They have a “Ticket to Ride,” taking a line from a 1965 Beatles hit song, and the Fayette County Board of  REALTORS are eagerly taking advantage of the opportunity to go on tour with the Fayette County Public School System.

About 40 realtors attended a kickoff event at the school system’s transportation center on October 11th to learn more about the tours that will begin in late October and run through February 2019.

The purpose of the tours is to provide the realtors with accurate information so that they can knowledgeably inform potential homebuyers about Fayette’s public schools. Many realtors working in the county do not have a connection to the school system, and often do not know how to answer questions that homebuyers have about the county’s schools. By taking them into the schools to learn what makes each unique, the realtors will have an arsenal of information that they can pass along to their clients.

The tours will be led by student ambassadors who will talk from their perspective about why they like their school and what makes it unique. Realtors   will tour all five of the county’s high schools and middle schools, and an elementary school that feeds into one of the five middle and high schools

Realtors will get the full school experience by being transported to and from the schools via a yellow school bus, giving them additional information to share about the county’s transportation system.

“Our students and staffs are excited to host the Realtors and showcase what it is that makes their schools special. This opportunity is a great way for our local realtors to get a first-hand look inside of our schools and what each has to offer so that they can confidently talk about the schools when working with clients,” says school spokesperson Melinda Berry-Dreisbach who has worked with the Fayette County Board of REALTORS to organize the tours.

Each tour date is limited to 50 participants.  Nearly 20 realtors have already registered for the first tour on October 23 that will feature Sandy Creek High, Flat Rock Middle and Robert J. Burch Elementary schools.

Realtors interested in signing up for the tours, and learning more information about them, can do so by visiting www.fayetterealtors.com. The tours are free, but realtors must register through the Fayette County Board of  REALTORS in order to participate.

While the kickoff event was to introduce realtors to the upcoming school tours, it also served as an informational workshop where they heard a presentation about school safety from Mike Sanders, assistant superintendent of operations, and how the school system helps in-need students through its CARE (Children at Risk in Education) program, presented by Karen Spangler, CARE coordinator.

The realtors found both presentations extremely informative and helpful. Many indicated that their clients are concerned about school safety and that they often field questions about what practices and procedures the school system has in place to keep students safe.

After learning about the CARE program and the needs of students within the school system, the Fayette County Relators Association decided to adopt the program as one of their philanthropy projects. The school tours are free, but the association is requesting that realtors who attend the them bring personal hygiene items to donate to the CARE program since these items are needed throughout the school year. The realtors also plan to help with CARE’s Angel Tree program that provides traditional and nontraditional gifts to in-need students and their families at the holidays.

The Fayette County Board of  REALTORS® plan to stay involved with the school system throughout the year by lending support to the CARE program and other efforts as needed, according to Fayette County Board of REALTORS President Vickie Butler.

“Our community building goals are to be more visible as the REALTOR leaders in our community on issues that affect the real estate industry, including housing, education, smart growth, diversity, and fair housing through increased partnerships and collaborations with local stakeholders.  We welcome the opportunity provided for our Realtor members by the Fayette County Board of Education to tour the schools, and to learn what each one has to offer its students.  We will continue to be strong advocates for education in this community,” says Butler.