Why I value my membership with the RICS

I have always had a passion for real estate, the built environment fascinates me. After all we are all a product of our environments. I was not one of the lucky one's who understood at an early age what profession I wanted to pursue, it's probably due to my personality I can be somewhat carefree. However, growing up within city of Chicago at an early age I can remember riding on the CTA and just in awe of the great architecture within our city and the foresight of the city planners to allow for the parks and green areas for the public to enjoy along with the magnificent skyline. Chicago gets a bad rep, but it is one of the most beautiful, well manicured and affordable cities in the world with a diverse population that you can only appreciate when you are exposed to other urban centers.

I have been lucky in many respects the real estate profession has allowed me to travel the world, with this it became very clear not all cities enjoyed similar foresight of urban planning along with the architectural gems we have in Chicago. At the same time it became very clear real estate is practiced differently in every market I have had the chance to visit, with varying cultural norms, degree of regulations, transparency, geographical constraints, language barriers and last but not least economic drivers. This is when the role of a professional body can create a common thread amongst professionals in an industry. To mesh the various professions within an industry and provide opportunities to collaborate and share learning experiences. Becoming a member of RICS can provide you with recognition on global level, this year RICS held the annual Summit of Americas in my hometown of Chicago comprised of three days full of learning and networking of everything related to real estate. The best part of it was fellow members travelled from across the globe to visit Chicago. I have to say, I ate up every second of it.

C.M.