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For Immediate Release
Contact: Kathryn Rudziensky
Public Relations Coordinator
312.321.4445
www.crs.com
CRS Webinars Offer Convenient Real Estate Education
CHICAGO, July 2, 2008 More than 600 real estate professionals have already taken advantage of the new series of educational webinars presented by the Council of Residential Specialists, an affiliate of the National Association of REALTORS®. Each of the hour-long webinars, which are hosted by top real estate instructors and experts, focuses on a hot topic and delivers the up-to-date instruction and training agents need to compete in today’s market.
Since webinars are broadcast live over the Internet, attendees can watch them from the comfort of their own office or home. Those who miss a live session can purchase access to the online recording, which is an excellent option for many busy REALTORS®.
“Webinars allow CRS to bring expert speakers discussing the latest topics in real estate to our members and students at a reasonable price and in a convenient delivery format,” says Amanda Schulze, director of distance learning for the Council. CRS will also use webinars to showcase its new programs, courses and member benefits.
The next two webinars in the series are slated for July 29 at 2:00 p.m. EST, and Aug. 6 at 2:00 p.m. EST. In the first, entitled Making Profitable Real Estate Investments, Tina Daniel, CRS, will present strategies and tools to help you evaluate potential real estate investments. The second, entitled The Smell of Sawdust; Opportunities in New-Home Sales, will focus on creating relationships with builders and developers to gain leads, and helping buyers through the new-home process. Dennis Walsh, a national new-home sales expert, will moderate a fast-paced, information-packed hour.
To attend a CRS webinar, attendees sign up online prior to the event at www.crs.com. Registrants receive an e-mail reminder with information describing how to access the webinar one week prior to each session, and additional reminders are sent on the day before and the morning of the event.
Webinar participants can submit questions prior to the event, as well as ask them live during the session. People who purchase the recorded version of a webinar can view it an unlimited number of times for 45 days.
“Kudos to CRS for bringing this technology to us at such a low cost. To travel to hear this caliber of speaker, even in my own city, costs me time and money,” says Mary Beth Harrison, CRS, of Keller Williams Realty in Dallas, who attended the first webinar, Tax Talk with Chris Bird. “It speaks volumes that CRS recognizes this and has found a solution that is exceptional.”
Dale Carlton, CRS, of Carlton Realty Inc, moderated the second webinar in the series, which provided an introduction to foreclosures. Agents who missed Keys to Unlocking Foreclosures and Short Sales, or any other webinar, can order the recording online at www.crs.com/Education/859.
Schulze says attendee response to the webinars has been positive. “CRS is going to continue the webinar series in 2008 and plans on providing even more webinars on the most current real estate topics to our members and students in 2009.”
For more information, pricing, and to register for an upcoming webinar or purchase a previous one, visit www.crs.com/Education/859.
The Council of Residential Specialists is a not-for-profit affiliate of the National Association of Realtors® comprised of more than 45,000 members. It awards the CRS designation to experienced Realtors® who have completed advanced professional training and demonstrated outstanding professional achievement in residential real estate.
For Immediate Release
Contact: Kathryn Rudziensky
Public Relations Coordinator
312.321.4445
www.crs.com
Council of Residential Specialists Updates Its Financing Course
CHICAGO, June 25, 2008 The financial considerations that go along with buying a home lead to some of the toughest decisions a person will make, especially in today’s real estate market. Successful REALTORS® must be able to offer their clients information about financing and tax options and help them understand some of the financial implications of their decisions.
To help agents better serve their clients, the Council of Residential Specialists has updated its Financing and Tax Advantages for Agents and Their Clients Course (CRS 205) with the latest information that is especially relevant in the current real estate market. The course is now available for CRS Course Sponsors to schedule.
CRS offers the top residential real estate education in the industry, and agents who have earned the CRS Designation have taken advanced training and demonstrated outstanding professional achievement.
CRS strives to keep its real estate courses packed with the most up-to-date information that will help REALTORS® serve their clients, no matter what the market conditions,” says Mary Beth Ciukaj, education director at CRS. “The updated financing course should provide agents with the information and tools they need to help their clients understand the financial considerations involved when buying or selling real estate.”
The financing course teaches agents how to help customers understand their financial options when purchasing a home. For example, they learn to identify and understand tax saving opportunities, financing alternatives, and debt and mortgage strategies. It also provides agents with specific tools that demonstrate various financing options.
CRS Instructors Tina Daniel and Pat Zaby will teach this course.
Tina Daniel, CRS, is a licensed broker and owns American Real Estate Services in Searcy, Ark. She is the founder and director of the Arkansas Institute of Real Estate, a lifetime member of the Million Dollar Club and has been named Arkansas Realtor® of the Year.
Pat Zaby earned his bachelor’s degree in real estate in 1968 and has spoken at every National Association of Realtors® convention since 1979. He has served as the president of CRS, as well as the president of the Realtors® National Marketing Institute.
CRS Instructor Douglas Richards, CRS, co-authored the updated Financing Course with Zaby. He is a licensed broker and former certified public accountant, and he has served as the national president of CRS, the president of the Salt Lake Board of Realtors® and a director for the National Association of Realtors®.
“Every real estate transaction has tax and financial considerations; sometimes there is an opportunity to help save clients thousands of dollars,” Richards says. “This course is full of suggested opportunities to do just that, and at the same time elevate your skills and differentiate an agent in the marketplace.”
