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30 • COMMUNITY ADVOCATE • Friday, November 27, 2020 HOMES MORE&homes This is a paid advertisement

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Recipe for Alphabet Soup: Real Estate Style!

By David Danehy

So, you decide that it’s time for you to start home shopping or sell your home. Thanks to information on the web 93% of home buyers start their search on the internet. Many sellers also use the web initially prior to selling their home. Eventually, they turn to a real estate professional to guide them through the sale process. When the agent is selected, a business card is handed to the client. A strange cacophony of letters peppered across the card stares you in the face. I call this amalgam of letters, alphabet soup! As an agent who values educating his clients, allow me to explain some of these curious groupings.

David Danehy, ABR, PSA, SRES, ASP, MBA Coldwell Banker Realty® Cell:774-245-5714 Office Direct Line: 508-393-5500 Dave.Danehy@NEMoves.com

The National Association of REALTORS offers over 28 designations and certifications for its members. These programs are mostly education based and they acknowledge an agent’s experience and expertise in different real estate sectors. These programs and services are divided into two categories: designations and certifications. In general, both require classes. Designations usually require annual membership dues while certifications only require a one-time fee. There are also other organizations that offer

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Let’s take a look at designations first. ABR (Accredited Buyer Representative) designation is for real estate buyer agents who focus on working directly with buyer-clients guiding them through the home-buying process. These agents keep abreast of issues and trends facing home buyers. Agents must complete the course and one elective course to declare this designation.

SRS (Seller Representative Specialist) is an agent who receives advance training to better serve their sellers. In order to attain this designation, the agent is required to successfully complete the SRS course along with a complementary elective course. The agent also has to achieve a specified level of listing transactions to achieve this status.

SRES (Seniors Real Estate Specialist) is an agent who serves the real estate needs of an ever-increasing segment of clients 50 years and older. Agents who complete this training are knowledgeable

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in the issues facing this demographic of buyers and sellers and has the advanced knowledge and training to assist these clients in fulfilling their special housing needs.

Let’s take a quick look at some of the certifications an agent can achieve. At Home with Diversity (AHWD) provides agents with the training to be sensitive and respectful of clients’ cultural, ethnic and religious needs. An agent with the Pricing Strategy Advisor (PSA) certification receives training to assist buyers in making the best offer on the purchase of a home and assist sellers in determining the best pricing for selling their homes. One certification provided outside the NAR, the Accredited Staging Professional (ASP), develops the agent’s skills in assisting the seller in preparing their home for sale so they can attain the highest price possible for their home.

Although long term experience creates many great agents who do not hold these certifications, certified agents have taken the time to develop advance skills to better serve their clients.

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