GRI, ABR, CRS, EPRO, SRES, ALC, GAA, SIOR, RSPS … The above are some of the many designations Realtors can earn (with the accompanying annual fees) … the education provided by the courses can be valuable, but cluttering up a business card? Why? 
Consumers don’t care .
Browsing Category Education
I’m an Associate Broker in Virginia. So What?
In Virginia the basic requirements to obtain a real estate license are 60 hours of education, don’t have a felony conviction and be at least 18 years of age. … (Colorado, North Carolina are broker-only states, and each state has wildly different licensing requirements) One of our core philosophies at Nest Realty Group is that we have high standards for our agents, so much so that we wrote this belief in Nest’s Core Philosophies – a Manifesto if you will (more to come about these beliefs over the course of 2010).
…A lot of people talk about raising the bar within the real estate industry; I have for many years: – Move Off The Blogs to Change NAR – If A Realtor is Unethical in the Woods – But, We’re ALL Ethical!
…Experience Verification Forms verifying that the applicant has been actively engaged as a real estate licensee for at least 40 hours per week during 36 of the 48 months immediately preceding the date of application.
“Everything’s on the Table” – Albemarle County Schools Budget
Brandon Shulletta writes in today’s Daily Progress : School division leaders drafting budget requests are also wondering whether next year’s supervisors are more likely to maintain the current real-estate tax rate of 74.2 cents per $100 of assessed value or increase the rate to 77.2 cents — two options officials have keyed on. At the 77.2-cent rate, county heads project that the average homeowner would pay the same real-estate taxes next year as under this year’s rate because assessed home values are declining. … Rather than complain about or note how ridiculous it is for local governments to decide how much they are going to spend before they know what their actual income is going to be , I’d rather come up with possible solutions . … Have all the kids meet at the front of the subdivision. – What impact would year-round schooling have on the budget? – How much money would be saved by turning off lights methodically and religiously?
Real Estate Brokers can Stop Learning After 15 Years
The Board shall waive the broker education requirement for any applicant for a brokers license who has, for more than 15 years, owned a real estate brokerage firm and during that time, maintained an active license as a real estate salesperson. … If time allowed I’d go to the General Assembly and wander the hallways making inquiries of those who have already voted for this bill and lobby those in the House who have yet to vote.
If the public doesn’t speak, don’t complain
From today’s Daily Progress:A public hearing on Charlottesville Superintendent Rosa Atkins’ proposed $58.1 million budget for fiscal 2008-09 was as over as soon as it started at Thursday’s School Board meeting.Though no one spoke Thursday, the public will have another chance to comment on the budget on Feb. 21.It’s a shame to see citizens abdicating their responsibility to themselves and their fellow citizens. Better public schools are one of the absolute best ways to increase property value. Where were the homeowners?
Collaborating in real time
In working on this presentation on blogging for the past week or ten days, we used Google’s Presentation (Powerpoint for the unenlightened) to work together. Chatting within the presentation making changes was mighty efficient.I’ve said before, and this is a clear example, effecting change needs to be at least a two-pronged approach. Working from outside the aging gorilla’s reach is effective, but working within the behemoth’s reach in tandem with those outside efforts should prove much more effective…. Influencing their conversation is but one way to get things done.In an example of the Web 2.0 world, I’ve spoken to Ben Martin dozens of times, (only a couple of times on the phone, the rest on IM or Skype) worked on this presentation for a couple of hours, and have yet to meet him, but have full confidence that today’s talk will go smoothly.
Image is not “everything”
I may have the opportunity to contribute to a discussion (a Virginia Association of Realtors “workgroup”, I believe it’s called) regarding how to improve Realtors’ image. I try to enter everything with an open mind; that said, my first thought is a simple one – improve the product. Never have I heard a successful Realtor say that either the entrance standards or continuing education standards were remotely sufficient. Let’s work on raising the standards of practice and then work on image. So long as people enter this profession because they don’t have anything better to do and because it’s perceived as “easy,” our profession’s image will suffer.