa Association of REALTORS® (IAR) recently announced Dick Koestner of Davenport as the 2010 REALTOR® of the Year. The IAR presented the award Sept. 23 in Dubuque.
Koestner, a REALTOR® and Certified General Residential Real Estate Property Appraiser in Iowa and Illinois, has been involved in the real estate profession for more than 30 years. Koestner is the broker-owner of Koestner Realty, Ltd. and a partner-owner of Koestner, McGivern and Associates, an appraisal company in Davenport. He holds the Senior Residential Appraiser (SRA) Designation with the Appraisal Institute.
Kurt Schade, president of the IAR, says Koestner has been a strong leader at the IAR for many years. "Dick's contributions to the IAR have been many and they have been great," says Schade. "But Dick's work extends far beyond IAR. He has tirelessly given of his time and talents to be an advocate for the real estate and appraisal industries at the local, state and national levels that have impacted the professions in many ways. The impact of his presence and his input over the past thirty-some years is really quite impressive."
Koestner served as president of the IAR in 1998, received IAR's REALTOR® of the Year Award in 1999, and was inducted into the Omega Tau Rho service fraternity in 1999. He has served as chair of the REALTOR® Foundation of Iowa, and of multiple IAR committees and task forces.
He has been a member of the Appraisal Institute since 1987. He has also served as member of the Board of Directors of the Iowa Chapter, and as a member of the Professional Standards and Candidate Guidance Committees.
In 2001, Koestner was appointed by the Governor to the Iowa Real Estate Appraiser Examining Board. Since then he has been chair, vice chair, and chair of the disciplinary committee, and a member of the ethics committee. In addition to residential property, he has worked on FHA assignments, subdivisions, as well as commercial and industrial buildings.
Koestner has served as a director, regional vice president and executive committee member of the National Association of REALTORS®. In addition, he was the 1987 president of his local board, the Greater Davenport Board of REALTORS®, and was named Davenport's REALTOR® of the Year in 1988 and 1999.
Throughout the past 30 years, Koestner has also been involved with additional industry organizations and associations, including the American Institute of Real Estate Appraisers, the Society of Real Estate Appraisers, Iowa Mortgage Bankers Association, University of Northern Iowa's Real Estate Education Program Advisory Council, and Fannie Mae's Iowa Partnership Advisory Committee.
Koestner devotes time to charitable organizations in his community as well. He has served on the board of the Council on Children at Risk, and on the East Davenport Little League Board. He's volunteered with the Junior Achievement and Habitat for Humanity in the Quad Cities; and filled several roles at St. Paul the Apostle Church, including education board member, building committee member, and president of the Parish Council.
The Iowa Association of REALTORS® is the state's largest real estate professional organization, representing more than 6,700 members and affiliates. The term REALTOR® is a registered and protected trademark. A REALTOR® is a member of the National Association of REALTORS®, the State Association of REALTORS®, and their local Board of REALTORS®. By joining the REALTOR® organization, a real estate professional has to adhere to a strict Code of Ethics and its standards of professionalism, integrity and competence.