Some of you may be wondering why some agents survive all the twists and turns of real estate. Are they lucky? Are they blessed? Are they smart? Are they adaptable? Are they well-trained and well-educated?
If you guessed the last one, you are right!! The agents who have more training and more education do better. The premiere real estate designation is CRS. Certified Residential Specialists comprise less than 5% of the nation's real estate agents, yet they handle 25% of the business.
The CRS designation requires education and experience. CRS agents take advanced classes and must meet a quota of transactions. For instance, when I started earning the CRS designation, I was already an ABR (Accredited Buyer's Representative) and GRI (Graduate, REALTOR Institute), plus I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration/Accounting. Any one of those would have helped me qualify for the CRS designation.
The experience requirement was easy for me. The minimum was 75 transactions within 5 years, and during the peak years of real estate I did 88 transactions in 2 years. Those two busy years really propelled me towards earning the CRS designation.
The classes that are required are fantastic classes. I urge every real estate agent who is serious about his career to take the GRI classes as well as the CRS classes, and to continue to take the CRS classes. The on-line class that CRS offers on technology helped me overcome all my fears about keeping up with technology. That was a big hurdle for me. Now I know what technological tools are available, and can decide what will work for me.
Since most of my business comes from referrals and repeat business, I do not have to rely on the internet for leads. My customers already have trust in me, and I already know a little of their background, needs and goals, which makes every aspect of real estate go smoother for us. However, I have to be open to new customers who are desirous of a well-qualified, well-trained, well-experienced CRS agent.
Which is the reason that I use ActiveRain. In this rapidly-changing world, we need to keep up and we need to share information with each other. For those agents who are struggling, please get more training and fulfill your passion! If you can't afford to take classes, get a book by Tom Robbins and teach yourself. You can do it!
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