Well, I took the plunge and became a CDPE.  I was a little wary of paying $500 dollars for a course that taught me things that I had been doing for years.  I have negotiated many short sales, sold homes for lenders and done quite a bit of buying and selling.  It was a good course.  It helped me hone my skills and focus on the things that work the best. 

I am a believer that if sellers and buyers worked with CDPE's we as agents would be able to get most home owners out of having a foreclosure, we would save the banks billions of dollars and have a lot less frustration in the buying market.

If you have the money and will be involved in any short sales, take the class.  If you are someone you know is in trouble, refer then to a CDPE.  As an agent, you will make the same amount of money since they most likley will have three times the success rate of the average agent.  If you are a homeonwer or referring a homeowner, you could keep the home out of foreclosure.