Real Estate News
A longtime Realtor®, association leader and industry advocate has died. Martin Edwards, Jr. passed away on Jan. 1, according to the Memphis Area Association of Realtors® (MAAR). Following a four-decade career as an agent, Edwards served as president of the National Association of Realtors® in 2002 — a term that began just after the 9/11 attacks. Along with three other NAR leaders, he co-founded the Realtors® Relief Fund (now the Realtors® Relief Foundation), which was able to quickly collect and distribute more than $8.4 million in housing-related assistance to families affected by the attacks. Edwards "was the finest expression of humanity at its best," said Ron Phipps, principal broker at Phipps Realty in Rhode Island. Phipps served as president of NAR in 2011 and worked on several projects with Edwards over the years, including co-hosting an event honoring NAR's Good Neighbor Award winners. "Martin believed that talking was important, but that actions and outcomes are the real test of commitment," Phipps said in an email sent to Real Estate News through NAR. "It was never about him."