Steve Miller has been in real estate for over 9 years, working as a highly successful agent throughout the central Maryland area. Throughout his time as an agent, Steve has been a member of the Howard County Association of Realtors. First as a member and now, today, serving on the board of directors, Steve feels strongly about the important impact of HCAR on his community.
In his first year of real estate, Steve closed over $7 million in sales volume, a number which has only gone up since then. Not keen to rest on his laurels, however, Steve has consistently been anchored in his local real estate community – everything from volunteering his time in community events to operating in the legislative committee regularly (both as a member at first, and later as its chair), to testifying for HCAR and providing guidance on lobbying efforts, and now, in 2023, winning HCAR’s Realtor of the Year award.
Steve felt a combination of pride and recognition having won the award this year. When asked if it changed anything for him, Steve commented, “It feels good to be recognized by my peers for the work that’s been put in over the years.” He continued by describing that none of the work he’s done at HCAR has been completely on his own – but Steve’s done a fantastic job at being a resource for his community, driving legislation, and engaging in policy changes. Since becoming licensed in 2014, Steve has been a part of the legislative committee, RPAC, and GBBR’s forms committee.
Being a part of these allows him to be fully engaged in the legislative and policy side of real estate, where he devotes much of his time to ensuring that “good laws are enacted, while bad laws are not.” Steve is extraordinarily client-focused and feels many forms and contracts are often overwhelmed with difficult legal language that are not accessible to the average buyer or seller. Working on Forms and Legislative committees has allowed him to stay on top of legal changes and be a part of creating new contract documents that are then used on a daily basis – a good thing both for clients and for other agents in his community.
Steve feels strongly that being a member of HCAR has been beneficial to his career as an agent. “I regularly have HCAR to thank for its many professional development opportunities. On top of that, networking through events and the opportunities present to get to know others in the industry is invaluable”.
He appreciates HCAR’s commitment to excellence and that it encourages professionalism amongst its members. It serves as a strong advocate both for the industry and for property rights within Howard County. Many may not know it, but HCAR reviews hundreds of pieces of legislation per year to ensure that property rights in the county are maintained, promoted, and not infringed upon.
In addition to his work with HCAR, Steve is a force in his local community. He recently spearheaded the organization of the first-ever town hall-style debate between county executive candidates in 2022 (Allan Kittleman and Calvin Ball). This was a huge success within the community, and while it was his idea, he had many members within HCAR and the greater community to thank for its rousing success. Additionally, Steve helped craft the first-ever HCAR Public Policy Statement this year to publish to the community, industry, and elected officials where the Board stands on important issues.
Steve regularly volunteers both time and funds to charities in the area. Many of his real estate transactions provide a charitable contribution on behalf of his clients. One of his favorite local charities, Abby’s Carts of Courage, which provides Radio Flyer-style carts filled with toys and activities for children in hospitals, has been a regular recipient of charitable components from his client events. “It’s important to give back to the community that has given me so much,” Steve says, and it’s clear that he truly deserves his Realtor of the Year designation.
