This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Douglaston Garden Club VP Will Oversee Complaints Against Brokers in L.I.

Douglas Montgomery To Become Chairman of Board of Realtors Committee

Douglaston Garden Club Vice President Douglas Montgomery has been appointed 2011 chairman of the Professional Standards Committee for the Long Island Board of Realtors.

Montgomery, a long-time Douglaston resident and a 7-year member of the board of realtors, will head the panel responsible for handling all public complaints against brokers as well as grievances filed by brokers against their colleagues.

The non-profit board, which is the largest local branch of the National Association of Realtors, has nearly 19,200 broker members and administers the Multiple Listing Service for Queens and all of Long Island.

Find out what's happening in Bayside-Douglastonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

For the past year, Montgomery served as chair of the mediation committee for the organization.

"Because I was very pro-active, the incoming president asked me to serve," he said. "As a small-office broker, I have a different perspective from the big firms."

Find out what's happening in Bayside-Douglastonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

One of Montgomery's initiatives was to create the office of ombudsman to help resolve disputes as quickly and simply as possible.

"When I first suggested it a few years ago, it was kind of scoffed at," he said. "But with the current economy and market, the number of complaints has increased."

During its pilot program, three-quarters of complaints were resolved, he said.

Montgomery said it costs $375 to file a formal complaint against a real estate broker and the process can take six months. He called the situation for aggrieved buyers and sellers "outrageous."

"We can do better," he said.

His Bayside-based firm, HomeNY Corp. specializes in the Douglaston, Douglas Manor, Bayside and Little Neck markets. Montgomery also has an extensive background in New York City tax liens, Federal Housing Administration lending and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's foreclosure program.

Montgomery is active in his role as the Douglaston Garden Club's vice president.He is a licensed New York City tree pruner and can often be found at work in Catherine Turner Richardson Park and along the Alameda malls in Douglaston.

Montgomery lives in Douglas Manor with his wife of 13 years, Jacqueline, who is director of programming for Continuing Education at Queensborough Community College, and their sons, Terryl, 11 and Pierce, 9.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Bayside-Douglaston