Have you looked at Greeley Colorado real estate advertising lately?  Have you looked at the Real Estate agents profile online or in their advertising?  Quite often you will see some letters following their name.  For example.  GRI, CRS, CDPE, CRE, E-PRO, ABR and many other such letters.

What do they mean?

GRI means Graduated Realtor Institute

CRS means Certified Residential Specialist

CDPE means Certified Distressed Property Expert.

CRE means Counselor of Real Estate

ABR means Accredited Buyer Representative

E-Pro means the agent is supposedly an expert in computers, e-mail and electronic communication.

What do they mean to you the consumer or public?

The only one of the above designations that I think is worth anything is the CDPE.  This education really helps an agent learn about the short sale process of selling a home below what the loan is and working with the mortgage holder of the loan. 

The other ones?  Not really much of anything.  At least as far as I can tell. 

 I will disclose something.  I have only one of those designations.  I have the CDPE one.  I do not list short sales, but I was informed that this would help me be able to gain more bank owned listings from banks.  So far it hasn't.   But I understand the short sale process alot better now.

I've heard CRS helps.  If only because other agents that have the CRS designation refer business to other CRS agents.  Does that help you?  No. 

I've looked into doing E-Pro, but from what I can tell it just teaches you how to communicate better with e-mail, how to send listings on the interenet and other such basic things.  I feel I already know that and don't want to spend the $350 for it. 

Sure I might get arguements about the usefulness of the other designations from the agents that have them and the organizations that promote them.  But if I spent money on some letters I probably would defend it also.   As above I kinda defended my CDPE designation.  But as of right now I think I wasted my money on it. 

Now this might look like a blog on my excuses for not having these designations.  I've looked into most of them and could not equate the time plus money spent to get them to the benefit they would give me or the help it would give me in working with buyers and sellers.

What is the best thing you can find in a Real Estate agent besides all those letters?  Experience, networking, technology savvy, communication, honesty.

You don't get those things from any class or designation.  In fact before I became a Realtor I had to take an ethics class.  As did every other Realtor.  Do you think that class has stopped unethical activity?  I doubt it.  I also know some E-PRO agents that are very slow to respond to e-mail. 

Every deal that an agent has done helps them learn.  Especially if it is a hard deal with some sticky issues that have to be taken care of. 

For example in my 1st year of real estate I sold a small acreage.  I didn't know that I needed to get an improvement location certificate (small survey) prior to closing.  Neither did the other agent for that matter.  So 2 days prior to the closing I ordered one and paid for it myself.   Here 10 years later I know too negotiate who orders that and pays for it in the contract.  Even if the other agent doesn't.  I doubt the GRI or CRS classes teach you that.   

I will admit though when I don't know something and do my best to find out.  It's never the best policy for an agent to just guess the answers or assume the answers just to appear to be more knowledgeable.  In the end it usually does the opposite.

If you have any questions about Greeley Colorado Real Estate or buying and selling a home please call me at 970-302-1233 or just fill out the following form to send me an e-mail.

Visit www.greeely-weldcountyhomesforsale.com for more information about Greeley Real Estate.  Also visit my Greeley RE/MAX page at www.weldcountyproperty.com.

Thanks for reading and have a great day!

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