Palos Verdes Peninsula Association of REALTORS®
The Palos Verdes Peninsula Association of REALTORS® (PVPAR) is a local group that aims to improve the Palos Verdes community each day. We sat down with Edward Barrios, who is serving his 10th year on the board of directors, to learn more about PVPAR. Barrios previously served two terms as president of the group and works as a broker associate for Vista Sotheby’s International Realty.
What is the Palos Verdes Peninsula Association of REALTORS®?
PVPAR is a nonprofit organization dating back to 1955 as the Palos Verdes Estates Board of Realtors and 1959 as the Rolling Hills Board of Realtors. The two associations merged to form the PVPAR in 1994. We’re a 700-members strong association of real estate professionals on the Peninsula, and our goal as an organization is to provide the most effective products and services for our members to maintain the highest level of professionalism and success in the business.
Palos Verdes Realtors are very involved in the community. Is this something you help your members get involved with?
Our members are part of the fabric of the community. It’s our profession to help people sell one of their most valuable assets and to buy a place they plan to call home for many years. We care about our clients and the community and want to see it thrive. We go above and beyond for the community however we can. The PVPAR has been a proud supporter of the Peninsula Education Foundation for over 25 years, contributing to the PEF Real Estate Honor Roll. Our PVPAR Scholarship Fund has helped hundreds of students for over 25 years. In total we have given over $140,000 in scholarships, and we raise the bar every year.
What is the Palos Verdes Specialist program?
We offer our members an intensive and comprehensive course called the Palos Verdes Specialist. With the unique landscape and rich history of the 4 cities on the hill, the Specialist course gives our certified members an advantage in helping their clients with real estate on the Hill. We have about 170 certified Palos Verdes Specialists and the annual enrollment is limited.
What do you love about the PVPAR?
I love that we are a member-owned and operated organization with an incredible staff. I love that our members not only think of themselves and their day-to-day businesses, but are willing to volunteer hours, days and weeks to serve the association and to consistently focus on what we can do to improve ourselves as realtors. We’re fortunate to live and work in Palos Verdes and we’ll continue to assure our members do whatever we can to make the hill the best place to live for as long as we can.
