A brief history of the Realtors Commercial Alliance of Mass.

Formerly, the Realtors Commerical Alliance of Massachusetts (RCA-MA) was known as the Northern Massachusetts Commercial-Investment Board of Realtors, Inc. (NM-CIBOR) — chartered by the National Association of Realtors in 2001 as the only commercial overlay board in Massachusetts. Commercial overlay boards were first allowed by the National Association of Realtors in 1993, and this type of board serves commercial real estate professionals and overlays the jurisdiction of residential boards of Realtors. Although the organization is managed by the Northeast Association of Realtors headquartered in Chelmsford, it is a stand-alone Board of Realtors, with its own charter, bylaws, and directors to the Massachusetts Association of Realtors and representation at the National Association of Realtors. The term Realtor is a trademark for use exclusively by members of the National Association of Realtors, with offices in Chicago and Washington, D.C. Real estate professionals from throughout Massachusetts and bordering states are welcome to join as primary members, and professionals from all states are welcome to join as secondary members. Affiliate members — such as lenders, newspapers, attorneys, etc. — are also welcome! Formation of RCA-MA means that commercial real estate professionals in Massachusetts have a "home" in the Realtor organization, and residential Realtors may join as secondary members to obtain information on commercial and investment property. The first mission of the new board was to form a commercial property listing exchange so that members could exchange information about commercial and industrial property for sale or lease, and to obtain historical information about properties that have been sold or leased. Currently, RCA-MA is affiliated with the New England Property Exchange, in conjunction with the New Hampshire Commercial Investment Board of Realtors, the Maine Commercial Association of Realtors, and the Vermont Commercial Association of Realtors. The new Board has formed a Commercial Information Exchange Task Force to review options and plans to report to the board of directors in 2009. Other activities are continuing education for commercial real estate professionals, networking, and "deal-making" sessions. For more information, contact membership coordinator Sharon Sarvela at (978) 458-2901 x15 or sharon@massnear.com.