President Mark Killingsworth presided over today’s meeting. Joe Meador provided the opening prayer. Bill MacLauchlan led us in the Pledge of Allegiance. The meeting was held at the Holiday Inn North and on Zoom. Joe Bost thanked those who helped with today’s meeting. There were no guests.
Lynn Walton then introduced today’s guest speaker, David Saulters. David is a native of Prentiss. He came to Hattiesburg in 1986 to attend USM and he chose Hattiesburg as his new home. David is the owner of Sigma Companies, LLC and is also the owner of ReMax Realty along with his wife Christa. He served as the president of the Greater Hattiesburg Home Builders Association and the Home Builder Association of Mississippi. He was also a member of Hattiesburg Rotary in the 1990s.
Under Sigma Companies, David became a licensed builder and built several homes in the Hattiesburg area. His wife handled the listing and sales of those homes. When construction slowed during the Great Recession, David took an opportunity to purchase ReMax Realty. The agency has 48 licensed realtors.
David says real estate is a big deal. To most of their customers, purchasing a home is the largest financial transaction they have ever made. Real Estate is also emotional. Agents work with families who have made their house a home. They’ve raised their children, enjoyed good times, and endured bad times in their home. Parting with it often becomes emotional.
Of all the sales in the Hattiesburg market, 94% were handled by a licensed real estate agent. Only 6% were sold by owners.
Real Estate agents are licensed by the Mississippi Real Estate Commission. They are also required to join a realtor association. In Hattiesburg that association is the Hattiesburg Area Association of Realtors. Realtors are also required to sign and conduct their business with a code of ethics. They share information with other agents and often share compensation.
David says the Hattiesburg housing market is very good and has a stable growth pattern. However, housing inventory is very much below what it should be. Previously, there were more than 1,000 homes for sale on the market. Today there are just over 300. Sales are strong and builders are somewhat reluctant to build new homes due to a substantial increase in material costs over the past couple of years. Mortgage rates are the lowest they’ve been in many years, which is also driving housing demand.
Mark thanked David for his presentation. He also noted that the club has sold fewer than 40 DuBard tee-shirts. Our goal is 50. He encouraged all members to visit www.rotaryofhattiesburg.com, click on the DuBard link, and make their purchase soon.
He also informed members about an upcoming ‘inTENTS’ which is coming up on Saturday, April 10, 2021, from 9 a.m. until noon. Our club is being asked to provide volunteers, find a location for the District event and locate a caterer to provide lunch for participants. Club members will also be asked to sell raffle tickets. The purpose of the inTENTs is to raise money for Shelterbox. More information will be coming soon.
There being no further business to come before the club, Mark then adjourned the meeting with our motto: “Service Above Self.”