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NMAR Honors Local Realtors

Katie Brown, a broker/owner of Trails West Real Estate, was chosen as the 2014 Realtor of the Year

By Contributed

The Northwest Montana Association of Realtors (NMAR) recently awarded its 2014 Realtor of the Year and Rookie of the Year, and presented a special award in honor of the late Jean Carter, “The Jean Carter Spirit Award.”

Katie Brown, a broker/owner of Trails West Real Estate, was chosen as the 2014 Realtor of the Year.   More than a chosen profession, Katie sees her career as a passion and a role she takes seriously in serving her clients.  “I cannot imagine doing my job without the guidance and learning opportunities I receive as an active member and participant in all that is offered through NMAR and NAR.  I also appreciate the hard work and dedication that most Realtors have towards their clients and it is important to me that the public, and other new Realtors, are made aware and understand the hours of diligent care and time that we give.” Among the many NMAR committees Katie has served on, among which are 17 years in Professional Standards and 10 years of teaching the Code of Ethics, she has also served at the President of the NMAR-MLS Board of Directors.  She currently serves as the Chair of the Orientation and Membership Committee. As an active Realtor, Katie knows the importance of participating in civic activities in her community and the Flathead Valley.   She currently serves on the Kalispell Regional Medical Center Foundation Board and the Child Bridge Board, and volunteered at the Spartan Race for Save a Sister, Intermountain Children’s Home, the Alert annual Golf Tournament, and as a First Descents “Camp Mom” for cancer survivors.

The 2014 Rookie of the Year was presented to Jeanie Deetz, salesperson at ERA Lambros at Meadowlake in Columbia Falls.  Jeanie joined ERA Lambros Real Estate in January 2013 and hit the ground running.  She immediately set to work taking classes and became a certified ERA International Collection specialist for Distinctive Properties.  Jeanie brings a unique blend of real estate experience to her new sales profession, as she spent her career as a real estate para-legal.  During this time as a paralegal, Jeanie attained a diverse background in National and International timeshare, resort, residential, and commercial sales transactions along with transactions regarding property management.  The Rookie of the Year award recognizes a Realtor who is “new” to the business, and is based upon sales production, community involvement, and Realtor dedication.

NMAR presented the first “Jean Carter Spirit Award” to Jackie Smart, owner/broker of Wright Real Estate in Ronan, Montana.  The “Jean Carter Spirit Award” is given to an NMAR Realtor who “exemplifies the Realtor spirit.” Jackie Smart is a person who is always there when asked, and has served tirelessly on the NMAR board of directors, the Montana Association of Realtors Board of Directors, and the NMAR MLS Board of Directors. Additionally, she has devoted herself to Realtor education, serving on the Graduate Realtor Institute steering committee for years. In her community she was the found member of the Mission Valley animal shelter, was president more than once, and is still a board member. She was on the local planning board, she supports Big Brothers and Sisters, and she has a scholarship each year for a high school graduate attending collage.  Jackie was a Founding member of the housing authority for her community which later was named Lake County House Origination. She represents her community and her profession with honor and integrity just as the late Jean Carter did.