Home. The mere mention of the word can tug at our heart strings! Descriptions of home can be basic, such as “it’s a one level three bedroom” or delightfully described as “home is where the heart is.”

The Spokane Association of REALTORS® annually supports a poster and essay contest that asks third grade children to describe what their home means to them. This year has yielded an abundance of participants! We want to thank all the teachers that encouraged their students to draw and write a story about their home.

In May we will have a luncheon to honor those students whose posters were judged to be very special. The chatter in the room during the judging was that every single poster was special – each deserved a prize!

If we asked adults to perform the same task they might give a different report than their third grader. Discussions could range from home ownership and the investment opportunity to the “honey-do” list for Saturday mornings.

As REALTORS® we find great joy in watching families choose their new homes. Stories abound about the children that run through the vacant house, choosing their own bedroom. Then it becomes their home when the walls are painted personal colors, the boxes unpacked, the new puppy is added to the family and the postman delivers mail.

For the first quarter of 2010 there were 790 families that purchased a home across Spokane County. This represents an increase of 23.2% over the first quarter of 2009.

From the very beginning of our Association and the REALTOR® Code of Ethics in 1913 we have had aspirations and goals set before us. Here is an important part of our mission:

“REALTORS® should recognize that the interests of the nation and its citizens require the highest and best use of the land and the widest distribution of land ownership. They require the creation of adequate housing, the building of functioning cities, the development of productive industries and farms, and the preservation of a healthful environment.”

All logical reasons for home ownership: good long-term investment; shelter to use, improve, or sell at will; and accumulate wealth, etc. are important, but the emotional value of home far outweighs the dollars involved.

Listen to the third graders that participated in the poster contest. It’s the little things in our lives that make the big differences. Ask your favorite REALTOR® for home ownership advice. We are a vital part of your community. REALTORS® work, play and volunteer in our great Northwest. We are you!

Linda Miller invites your email comments. She can be reached at President@SpokaneRealtor.com.