- A Class Defined by Growth, Courage, and Connection, The 2026 Leadership Development Program Graduates 12 Members!
- Tour Philadelphia's New Cruise Terminal & Award-Winning Port At The Developer's Forum & Happy Hour
- Broker Licensing Series Returns to Malvern This Fall
- PAR: How Do Solar Panels Impact Homebuying?
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Bright MLS: Trust Travels with the Data
- SRA: New Affordable Housing for Seniors Coming to Whitpain
- Calendar of Events
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A Class Defined by Growth, Courage, and Connection, The 2026 Leadership Development Program Graduates 12 Members! |
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Last Wednesday, Tri-County Suburban REALTORS® celebrated the 2026 graduating class of the Leadership Development Program (LDP). In order to graduate, each participant delivered a presentation on the impact of the program—how it has reshaped their approach to business, communication, and leadership within the REALTOR® community. Attendees included members of the Board of Directors including Charmain of the Board David Ashe who hosted the event, as well as Board Members: Jennifer Botchway, Kenneth Enochs, Tameka Goldsborough, Frank May, Jr., Lou Muscella, immediate Past Chairman, Michael Howell, Association leadership, past LDP graduates, and more.
Graduate Joseph McKeever reflected on the program’s negotiation course, sharing the quote "people want to be understood, not convinced." Negotiation, often looked at as a hard skill in real estate, is actually about learning a soft skill - listening. McKeever shared that when someone feels heard they are more likely to do business with you. Several graduates spoke to the emotional depth of working in real estate and the need to slow down and truly listen during some of the most meaningful moments in people’s lives.
One common theme echoed across the room: asking the question of yourself, 'is it true?'
LDP begins with a course led by Certified Life Coach Brenda Florida, who introduces participants to the power of emotional intelligence, vulnerability, and self-awareness. Rather than accepting every thought as fact, participants learn a simple but transformative process of self-reflection by asking questions, arguably the most important being, "is it true?" This, and other questions challenge assumptions, quiet the stories we tell ourselves, and encourage leaders to respond with clarity instead of emotion. Before leading others, participants first learn to lead themselves.
Perhaps even more striking than the lessons themselves was the connection among this year's graduating class. Every LDP cohort develops its own unique personality, but this group's genuine care and unwavering support for one another was unmistakable. The encouragement in the room wasn't just reserved for graduation day—it reflected the trust, vulnerability, and lasting friendships they built together throughout the program.
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"After 27 years in this business, I didn't expect a five-week program to teach me too much new — but it did, just not in the textbook sense. The teaching was about looking deep within oneself, and it reminded me that self-awareness is a daily practice, not a milestone — and that it's the foundation every real leader is built on. I came to the course for a few new nuggets of information but left with way more than I ever expected — as did everyone else in the room. This course is a game changer for anyone serious enough about leadership to really dig deep. And it's applicable to business as well as personal life."
- Janet Stretch, 2026 LDP Graduate
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The Leadership Development Program is an annual series of courses taught by a certified life coach, a certified speaking professional, and REALTORS® with extensive experience in the industry. It is designed to enhance members' leadership skills in professional, personal, and association contexts.
The curriculum covers team-building, emotional intelligence, diversity, negotiation tactics, and presentation skills.
Applications for the next class will open in the spring of 2027.
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The 12-member graduating class enjoyed a celebratory luncheon where they received certificates for $399 to reinvest in their education through The Association of REALTORS® School. Congratulations to this year's LDP Graduating Class (pictured left to right): Thomas O'Neill, Tisheba McCall-Dixon, Diane Clerkin, Andrea Fonash, Maggie Murphy, Anissa Marie "AM" Jones, Ibrahim Al Shahrani, Janet Stretch, Joseph McKeever, Christine Ertz, Abby Anderson, & Paul Hayward.
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"The Leadership Development Program reminded me that the greatest investment you can make is in yourself. I entered the program hoping to become a better REALTOR®, but I graduated as a stronger leader, a better listener, and a more intentional servant. True leadership isn’t about having influence it’s about using your influence to elevate others, and that’s the lesson I’ll carry with me for years to come.”
- Abby Anderson, 2026 LDP Graduate
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Tour Philadelphia's New Cruise Terminal & Award-Winning Port At The Developer's Forum & Happy Hour |
Opened in April 2026, the PhilaPort Cruise Terminal has established Philadelphia as a premier cruise homeport, expanding travel opportunities while driving significant economic growth throughout the region. Norwegian Cruise Line is currently the only cruise line sailing out of Philadelphia, and has committed to Philadelphia as its exclusive homeport through March 31, 2033, under a seven-year berthing agreement.
In 2025 alone, PhilaPort supported more than 8,000 jobs, generated $905 million in labor income, contributed nearly $1.2 billion in economic output across Pennsylvania, and was recognized as the most productive container port in the United States for the third consecutive year. The port was also the only U.S. port to place among the Top 20 for performance improvement between 2020 and 2025. (Source, Philaport.com)
Join the Tri-County Suburban REALTORS® Commercial Chapter on September 15 for a special Developer’s Forum & Happy Hour event featuring networking, a behind-the-scenes tour of the terminal, and a presentation from PhilaPort representatives on the vision, development, and economic impact of this transformative project. The event concludes with a Happy Hour at Stinger’s Waterfront in nearby Ridley Park.
