by Michele Newbern Gillis
Staff Writer
Kay Seitzinger, the new president of the Northeast Florida Association of Realtors, wants to bring the beach to NEFAR.
Her first step was her installation - attendees were asked to dress in shorts and flip-flops, keeping the event as casual.
“I’m from the beach and have lived at the beach since I got into real estate,” said Seitzinger. “I’m a little different. It’s a little more laid back here at the beach. I wanted everyone to be very casual and comfortable.”
NEFAR represents so many areas that Seitzinger wanted to highlight hers in her installation.
“That’s the interesting thing about NEFAR, that you have so many different areas and lifestyles within the greater Jacksonville area,” she said. “We are going to try to include everyone, but let the beach shine for a little while.”
Communication is very important to Seitzinger. She said she wants to know what the members are thinking.
“What I would like to do is if people have concerns or questions, to have them contact me on my cell phone or e-mail,” said Seitzinger. “I’m a working Realtor, too. I’m there where they are. What they have concerns about, I have concerns about.”
NEFAR will hold three meetings this year.
“While we are not having a lot of meetings, our intention is to have very good speakers because we know that is what draws the membership,” she said. “We want speakers that are vibrant, current and get the membership involved. We are really doing some searching to get some good renowned speakers.”
Her other goals are to continue to improve education and encourage agents to participate in community activities.
She said it helps Realtors see each other in a different light and discover talents they didn’t know they had.
“The main thing is giving back to the community,” said Seitzinger. “We want to spotlight the ones that are participating in community activities. Of course this year, we have some changes that are going to be made with the addition to the resource center. The business is changing so much that we need to keep abreast of it and ahead of it.”
Seitzinger will be following in the footsteps of Linda Sherrer, president of Prudential Network Realty.
“I want to continue the good job she has done,” she said.
Seitzinger has been on the board for six years and has been on the Budget and Finance Committee longer than that.
“I have always been interested in being a part of it,” she said.
Seitzinger has also been on the Forms, Realtor Political Action Committee auction, Community Affairs committees and more.
“I volunteer for just about anything,” she said.
She also attended leadership symposiums from the Florida Association of Realtors and the National Association of Realtors to prepare for her year.
“At the FAR meeting, you attend a leadership round table discussion with other incoming presidents where you can talk about ideas and questions,” said Seitzinger. “It’s more of an interchange of leadership between groups.”
Seitzinger said Glenn East, NEFAR’s staff leader, is a great help to incoming presidents.
“He basically keeps you in tune with what is going on and runs things on a day-to-day basis,” she said. “We step in and do what is needed.”
Seitzinger has been a Realtor for 21 years. She is still a working Realtor and part-time assistant manager at the Watson office in Ponte Vedra Beach.
When she went to work at Watson in August 2004, she was returning home.
She started her career with Watson Realty in the first Ponte Vedra Beach office. She then went to work for Arvida in three of the company’s offices, and then went to Re/Max for 10 years. Then she returned to Watson Realty when the assistant manager position became available.
“I like the training aspect of it and working with the new agents,” said Seitzinger. “It’s basically a mentoring program. I’m there to assist them and help them.”
She oversees about 10 or 12 agents.
She has a bachelor’s degree in microbiology from Mississippi State.
“I worked in a hospital for about a year and discovered I did not like sitting in a lab looking at petri dishes,” she said.
Before real estate, she worked at Stitch in Time, a needlework shop.
“Cathy Whatley [of Buck & Buck Realty] used to come into the shop,” she said. “She said I would be good in real estate and another friend of mine agreed, so I got into real estate and never looked back.”