Honoring the Legacy of Toby Bradley

This week the real estate community lost a great leader and friend when Toby Bradley passed away on November 15.  Toby served as President of our local Santa Barbara Association of REALTORS in 1992, and then went on to become the second female Treasurer for the California Association of REALTORS (CAR) in 2000 and 2001.  When she served as CAR President in 2003, her mission was to create cultural diversity and inclusivity within the organization.

Most notably, Toby was the founder of CAR’s Housing Affordability Fund (HAF), a legacy which has grown and helped many into home ownership. Every year since its inception, REALTORS have donated to the fund, and this year the CAR Board of Directors contributed an additional $1,000,000 to further the HAF mission.

Toby served extensively as a CAR and NAR Director, serving on many committees over the years, most notably on Taxation and Government Finance. I remember being inspired by her as a newer CAR Director when observing Toby speak so passionately and eloquently at the microphone. She was so persuasive and influenced many positive outcomes.  In fact, according to Bob Hart, our local SBAOR CEO, Toby was a proponent of tax portability long before the recent passage of Proposition 19 on this year’s ballot.

According to Diana Bull, another SBAOR and CAR past President/Treasurer, “Toby was highly respected at the National Association of REALTORS for her keen knowledge of real estate tax and finance legislation. We often debated strongly with each other on many issues, and then went out to dinner to laugh and share champagne!”

Toby became a REALTOR in 1979 and created many friendships with clients and colleagues alike. Her Broker, Renee Grubb of Village Properties Realtors, states, “She was so smart and such an asset to our real estate profession. If you did not know Toby you really missed out. She was such a caring person.”  She was highly respected throughout our nation by many REALTORS and will be missed.