Interested parties should review the event schedule for designated shuttle pick-up locations and departure times. Due to ongoing construction and site development at PhilaPort, all attendees are required to use the complimentary shuttle service provided to and from the port.
This event is FREE for members of Tri-County Suburban REALTORS® Commercial Chapter, but open to any member or non-member interested in attending. Click here to learn more, and register today.
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Broker Licensing Series Returns to Malvern This Fall |
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Take the next step in your real estate career with the mandatory series for broker licensing, Real Estate Office Management, coming soon to the Association of REALTORS® School in September. Earning your broker's license opens the door to expanded career opportunities, including managing a brokerage, supervising agents, opening your own firm, or serving as an associate broker.
In Pennsylvania, broker candidates must be at least 21 years old, have a high school diploma or equivalent, complete 240 hours (16 credits) of Commission-approved broker education, document at least three years of qualifying real estate experience (or an approved equivalent), and pass both the Pennsylvania and National Broker Licensing Examinations before obtaining licensure.
Whether you're ready to advance into leadership or expand your professional expertise, our upcoming broker licensing program will help you prepare for the next stage of your career.
As a required course for broker licensing, Real Estate Office Management (2 PA Broker Credits) will help you understand business management, supervising people & establishing a profitable enterprise. The course's objective is to provide you with the tools needed to establish & manage a successful real estate business. It will cover both the practical & legal issues of office management. Real Estate Office Management is a 4-day course taken over the following dates: Wednesday, September 23rd, Monday, October 5th, Wednesday, October 14th, and Monday, October 19th. Classroom time is schedule as 9:00 am – 4:30pm each day.
Real Estate Office Management offers 30 Hours for PA License Renewal 2026-2028 & 26 Substantive Hours for PA Continuing Legal Education.
For questions, contact Director of Student Services, Michelle Leister via mleister@tcsr.realtor or call 610-560-4900.
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PAR: How Do Solar Panels Impact Homebuying? |
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Homebuyers may look at a home with solar panels and see benefits such as lower electricity bills and reduced environmental impact, but there are other factors to consider before buying.
Who owns the solar system?
Sometimes homeowners lease solar panels from a third-party company or sign a power purchase agreement, meaning they buy electricity generated by a third-party company that owns the solar panels installed on their home.
“Mortgage underwriting guidelines require the panels to be owned before an appraiser can consider whether they add ‘contributory value’ to the property,” says the National Association of REALTORS®. “If the owners took a loan to finance the system, that loan must be paid off before the home sale closes. If the solar panels are leased or tied to a PPA, you’ll be assuming a contract with a third-party solar company.”
NAR encourages homebuyers to read any lease agreement carefully before committing, as a home with third-party solar systems will likely come with additional monthly payments, usage terms and restrictions on modifications.
For more considerations, visit PAR's JustListed Blog, here.
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Bright MLS: Trust Travels with the Data |
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Consumers used to search for homes themselves. They opened a browser, went to a portal, and scrolled. That model is breaking, big time.
Today, consumers are increasingly (either knowingly or unknowingly) asking AI assistants to do the searching for them. The consumer’s “front door” is shifting from portals and apps to AI-driven responses. “Find me a four-bedroom in Arlington under $1.2M with a finished basement and no HOA.”
In other words, the interface is no longer a website with multiple site suggestions for the consumer to explore. It’s an answer.
Which raises a more important question than how the search happens: where does the answer come from? Does it call the MLS first? Or does it scrape whatever's public, cached, or stale, and serving that up as truth?
That second path isn't hypothetical. It's the default unless we build against it. And when it happens, the damage doesn't stop with the AI vendor. It lands on the agent whose listing shows the wrong price, the seller whose privacy expectations have been compromised, and the brokerage whose name and reputation is now attached to bad information it never published.
This is why Bright MLSs summer rule updates matter more than a typical policy refresh. On the surface, they're about listing entry timelines, expanded pre-marketing options, and new seller privacy controls, things like price and photo suppression on public-facing sites. Read that way, it's compliance housekeeping.
Read the correct way, it's infrastructure for the AI era.
Click here for the full piece on Bright MLS News.
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SRA: New Affordable Housing for Seniors Coming to Whitpain
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A groundbreaking ceremony was held for Shoshanna Way, a 56-unit affordable housing community for low-income seniors in Whitpain Township, developed by nonprofit Federation Housing. Located at 953 Penllyn Blue Bell Pike on three acres, the project features two-story homes designed to blend with the surrounding neighborhood while maximizing green space, and aims to address the growing challenge of older adults being priced out of fast-growing areas like Whitpain, Lansdale and Towamencin as they age. Federation's vice president Eric D. Naftulin cited rising costs of aging in place as a key driver behind the project, and Whitpain Township's Board of Supervisors Chairman Scott Badami praised it as a repurposing of underused land for a worthwhile cause. Residents will have access to social services, free van transportation, housekeeping, and meal and recreation programs.
Source: Ambler Patch; 7/10/2026
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