Former NAR president lived by his belief in ‘The Power of One’ 

A longtime Realtor, association leader and industry advocate has died.

Martin Edwards, Jr. passed away on Jan. 1, according to the Memphis Area Association of Realtors (MAAR). His age and cause of death were not listed, but a video interview with Edwards indicated he was 81 in 2020.

Following a four-decade career as an agent, Edwards served as president of the National Association of Realtors in 2002 — a term that began just after the 9/11 attacks. Along with three other NAR leaders, he co-founded the Realtors Relief Fund (now the Realtors Relief Foundation), which was able to quickly collect and distribute more than $8.4 million in housing-related assistance to families affected by the attacks.

A commitment to service and education

Edwards "was the finest expression of humanity at its best," said Ron Phipps, principal broker at Phipps Realty in Rhode Island. Phipps served as president of NAR in 2011 and worked on several projects with Edwards over the years, including co-hosting an event honoring NAR's Good Neighbor Award winners.

At the local level, Edwards was deeply involved in his community as a Memphis Health, Education and Housing Facility Board chair and a trustee for the University of Memphis Foundation. An active member of MAAR, he served in numerous leadership roles, including a term as president in 1985. He was also a founding member of MAAR's Education Foundation, whose classes are now held in the aptly named Martin Edwards, Jr. Education Center. 

Edwards' other educational endeavors included working as an instructor for the Mortgage Bankers Association, the American Institute of Real Estate Appraisers and the Certified Commercial Investment Member Institute.

The power to make a difference

Edwards' leadership philosophy, according to his NAR bio, was encapsulated by the phrase "The Power of One" — a belief that every agent can have a positive impact on the real estate industry, and on housing issues at large, at the local, state and national level.

For Edwards, that impact extended to the highest levels of government. While serving as NAR's first vice president in 2000, Edwards had the opportunity to advise George W. Bush on housing policy as a member of the incoming president's transition team.

"Martin believed that talking was important, but that actions and outcomes are the real test of commitment," Phipps said in an email sent to Real Estate News through NAR. "It was never about him."