The Realtor® Association of Greater Fort Lauderdale, Inc. The Realtor® Association of Greater Fort Lauderdale, Inc.The REALTOR® Association of Greater Fort Lauderdale, Inc. (RAGFL) is one of the largest REALTOR® Associations in the State of Florida, representing more than 12,000 real estate agents in Palm Beach, Miami-Dade and Broward Counties. Founded in 1922, the organization is directed by an Association-elected Board of Directors and managed by a Chief Executive Officer. The Association currently employs over thirty full time staffers located at two facilities in Broward County.
Association Highlights:
The mission of the REALTOR® Association of Greater Fort Lauderdale is to secure the interests of its members and their ability to conduct a thriving business, to promote the highest standards of professional practice in the real estate community, and to support members in maximizing their individual potential for success.
The Realtor® Association of Greater Fort Lauderdale (RAGFL) was founded in 1922 by six local real estate professionals and, at the time, was called the Fort Lauderdale Board of Realtors®. By 1924, the Association had grown to 26 members. It would take twelve more years for the Board to decide to create and install a rudimentary listing service they called the Central Listing Bureau. The rules and regulations were a bit wild by today's standards, but all-in-all, it was the beginning of what would grow into one of the Association's largest assets - Multiple Listing Service (MLS) data.
In 1939, records indicate that dues were $2 a member, and members agreed to split commissions on a 60/40 basis; no cooperation would be given to non-members. By 1941, dues had been raised to $25 a year. The Board held meetings and took stances on key issues such as tax increases and ordinances prohibiting the keeping of wild animals within the Fort Lauderdale city limits.
In the 1940s, the Central Listing Bureau came into its own, requiring one full-time staff person to handle entries and bookkeeping. Dues were raised to $175 per year, payable in monthly installments throughout the year minus the summer months when apparently many Realtors® made limited sales. Membership had not yet reached the 100-member mark, and most were men. This era also saw the origination of property records kept on file. At the time there were 55 subdivisions in the area covering 10,000 lots.
The 1950s saw several changes to the Association as the membership grew. The professional full-time staff included 15 people whom primarily handled the Central Listing Bureau. By 1955, membership was up to 88 Realtors® and 412 Associates. The MLS system, as we have come to know it, essentially originated at the end of the decade, with more than 90 offices participating in the data sharing at $5 to post a listing.
The Association's growth in numbers and in services would see an explosion during the 1960s. Real estate schools and local universities were sending students in mass numbers to join and subscribe to the Code of Ethics set out by the National Association of Realtors®. By the end of the decade, RAGFL membership stood at 1,528.
The current RAGFL East facility opened in November of 1971 to house the more than thirty full-time staff members the Association now employs. In June of 2006, the Association opened a second, 4,200-square-foot multi-purpose location, referred to as the RAGFL West facility. Both locations operate as full-service facilities complete with full-time staffs, weekly professional development courses and Realtor® stores. RAGFL is currently one of the largest Realtor® Associations in the country serving more than 12,000 members across Palm Beach, Miami-Dade and Broward Counties.