The nearly 70-year-old Butler County Association of Realtors is no more, but the former president said the merger with the Realtors Association of Metropolitan Pittsburgh will provide more opportunities in exchange for its members’ dues.

Megan Rummel spent nearly two years working on the merger, which will be complete Dec. 31.

Rummel, the current president of the Butler group, said two factors — economies of scale and value to members — are the main reasons for the merger.

She said smaller associations must meet the ever-increasing number of requirements and restrictions handed down to Realtors by the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors and National Association of Realtors, which is becoming more and more difficult.

“We will have access to resources and the dedicated staff at R.A.M.P., versus what we had,” Rummel said.

For example, Rummel said the state association-set cost for one specific program was $5 per member, but it was raised to $20 for next year.

She said member engagement in programs and events in the local association began to decrease in 2017 and 2018, and many realty agencies began offering programs and events in-house during the coronavirus pandemic.

The pandemic saw many members using Zoom meetings to conduct activities and training required by the state association, which further reduced member participation in the Butler group.

“The personal aspect really wasn’t there,” Rummel said.

Also, adhering to state requirements were becoming more time consuming and costly.

“So we started looking at different options as to how we can spend our dues and dollars better,” Rummel said.

The educational and other opportunities at the Pittsburgh group provided the best bang for Butler Realtors’ buck, she said.

“Just from an economies-of-scale viewpoint, we had a little less than 400 members, and they have 4,000,” Rummel said.

And dues are one additional dollar with the Pittsburgh group, she said.

She looked at merging with another smaller association in a neighboring county, but found that idea to be unsustainable in the long term.

Rummel said Butler County is close enough to Pittsburgh to justify the merger, as residents here root for Pittsburgh sports teams and identify the city as their home when they travel.

She said many of the longtime local Realtors gave their blessing to the merger, while people in mid-career had the most concerns.

“I made a lot of personal phone calls explaining why this was a good idea,” Rummel said. “They were worried we were just going to get lost in the fray.”

Rummel said instead of the Pittsburgh group usurping the entire Butler group’s fund balance, as is the case in most mergers, the local association’s funds will be distributed in the county.

A bench will be purchased at Alameda park, $6,000 was donated to Butler A.M. Rotary, $6,000 to the Butler County Family YMCA, and another $6,000 to Helping Hands, Inspiring Hearts.

“Those were Butler County member dues that are going back into the community,” Rummel said.

She said the Pittsburgh group covered all legal, accounting and other fees associated with the merger.

“(The president and vice president) have been really beneficial in getting a lot of things done in the merger,” Rummel said.

Former Butler County members will fill two seats on the new board of directors, sit on various committees, and serve as county representatives at state association meetings.

The Butler County Association of Realtors has been in existence since the mid-1950s, Rummel said.

John Petrack, executive vice president at the Pittsburgh group, agreed that enjoying the resources of a much larger association will be one of the biggest benefits to Butler members.

“We are able to provide members with many more services, and number one is education,” he said.

He explained that the Realtors Association of Metropolitan Pittsburgh has a school that offers not only the curriculum to those who want to study to become a Realtor, but also advanced training and educational opportunities for current Realtors.

The school also offers free seminars throughout the year and real estate education for attorneys.

The Pittsburgh group offers a safety app for Realtors’ smartphones that help them avoid dangerous situations, like a person with criminal intent asking a Realtor to meet them at a building they might want to sell. More and more often, that building turns out to be an abandoned property where the Realtor is robbed or worse.

“There have actually been dozens of Realtors murdered over the years,” Petrack said.

The Pittsburgh group also offers a free “tech line” that Realtors can call to get technological advice and assistance.

Petrack said he looks forward to including Butler County Realtors in the Realtors Association of Metropolitan Pittsburgh and all the organization has to offer.

“I’ve been in the industry in some form or fashion for more than 40 years, and I’ve gotten to know so many of the Realtor leaders in Butler County,” Petrack said. “We’re more than happy to welcome them and their talent. They’re great people.”