CRS 205 is currently scheduled in:
- Gulf Shores, Ala. — Oct. 9 – 10, 2008
To check the course schedule, obtain more information or to register for a course, please visit www.crs.com/Education.
The Council of Residential Specialists is a not-for-profit affiliate of the National Association of Realtors® comprised of more than 44,000 members. It awards the CRS designation to experienced Realtors® who have completed advanced professional training and demonstrated outstanding professional achievement in residential real estate.
For Immediate Release
Contact: Kathryn Rudziensky
Public Relations Coordinator
312.321.4445
CRS Extends Global Reach with ICREA Agreement
CHICAGO, May 16, 2008 ¾ The Council of Residential Specialists (CRS), an affiliate of the National Association of REALTORS® that comprises leading residential real estate agents, has finalized an agreement with the International Consortium of Real Estate Associations (ICREA) designed to help boost the Council’s brand awareness internationally, while offering expanded referral opportunities to its members.
ICREA, a 7-year-old organization that sets standards for international real estate practices and facilitates worldwide real estate transactions, represents more than two million real estate professionals in more than 30 countries.
As part of the agreement, ICREA has customized its Transnational Referral Certification (TRC) course exclusively for CRS members. The custom CRS version of the TRC course has been condensed to reflect the knowledge and expertise an agent possesses as a member of the Council of Residential Specialists. In doing so, approximately 30 percent of the original course has been eliminated.
The course prepares real estate professionals to make and receive compensated referrals using the consortium’s transnational referral system. It also teaches agents how to integrate international referrals, resulting in increased income, into their business plans.
Upon certification, agents will be added to a directory that lists all those who are recognized as transnational referral experts. ICREA’s Web site, WorldProperties.com, features the largest international property listing in the world, including links to three million residential and commercial listings.
Toni Sherman, CRS, the Council’s director of business relations, says the alliance with ICREA should help CRS Designees tap into the growing number of transnational real estate transactions and better serve their clients. “Creating this alliance with ICREA is a direct response to the vision of our leadership and members of the Strategic Planning Committee, who recognized the need to expand our referral base for our members. We are pleased to be closely associated with a respected organization that will create CRS brand awareness worldwide.”
Thijs Stoffer, ICREA’s CEO, calls the deal “a perfect fit. ICREA has the international network in place already. CRS has expertise in high-quality real estate education. The agreement will help us further establish a reliable platform for the international real estate transactions.”
As part of the agreement, ICREA will give CRS exposure to its member associations and leadership teams. It will also encourage its member associations to promote the Council on their respective Web sites to give their members access to CRS information. In addition, the agreement will provide visitors to WorldProperties.com with links directing them to www.CRS.com.
The customized CRS version of the TRC course can only be accessed by CRS members via www.crs.com. After logging into your Advantage account, click on the “Exclusive: Get the Transnational Certification” banner. Call CRS Customer Service, 800.462.8841, with questions.
For Immediate Release
Contact: Kathryn Rudziensky
Public Relations Coordinator
312.321.4445
www.crs.com
Council of Residential Specialists Debuts International Real Estate Course
CHICAGO, May 12, 2008 — The Council of Residential Specialists remains at the leading edge of global real estate with the launch of its international course, Real Estate Advanced Practices (REAP). The four-module course identifies the most successful systems and strategies used in the United States for building a profitable real estate business. It will be offered for the first time during the third quarter of 2008, in France, Spain and Brazil. Course offerings will follow in South Africa and Australia in 2009.
Toni Sherman, CRS, the Council’s director of business relations, says the course was created to respond to requests from international real estate associations, educational foundations and companies who wanted to provide their agents with the best sales training in residential real estate. “In addition, after holding courses in China, South Africa, Chile and Australia, it became readily apparent that we would need to find and train indigenous instructors who spoke the language and knew the market dynamics,” Sherman says.
REAP can be presented as four individual one-day sessions or collectively over four consecutive days. Each module highlights the essential skills and areas of knowledge that are the cornerstones of the CRS education program: business planning, marketing, negotiation strategies and client relationships. In addition, upon completion of the course and meeting other elective and volume criteria, international agents will be awarded the prestigious CRS® Designation and be listed in the Council’s referral roster.
For each successfully completed module, non-U.S. participants will earn one unit of core credit toward the CRS Designation. The course will not be available in the United States. CRS students traveling outside the country can attend the course, but will not receive credit for it.
To prepare for the course’s debut, the Council conducted a train-the-trainer session in December 2007, led by Senior CRS instructor Ed Hatch, to train instructors to teach the course in their local market and in their native language. The group of 13 instructors-in-training included five from South Africa and one each from Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Spain, China, Brazil and the Caribbean. Each instructor also completed the two CRS online courses, Creating Value for Your Clients and Putting Technology to Work for Your Clients, to earn a certificate identifying them as CRS Certified International Instructors (CCII).
For more information about sponsoring the REAP course or to learn more about becoming an international instructor, contact Toni Sherman at the Council of Residential Specialists, toni@tonisherman.com.
The Council of Residential Specialists, a not-for-profit affiliate of the National Association of REALTORS ® comprising more than 43,000 members, awards the CRS designation to experienced REALTORS® who have completed advanced professional training in residential real estate. Visit www.crs.com for more information.
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