$5,000 FAR Scholarship Essay State Winner
Natalie Alvarez of Jacksonville,  a 2009 graduate of Stanton College Preparatory School. 

"How a Realtor Professional Benefits the Community"

I remember the morning after my family moved into our first house: the brush of soft clean carpet against the soles of my small feet; the morning light dancing between the shades; and the fresh smell of a new home, an oasis from the din of the outside world for a family trying to find a foothold in a foreign country. We knew little more than the one-room huts on equatorial island in the Philippines and a run-down apartment on a racially charged side of town; moving into an affordable house where our family could flourish was our dream. However, without the guidance of a Realtor, it was only a dream.
   
Families turn to Realtors to help them find the home perfect for their wants and needs that these dreams represent. Before my family moved into our home, we lived in an apartment building where extreme discretion was necessary. My four siblings and I were constantly wary of the ubiquitous threat of alligators that dwelled in the canal behind our complex when playing outside. Crime was also of great concern, and while we prayed that others’ peccadilloes and graver sins may not plague us, we became victims after one day finding our car in a nearby ditch. We never believed that the luxuries of a safe community and backyard for me and my siblings to play in was within our financial means. However, our Realtor helped us locate a house in a safe neighborhood known for the multitude of children that spend much of their adolescence outdoors in the fresh air.

When purchasing a home, our greatest obstacle was never our will. Once the bills were paid and we counted our remaining funds, we usually had but a paltry sum, which prevented our dream of buying a home from coming true. Perhaps the most important contribution a Realtor can make in the community is letting families realize that money does not have to be a problem. Though my family usually absorbed our small income with quiet submission, our Realtor saw the beginnings of our new future and referred us to lenders determined to turn our small earnings into a home.

My family takes great pride in our house, and despite financial downturn, we cling desperately to our humble home. The pride is neither trite nor evanescent, but always something everyone can share: pride in the home that hours of sweat earned so that a family could grow in happiness. It is the Realtor who helps families find that pride, family by family until the Realtor has created a community of homeowners. A Realtor can be misconstrued as simply an entrepreneur with ulterior motives, but a Realtor represents something much greater.

A Realtor is instead a creator — a creator of strong communities, an architect who edifies the dreams of fledging families struggling in rundown apartment homes into tangible structures of substance, and a visionary who knows that never is there a “never” when it comes to those dreams.