David Martin, managing director of the Real Estate Buyer's Agent Council for the past three years - a time during which it experienced almost 80 percent of its growth - is leaving REBAC to join a San Diego-based dot.com company.

Martin, who will continue living in Chicago, took over REBAC shortly after it was sold to the National Association of Realtors by the North American Consulting Group.

At the time of the sale, REBAC reportedly had between 5,000 and 6,000 members.

Under Martin's guidance, the organization has grown to more than 35,000 members and the number of members who have its designation - the Accredited Buyer Representative - rivals the number of Realtors who hold the prestigious Certified Residential Specialist.

Martin has said REBAC's membership could go as high as 50,000 in the next few years as more real estate agents find a need to develop their skills on the buyer's side of the transaction.

Under Martin's leadership, REBAC revamped its educational curriculum and expanded the program to include a buyer brokerage management section.

Martin also dramatically increased the number of instructors nationwide who were qualified to teach the ABR and ABRM, as well as providing for an online version of the course. The course also is available via televised seminars and on video tape.

REBAC board member Sheila Hensley of the Executive Relocation Service Company in Memphis, said Martin's guidance would be missed.

"Nobody in my career has influenced me so much to my benefit as Dave Martin," she said. "He made REBAC a national organization."

Martin has accepted the position of president at RealEstateRover.com, an Internet startup company based in San Diego that works directly with home buyers and sellers.

Martin will leave the NAR as of May 5. There was no indication who would replace him at the helm of the Buyer's Agent Council, but he speculated the search would take place largely outside the ranks of NAR.

Martin had been with the NAR for 16 years.

The NAR also currently is searching for a chief economist to fill that vacancy in its research department.