Massachusetts real estate forms are now available in multiple languages, thanks to Paul Yorkis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAsk not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.\u201d \u2014<\/em>President John F. Kennedy at his 1961 inauguration speech.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Paul Yorkis, watching President Kennedy\u2019s speech as a teenager with his parents at their home in upstate New York, took Kennedy\u2019s words to heart and made them his lifelong mission statement. \u201cKennedy had his personal flaws,\u201d says Yorkis, CRS, AHWD, president of Patriot Real Estate in Medway, Mass., \u201cbut I think about the Peace Corps and other things he did to make the world a little bit better place. In my own small way, I try to make the world a little bit better place for others.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Twenty years after watching that speech, Yorkis moved to Massachusetts to take a job in higher education. \u201cAfter many years of working as an administrator in higher education, he says, \u201cI had the opportunity to work for myself and help folks pursue part of the American dream, and it is a decision that I am very happy I made.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n An interaction with an immigrant family in 2017 gave Yorkis one idea for making the world a better place. He was showing a home to a Portuguese family that relied on their 7-year-old son to interpret. \u201cThat\u2019s not how our profession should be practiced,\u201d Yorkis says. \u201cNone of the required forms were in a language that was accessible. So I talked to people in the state government and I said, \u2018We need to change this.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2021, at an event with then\u2013Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, Yorkis seized the opportunity to begin lobbying. \u201cI introduced myself to Karyn Polito, because I\u2019m a shy person,\u201d Yorkis says, with a hint of sarcasm. He explained the form language issue, and Polito connected him to a member of her staff. \u201cEight weeks later, the agency disclosure form had been translated,\u201d Yorkis says. During that period, Yorkis was diligent about ongoing communication and regular follow-up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With Yorkis as the driving force, state forms have been translated into seven languges, such as Portuguese, Spanish, Creole and Mandarin Chinese.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Yorkis is a self-proclaimed \u201cP.I.A.\u201d (pain in the \u201ca\u2014\u201d), but building relationships with government officials is one of his superpowers. In 2017, Yorkis served as president of the Massachusetts Association of REALTORS\u00ae, a position that connected him to state leaders. \u201cI had a bully pulpit, so I started leveraging that activity, and I was able to get people\u2019s attention,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mass. Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll swears Yorkis into the Norfolk County Agricultural High School Board of Trustees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPaul has been a strong advocate for equitable housing policy and has been a true partner in increasing access to housing opportunities,\u201d says Mass. Gov. Maura Healy. \u201cHis work spearheading language access in Massachusetts shows his commitment to this state, and it\u2019s due to his work that people are able to use our state\u2019s resources\u2014regardless of what language they speak.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jonathan Schreiber, who serves as legislative and regulatory counsel at the Massachusetts Association of REALTORS\u00ae, has witnessed Yorkis\u2019 activism in action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPaul puts a ton of thought and intention into what he\u2019s doing. If he reached a decision about something, it\u2019s because he truly believes it\u2019s good for the industry and especially for people in need,\u201d Schreiber says. \u201cWe have a team of people to try to influence government institutions. And Paul will just take it on himself, and he\u2019ll succeed because he will follow up and follow up. He doesn\u2019t take no for an answer\u2014but in a very positive and constructive way that gets outcomes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n With Yorkis as the driving force, additional forms have been translated into seven languages, such as Portuguese, Spanish, Creole and Mandarin Chinese. And two forms dealing with lead paint disclosure are on their way to translation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another passion for Yorkis is inspiring young colleagues to advocate for their own causes. A conversation at a recent event led to a new collaboration with Ashley Gendreau, an agent who is also an American Sign Language instructor. Yorkis teamed up with Gendreau and Catherine Taylor, director of education and associate counsel for the Massachusetts Association of REALTORS\u00ae, to work through NAR\u2019s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion grant application process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yorkis talks business with Cynthia Nina-Soto, broker-owner of Nina-Soto Realty and a REALTOR\u00ae in Salem, Mass., who uses the translated forms every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis grant will create a training program for one member from each of the local REALTOR\u00ae associations in Massachusetts to be trained in American Sign Language so that they can be a resource to other real estate professionals,\u201d Yorkis says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s an example of how we demonstrate to the residents of Massachusetts that we want to provide services to everyone, including people who are deaf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAshley can now take a skill set she acquired in college and combine that with her real estate skill set and make our state a little bit better than it was before,\u201d Yorkis says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Continuing to expand homeownership opportunities while inspiring the next generation of real estate professionals to do the same, for Yorkis, is what it\u2019s all about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI just try to advocate and make a better community. If I can help another agent or broker do good for their community, I\u2019ll spend as much time as I have to; that\u2019s just how I am,\u201d he says. \u201cIsn\u2019t that what President Kennedy\u2019s hope was for everybody?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n National Association of REALTORS\u00ae Massachusetts real estate forms are now available in multiple languages, thanks to Paul Yorkis. \u201cAsk not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.\u201d \u2014President John F. Kennedy at his 1961 inauguration speech. Paul Yorkis, watching President Kennedy\u2019s speech as a teenager with his parents at their home … <\/p>\n\u2018We Can Do Better\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
A \u2018P.I.A.\u2019 in the Very Best Way<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Lighting the Torch<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Reprinted with permission<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"