Increase your earning potential with a designation

PAR President Bette McTamney, CRB, CRS, GRI, SRES

CRB, CRS®, ABR®, SRES® – Realtors® love to collect designations. But do they make a difference to your business?

To the knowledgeable practitioner or client, this alphabet soup of designation letters means a stockpot overflowing with experience, knowledge and commitment.

November is Realtor® Designation Awareness Month, making this the perfect time to start working toward your CRB, CRS®, ABR®, SRES® or from a multitude of other skill-building programs sponsored by NAR and its affiliated institutes.

So why do designations matter?

Educational designations show potential clients that a Realtor® is dedicated to his or her profession. In today’s market, continuing education is your best way to stay ahead of the competition. Now more than ever, successful Realtors® must keep current on issues, evolving technology, changing legalities and many other central components of business. Look to NAR for the resources you need to stay on top of trends, including many high-value online courses offered through REALTOR® University.

Realtors® who pursue professional designations have a distinct competitive edge as a result of their increased expertise and marketability. Not to mention that real estate professionals who acquire designations have a higher earning potential. Based on the 2012 NAR Member Profile survey data, the median income of Realtors® with no designation was $28,900 and the median income of those with at least one designation was $50,000 – a $21,100 difference! The median gross personal income of a CRB designee is 57 percent more than their Realtor® colleagues without the designation. CRB designees earn a median gross income of $121,822.

NAR and PAR strongly encourage its members to increase their professional image, marketability, productivity and earnings through the pursuance of a designation or certification program. We need to realize we must stay one step ahead with knowledge and information to keep us competitive through the constant changes of our industry.

Celebrate this potential to boost to your bottom line by saluting Realtor® Designation Awareness Month. Take time for your professional development in November by earning educational designations and increase your business. Many of these can also count toward continuing education needed to sustain your licensee. Check with your state to be certain.

For a complete list of the official NAR designations and certifications, visit nar.realtor.