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(CHICAGO, IL, May 1, 2009)  The Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM^®) has created an online Swine Flu Resource Center accessible from its website (www.irem.org) to help real estate management professionals and companies as well as communities cope with pandemic-related risks and minimize their impact.  The Resource Center, directly accessible at http://www.irem.org/flu, will be updated regularly.  It currently includes:

• Links to external websites containing information about the outbreak.
• frequently-asked questions, preparedness tips, and other useful data.
• Sample memorandum to employees/residents/tenants about the epidemic and what they can do to contain it.
• Excerpts from the IREM publication “Preparing for Pandemic Flu: A Real Estate Manager’s Guide to Protecting People, Property” – including a chart comparing seasonal flu to pandemic flu. 
• Interactive discussion forum inviting real estate management professionals to share specifics of what they are doing to protect their tenants and buildings against a possible outbreak of swine flu.

Said IREM President Pamela W. Monroe, CPM®: “The IREM membership community is committed to doing all it can to support and bolster national and international efforts to arrest and mitigate the spread of swine flu. Indeed, the international presence of IREM helps us share the value of our website around the world. Because our members manage so many sites where large groups of people gather, we are eager to make our information resources available through our one-stop point of access. We want to make information sharing easy with everyone around the world seeking to help in the effort to suppress the swine flu epidemic.”

ABOUT THE INSTITUTE OF REAL ESTATE MANAGEMENT
The Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM^®) is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2008.  Major sponsors of the year-long celebration areYardi Systems, a leading provider of high-performance software solutions for the real estate industry, and the REALTORS^® Commercial Alliance (RCA), the collective commercial constituency within the National Association of REALTORS^®.

For more than seven decades, IREM has been the source for education, resources, information, and membership for real estate management professionals. An affiliate of the National Association of Realtors^®, IREM is the only professional real estate management association serving both the multi-family and commercial real estate sectors. With 80 U.S. chapters, eight international chapters, and several other partnerships around the globe, IREM is an international organization that also serves as an advocate on issues affecting the real estate management industry.

Membership includes more than 18,000 individual members and 500 corporate members. IREM promotes ethical real estate management practices through its credentialed membership programs, including the Certified Property Manager® (CPM®) designation, the Accredited Residential Manager® (ARM®) certification, the ACoMcertification, and the Accredited Management Organization® (AMO®) accreditation. These esteemed credentials certify competence and professionalism for those engaged in real estate management. In addition, IREM offers Associate, Student and Academic memberships.

Collectively, IREM CPM® Members in the United States manage over $1.5 trillion in real estate assets, including 8.4 million residential units and 8.4 billion net square feet of commercial space. An additional 977,400 residential units are managed by IREM ARM® Members. IREM Members are employed by some of the most prestigious real estate firms in the world and nearly 70% hold upper-level management positions. Due to their professionalism and vast experience, property owners and investors worldwide continually seek out the management services of IREM Members.

To learn more about the Institute of Real Estate Management and its chapter network, call (800) 837-0706, Ext. 4650 (outside the U.S. call (312) 329-6000) or visit www.irem.org.