Sarah Scattini on Nevada Realtors, Leadership, and Advocacy
Most agents and homeowners in Nevada never see the work happening at the state level, but they feel it every time they list a rental, renew an insurance policy, or file their taxes as an independent contractor. On this episode of the Reno-Tahoe Real Estate Insider, I sat down with Sarah Scattini, the 2026 president of Nevada Realtors, to pull back the curtain on what that work actually looks like.
Sarah was born and raised in Reno and has been selling real estate for 22 years. Today her business is entirely referral-based, and as you will see, a big part of how she built that comes back to one leadership program she joined in 2019.
What Nevada Realtors Is and How It Fits Together
Nevada Realtors is the state association, and it is made up of four local associations:
Elko
Incline
Las Vegas Realtors
Sierra Nevada Realtors
Those four locals plus the state association all sit under the National Association of Realtors. The locals handle local issues like city councils and mayors. The state association works with state elected officials, including the governor. As Sarah put it, the number one goal at the state level is advocacy, specifically protecting private property rights for buyers and sellers.
The Nevada Leadership Program
The Nevada Leadership program has been running for 26 years. It was started by Sally Young, and Tiffany Banks, the current CEO of Nevada Realtors, shaped it into what it is today. Each year a class of Realtors from across the state goes through four programs together and graduates in December as alumni.
Sarah had just returned from Program 3, called Speak Up and Lead, held at Fallen Leaf Lake. Program 2 took place in Sundance, Utah. This year's class has 18 students from all four local associations. She kept the specifics of the curriculum close to the vest so future classes can experience it fresh, but the theme is clear: using your voice, telling your story, and lifting others as you climb.
Sarah described it as learning how to show up in every role you play, whether that is parent, spouse, coach, or agent.
Sarah's Story
Sarah went through the program as a student in 2019, during a hard stretch in her personal life that included a divorce. She told me her classmates helped carry her through it, and the experience meant so much that she immediately asked how she could stay involved.
From there she became a guest trustee, then a trustee, then dean of the program, and in 2025 she served as immediate past dean. Along the way she also served as the last president of the Reno-Sparks Association of Realtors before it merged with Carson to become Sierra Nevada Realtors. The bond with her leadership class, she said, is one you will not find with any other group of people.
How It Built a Referral Business
This is the part every agent should pay attention to. When Sarah went through the program, she was the only Reno agent in her class. Todd Disbrow was the one who pushed to get her in. That meant when her classmates from Las Vegas, Elko, and elsewhere thought of Reno, they thought of her.
Those relationships have produced years of referrals, from her own class and from other classes too. It works both ways. Elko is about four hours from Reno, so when Sarah has a client there, she sends them to the Elko agents she grew alongside. She knows how they show up because she watched them do it in the program, and she trusts them to take care of her clients the same way.
What State-Level Advocacy Looks Like on the Ground
I asked Sarah the question I think a lot of agents quietly wonder: what does the state association actually do that affects my day-to-day business? She gave me four concrete examples.
1. Fighting Rent Control
Rent control sounds good to a lot of consumers, but Sarah explained that it hurts the mom-and-pop investors and families who own rentals. If owners cannot adjust rents, it becomes harder to maintain their properties, and the process of removing a tenant who stops paying is already difficult. Nevada Realtors has used long-built relationships with state officials, including Governor Joe Lombardo's office, to make the case for why rent control does not work for Nevadans.
2. Protecting Independent Contractor Status
Agents in Nevada work as independent contractors, and that status is under pressure to shift agents toward W-2 employment. Sarah noted that this push is national, but each state has to defend it on its own turf. On the lending side, I am a W-2 employee, so I know firsthand how much that changes the way you run your business.
3. Cutting Red Tape Between Cities
One example hit close to home. There was a push that would have required an agent licensed in Reno to get a separate Sparks business license just to sell a home in Sparks. These are the kinds of local rules the association steps in on before they become everyday headaches for agents.
4. The Insurance Crisis in Tahoe
This one matters for anyone buying or selling around Lake Tahoe and Incline Village. Insurance carriers have been dropping homeowners across the state, and the Tahoe Basin is getting hit hard because of its proximity to California wildfires. Carriers are using drones and drive-by inspections, and Sarah described homeowners being dropped because an inspector photographed a pile of brush they were in the middle of clearing for defensible space.
Until recently, carriers could give homeowners just 30 days to find new coverage. Sarah said the association fought to extend that, and the notice period now sits at a minimum of 60 days. That still is not easy, but from my seat as a lender it matters a lot. Without homeowners insurance, a buyer cannot get financing, and without financing most buyers cannot purchase a home at all.
Why 2026 Is Different
Nevada's legislature meets in odd-numbered years, so 2026 is an interim year. Historically, Sarah said, Realtors came into each session playing defense and picking one issue to push. This year Nevada Realtors has used the off-season to organize six legislative subcommittees, including one focused on insurance, so they walk into 2027 with a plan.
Who Is Leading Next
Sarah's term wraps up at the end of 2026, and the next leadership team includes some familiar names for our area:
2027 President: Grant Meyer, an Incline Village agent
President-Elect: Azim Jessa of Las Vegas
First Vice President: Marissa Lostra of Elko, who is also running for Elko mayor
The treasurer seat is set to be decided in an October election.
How to Get Involved
If you are an agent interested in the leadership program or a leadership role at the local or state level, Sarah's advice was simple: talk to the people already sitting in those seats, especially anyone who has gone through the leadership academy. She told me she has never met a graduate who regretted it.
You can find the leadership application, information on rent control, and the current state executive team at nevadarealtors.org.
About the Author
I'm Shay Phillips, a mortgage loan officer with Mortgage Upside, powered by NEXA Mortgage, based in Incline Village, NV on the north shore of Lake Tahoe. I help buyers relocating to Reno, Lake Tahoe, and the surrounding area finance their homes both in California or Nevada. I have a finance degree and an accounting background, and I host the Moving to Reno-Tahoe Podcast and run MovingToRenoTahoe.com. If you're planning a move, you can reach me at mortgageupside.com.
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