At the helm of the Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® this year is Suzanne Yost, a REALTOR® who is passionate about organized real estate and highly values professional standards and the REALTOR® Code of Ethics.

Yost has been actively involved in organized real estate long before becoming a SILVAR member in 2009. Yost was named REALTOR® of the Year in 2006 by the Santa Cruz Association of REALTORS® and Salesperson of the Year in 1982 by San Luis Obispo Board of REALTORS®.

Involvement in organized real estate provides opportunities for REALTORS®, including the tools they need to succeed in business, says Yost. Associations provide education courses to sharpen a REALTOR®’s knowledge and skills, networking opportunities, and valuable information they need to know to assist their clients in making a decision that’s right for them.

Yost said SILVAR’s Government Affairs staff, the local government committees and Political Action Committee have been successful in warding off proposals that would hurt REALTORS® and homeowners, like business license taxes, transfer taxes, time of sale restrictions, sign ordinances, rent control, zoning, to name a few.

Yost is a graduate of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Clara University School of Law. She is a broker associate with Alain Pinel Realtors in Los Gatos. She is also a trainer for new agents and a statewide instructor of real estate continuing education classes.

Yost has served as a California Association of REALTORS® Director and as member and chair of a number of NAR and C.A.R. committees. At SILVAR, she chaired the Professional Standards Committee in 2009, joined the Board of Directors in 2010, and co-chaired the Bay Area REALTOR® Leadership Academy (BARLA) in 2011.

In the 32 years she has been practicing real estate, Yost has witnessed three housing market downturns. She is certain the market will come out of this one. “This downturn is lasting longer than the others, but the market will bounce back again. I’m already seeing positive things happening,” says Yost.

Yost advises fellow REALTORS® to “stay positive, get back to basics, and get involved.”

As members take advantage of the opportunities SILVAR offers, they also can give back to the Association and their community. Most of all, Yost wants all members to adhere to the REALTOR® Code of Ethics, because “it’s what defines a REALTORS® and sets us apart from other licensees.”

There are unlimited possibilities in real estate, says Yost. This is her theme for 2012: A Year of Possibilities. She wants SILVAR’s members to take hold of these possibilities and run with them.

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