Edina Realty Agent Named REALTOR® of the Year by MNAR

Edina, Minn. – Oct. 18, 2011 – Budd Batterson, a REALTOR® with Edina Realty's City Lakes office, has been named REALTOR® of the Year by the Minnesota Association of Realtors (MNAR).

Ever year, MNAR names one agent REALTOR of the Year. Batterson was selected due to his significant involvement in local, state, and national Realtor associations and his overall real estate career accomplishments as well as his participation in the community.

"There are a lot of reasons I work at Edina Realty, but being able to say that I office three doors down from someone like Budd is certainly high on the list," said Josh Kaplan, former manager of Edina Realty City Lakes office, and current manager of the Edina Realty Minneapolis Parkway and Downtown offices. Kaplan, who nominated Batterson for the award, was his manager for 18 years prior to Kaplan's change in offices earlier this summer.

Batterson has been a Realtor since 1986, and has been with the Edina Realty City Lakes office since 1991. In 2004, Batterson received the local REALTOR® of the Year award from the Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors. He has received the Super Agent recognition from Mpls.St. Paul and Twin City Business magazines for eight years.

Batterson was president of the Minneapolis Area Association of REALTORS® (MAAR) in 2001, served on the boards of MAAR, MNAR, and is a director at the National Association of Realtors (NAR). He has served on the state's Professional Standards Committee for 20 years and also served on NAR's Land Use and Environmental Committee. Batterson is also a partner in Trias Development, a developer of luxury residential real estate, and in Linnise Development, a land developer.

"My business has been primarily based on referrals, which means I work throughout the Twin Cities area at various price points and numerous markets," Batterson said. "For me, real estate is about helping clients satisfy their real estate needs. It's more about people and providing service than making numbers and sales."

Batterson lives in Bloomington with his wife, Linda, and three daughters.

For more information on Edina Realty, to get in touch with Budd Batterson or another Realtor, or to view homes for sale and property listings, visit www.edinarealty.com or the mobile website, m.edinarealty.com.

Edina Realty, a subsidiary of HomeServices of America, is one of the nation's largest real estate companies with approximately 60 real estate offices throughout Minnesota, North Dakota and western Wisconsin and nearly 2,100 REALTORS®. Edina Realty's family of companies includes Edina Realty, Edina Realty Title, and Edina Realty Mortgage. Edina Realty handled more than 25,000 transactions and $5.3 billion in sales volume in 2010. For more information, visit www.edinarealty.comFor more information, visit www.edinarealty.com or find us on Facebook:facebook.com/EdinaRealty; and Twitter: Twitter/Edina_Realty.