Large checks are routinely transferred from buyers to sellers at real estate closings.
But every two months, RE/MAX Truman Lake real estate agents hand out a giant check in the community — literally.
In 2022, the 12 agents started a new project, RE/MAX Truman Lake Gives Back. They are proud to announce that in 2022, they donated more than $5,000, which benefited six different local organizations, agent Jenny Hann said.
“Every agent donates a percentage of every single transaction,” she said.
The agents hand out a check every two months, she said, so it adds up to a substantial amount. The organizations chosen to receive checks in 2022 were the Clinton Senior Center, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Clinton Boy Scouts of America troops, Hope Project and the Henry County Memory Fund. They presented the last check from donations collected from November and December of 2022 this week to the Clinton Animal Shelter.
Hann said they chose organizationd they were familiar with, and have already chosen the organizations for 2023 and set up a schedule. But they want to vary the receivers every year, she said, so are asking people to propose organizations to receive a financial gift in 2024. The organization can be anywhere in the area, she said, not just in Clinton.
“We want to keep our money local,” she said.
RE/MAX Truman Lake is a local franchise owned by Kathy Shoemaker. It has been in business more than 30 years, Hann said.
“None of this would have been possible without our clients trusting us to guide them in the home buying and selling process,” she said. ”In turn, we get to help our community.”
The parent RE/MAX company originated in 1973 in Denver with a business model that promoted professionalism among real estate agents by allowing them to pay a part of the overhead costs of the office instead of a percentage of their commissions, so that the more effort they put into their job, the more successful they were. The result was to turn real estate into a profession instead of something people did part-time. RE/MAX is now international and operates in 100 countries.
The Truman Lake agents turned that business model on its head by voluntary deciding to donate part of their commissions to their community.
But they think it’s a win-win situation.
“When we win, our community wins,” Hann said. “We just want this to continue to grow.”
It’s a seller’s market, she added, and listings are needed. To propose organizations for RE/MAX Gives Back, go to the RE/MAX Truman Lake Facebook page. The office is located at 5 NE 91, just east of Clinton, off Hwy. 7 South. Look for the red, white and blue RE/MAX hot-air balloon logo.
