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Should a consumer seek out an agent who has one or more professinal designations, and if so, which ones?
Each buyer and seller will need to decide for themselves whether or not a designation is important to them. To help you, I offer information about each designation I hold so you can educate yourselves as to how each of these designations might benefit you.
Acquiring these designations is more than adding "alphbet soup" on a business card. They take varying amounts of time and performance to attain. Some of them, in fact, cost money to maintain.
GRI - Graduate of the REALTORS ® Institute.
GRI - Graduate of the REALTORS ® Institute. Early in my career I acquired the GRI designation as a stepping stone to attaining the prestigious CRS designation. It required a course of study and passing a final exam.
- Among the benefits of working with a GRI are
- Agent shows a committment to bettering their sales skills set themselves apart from other real estate salespeople.
- A GRI graduate has developed skills that help them overcome obstacles that can jeopardize a transaction.
- Gives a GRI agent access to a large number of referring agents.
- A GRI has demonstrated a committment to professinalism within the residental real estate industry.
CRS - Certified Residential Specialist
CRS - Certified Residential Specialist. This designation is the one I am most proud of. Only 2% of residential real estate agents nationwide have attained this level of excellence. When I received my certification it required two years to attain. Any agent holding this designation has demonstrated a long term committment to their career and the real estate industry. They strive to be the best they can be. When I bedame a CRS, the designation requirements were;
- Hold the GRI designation
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- Required to serve a minimum of two one year terms on volunteer committees through the local association of REALTORS %reg. I served on the Professional Standards Committee, the Grievance Committee, and the MLS Committee.
- Required to document 50 property sales
- Required to pass three CRS courses. Each class was 3 days long with a final exam.
- Hold a letter from the local association of REALTORS ® stating membership in good standing.
e-PRO Certified
e-PRO or e-PRO Certified. This is the most recent certification I have attained. In an effort to stay ahead of my competition and to learn as much as I can about the internet and web marketing, I earned this designation in early 2002. Working with an e-PRO Certified agent insures you will be working with an agent who understands and utilizes internet technology to better serve buyers and sellers.
REALTOR ® - Not all real estate agents are REALTORS ®. Only members of the (NAR) National Association of REALTORS ® who have agreed to abide by NAR professional and ethical standards my use this designation. NAR rules and regulations require a higher level of professionalism than state law requires.
BROKER - You may have noticed I do not carry the license of real estate agent! I am a real estate broker. What is the difference? In MInnesota, a real estate agents works for and under the direction of a real estate broker who is liable for the actions of the agents under them. An agent may NOT operate their own company.
Once an agent has a minimum of two years sales experience in Minnesota, (certain exceptions exist), an agent may take the required courses and pass a test to become a real estate broker. A broker may hire agents to work for them.
In some states, an agent is known as a broker associate. Minnesota does not recognize this term.
DUAL BROKER - A select few brokers in Minnesota hold a Dual Brokers License. I formerly held this designation. Dual brokers may,
with the approval of the Commerce Department operate two different companies at the same time but in different areas of real estate.
Applications are reviewed on a case by case basis. I previously held a dual broker license to operate my own real estate company and real estate closing
company at the same time. I no longer run either company.
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