Professional Designations
So … what’s the benefit to hiring an agent who has professional designations (A.K.A. alphabet soup after their name)? Maximizing the value of your purchase or sale.
Well, would you hire a doctor who didn’t go to school? Would you have an attorney, who didn’t have a law degree, defend you? Would you send your child to a school where the teachers are not accredited and no continuing development is required? Are you willing to trust one of your largest financial assets with someone who doesn’t continuously spend time, money and energy every week of the year improving his skills and ability to perform at an expert level? Real estate is the second most regulated industry in the U.S., don’t leave your sale or purchase to anyone who is not nationally recognized as a professional.
Because my buyers and sellers demand the best, I commit budget resources and time to continuous growth and improvement in my profession … below are the state and national accreditations and designations that hold:
Profile of a CRS Designee
Experience
To earn the Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) Designation, every REALTOR® must have significant experience and demonstrate volume of real estate transactions or gross sales, as well as complete rigorous educational requirements.
Ethics
Every CRS designee is required to maintain membership in the National Association of Realtors® and to abide by its strict Code of Ethics.
Technology Expertise
The training available to CRS designees includes a strong focus on technology and its applications in the real estate business.
The Top 4 Percent
Less than 4 percent of all licensed Realtors® are Certified Residential Specialists.
For more information, visit: www.CRS.com
Mike Hughes is a CRS Designee
About CHMS
Founded and taught by Martha Webb, CHMS was developed to enhance marketing skills. CHMS combines Martha’s staging and marketing expertise to help you strategically position properties in any market and any price range.
About Martha Webb
Martha and her home buying and selling concepts have been featured in media across the country, including Good Morning America, CNN, and The New York Times. She has hosted a HGTV program, has been a featured columnist for Home Made Simple and is a spokesperson for Procter & Gamble.
Mike Hughes is a CHMS
BUYER REPRESENTATION AS A BUYER’S AGENT has been a “niche” market since the 1990′s. Since then, four”designations” specific to this specialty area have been developed while four other designations support the buyer representation concept. The CBR® was trademarked and patented in 1993 and has been a choice of many local boards across the country since that time. CBR enjoys its independence from NAR with its ability to offer instructional programs that are locally focused rather than a product that is standardized in format and designed to be presented uniformly across the country. CBR feels there is a need for locality specific instruction especially when there are changes in local regulations. Of the eight following designations devoted to the real estate agent’s continuing education and training, CBR is a leader.
AGENCY is the principle that governs buyer representation. The Common Law of Agency specifies that an agentowes the client the “fiduciary duties of loyalty, obedience, disclosure, confidentiality, and accounting.” Many states have codified agency law with specific requirements. Acting as a buyers agent, the CBR® always places their homebuyer clients’ real estate interests above those of all others…including their own!
The NEGOTIATING and MARKETING techniques taught in the CBR program are what many agents feel sets the CBR trained agent a step ahead of their competition. The competent CBR agent gives their clients’ the confidence that they have purchased the home or real estate of their choice on the best terms available and at the best price possible.
A great agent is always striving to differentiate himself from his competition and the earning of a specialty designation is one way to achieve that goal. Similar to earning the CPA in accounting, or CLU in life insurance, a specialty designation in real estate shows that an agent is serious about serving clients! Agents with the following designations are in the elite few of the real estate field.
CBR (Certified Buyer’s Representative)……….< 1% *
* Percent of all members of the National Association of REALTORS who have earned this designation.
Mike Hughes is a CBR
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