Tampa Real Estate Blog

Tampa, FL - I recently came upon a report that said over 31 million Americans described themselves as Avid bicycle riders - those riding for health and wellness.  That's about 10% of the total population of the United States of America, with most falling into a specific demographic pool.  (About 55% were women, educated, over 40, and earned a decent living.)  My initial thought was great... We're getting healthy.

Then, after making a point of looking more closely at people who seemed to match this demographic during my daily errands and travels, I noticed that so many appeared to be very out of shape.  I was puzzled... Could these folks be that out of shape and also ride a bicycle for exercise?  Or, was I only seeing those individual who didn't ride (I guess the others were out riding)?  To satisfy my curiosity, I decided to begin a little experiment and take an informal survey...

If you ride a bicycle on a regular basis for exercise, especially if you're over 35 years old, I'd love to hear from you!  In addition to letting me know if you cycle, I'm also curious about what, if anything, you eat for energy DURING your ride, and what you drink - water, energy drink, other? 

If you'd like to respond to this very informal survey - names, addresses, and phone numbers are unnecessary, and will not be shared or abused in any way - please CLICK HERE.

So, for those who'd like to know, here's the difference: A REALTOR is a Licensed Real Estate Agent, who also belongs to the local association of REALTORS, the state association of REALTORS, and the National Association of Realtors, or NAR.  Licensing is administered by the state in which one practices, and each state has their own standards for licensing.  (Many states have standards that are overwhelmingly inadequate, so let the buyer/seller beware!)  Although there are compelling reasons for an agent to become a member of NAR and their state and local associations, like education and access to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), no one is 'forced' to join.  And, while it would be difficult in residential real estate - it would be much easier for commercial brokers/agents - it is possible for a real estate business to operate without association membership or MLS access.

So, even though a person is a Licensed Real Estate Sales Associate, Broker Associate, or Broker, they may not be a REALTOR.

There are many advantages of doing business with a REALTOR, (as opposed to a licensed agent), but the 2 biggest are probably the information a REALTOR can provide (as a result of their access to the MLS and other tools) and the Code of Ethics that all REALTORS must abide (or they can be fined or even lose their license).  The code is rather extensive and strict, but if you'd like to see the actual code, here's a link: REALTOR Code of Ethics (May take a few seconds to load).