As an instructor and business planning 'geek' I receive a lot of email blasts from various students that have taken classes from me.  I am asking all of you to go to the dictionary and look up the meaning of the following words.

"Expert" - Having special skill and or knowledge. 

"Specialist" - One who devotes himself to a special branch of learning.

Neither definition describes a new agent with less than a year in the business that has yet to close a transaction.  Yet I am amazed at how many use the phrase "something, something EXPERT'

If you talk to a lawyer they will tell you there is legal precedent in using the term "expert".  Puffery aside, if push came to shove, in a court of law a lawyer could easily connect the dots if an agent claims an "expertise" in an area in which they are not.

Consider the following:

Focusing on the "south county" area...

Working in "Douglas" and the surrounding areas...

or get a credential from a group that is positioned to bestow such a label.

Council of Neighborhood Specialists, CNS, has created a designation to assist those real estate professionals that want to become a specialist is a neighborhood.  Notice lack of the word "expert".  The council's online class walks an agent through the varying information they must research, comprehend and disseminate in order to claim a specialty. 

Take a look http://www.certifiedneighborhoodspecialist.com/