SCARA President enjoys helping homeowners
April 23-29, 2018
By Kara Lee Ford
As a Realtor Vicki Elmendorf loves helping people realize their American dream of owning a home.
“It doesn’t matter if they are first-time home buyers or a growing family moving into a larger house, I want to make their experience as painless and seamless as possible,” Elmendorf said.
As the current president of the South Central Arkansas Realtors Association (SCARA), Elmendorf is assisting realtors in Saline, Clark, Grant, Hot Spring and Dallas Counties do the same. She has been involved with SCARA for several years serving on the board for the past three.
Elmendorf started her real estate career nearly 13 years ago with Penfield Real Estate, Inc. Four years later in 2009 Penfield merged with another firm to form Baxley-Penfield-Moudy Realtors, which is who Elmendorf works for now.
South Central Arkansas Realtors Association currently has more than 300 members. The organization holds bi-monthly membership meetings.
“We normally meet at the Western Sizzlin in Benton every other month, but on occasion we have special off-site programs,” she said. “We always have a speaker who is of interest to our members. We’ve had superintendents of local schools; both Bryant and Benton mayors; and members of law enforcement – people who affect the quality of life for home owners.”
She said other speakers have included developers and builders for residential and commercial projects.
“Of course, it’s always important to know about new developments and new stores and restaurants coming to our area,” Elmendorf said. “That’s important information to people looking to buy a home.
“And as realtors we are very prominent in our chambers of commerce. Being involved in our cities’ business is instrumental to our success.”
Elmendorf said SCARA gives back to the community by being involved in several non-profit organizations, such as Habitat for Humanity, Hearts and Houses of Arkansas and Special Olympics. Hearts & Homes of Arkansas, Inc. is a charitable organization that was established in 2009 assist citizens across Arkansas who have lost their home, their office, their ability to pay for their home and/or their livelihood through a natural disaster or other catastrophic events.
“The last Habitat for Humanity project we were involved with was a house that had been repossessed. It had been torn down to the frame. We installed dry wall and flooring. It was so dirty and dusty we had to wear masks. It was hard work, but we had a big group of volunteers.”
Elmendorf is married to her husband, Michael. They have three sons and two grandsons.
“I’m surrounded by men,” Elmendorf laughed.
For more information on SCARA or to get involved, visit their Facebook Page.
