Checking The Pulse Of The Kansas City Real Estate Market
I’ve never found Realtor designations to be of much importance. When I first got into the business back in the early 1990’s, I “earned” a couple of designations. It wasn’t a memorable experience however. One thing I do remember about getting those designations was how they didn’t really make me feel I was all the sudden a much better Kansas City real estate agent. From that point forward I swore off Realtor designations.
Well, I did earn one more designation that year. It was the School of Hard Knocks designation and that one was well-earned. But even that designation isn’t being flaunted on my business card or web site. I’ve never considered going and getting a bunch of designations so I could bring them up during a listing presentation or at an initial buyer consultation. Clients never asked me about them and I concluded they had little redeeming value.
Yet to this day many agents swear by them. I’ve heard enough good things to make me think the E-Pro designation could provide a good value proposition to many agents. But since I’m already a leading online Realtor and teach classes on having an online presence, I’m sure it would prove remedial to me. This is reinforced by many agents I know who have the E-Pro designation not having a great grasp on how to implement the tools that will put their buyers and sellers at an advantage in their real estate transactions. So please pardon me if I’m skeptical.
I don’t want to completely discount designations though. Any education that an agent receives in getting a designation is beneficial. I’ve also heard that the GRI is a long process and that must mean there’s some real learning going on there. Some agents won’t send a referral to an agent without the CRS designation. If that’s true I’ve no doubt lost some referral opportunities. But the majority of the others aren’t much more than a several hundred-dollar check and a pre-printed designation handed at the conclusion of the class.
The SHK designation I previously mentioned is what I’d be looking for if I need an agent in another state to help me purchase a vacation home. That means experience folks. Let me ask you this… Would you prefer your pilot to have graduated middle of the class but have years of experience or would you prefer a pilot who graduated at the top of their class but is making their maiden flight?
Experience is the key to helping clients buy and sell real estate. If you’re new to the business and lack experience, you have to try to make up for it with effort and persistence, until you have the experience. When a new potential client wants to find out whether I know what I’m doing, they ask about my experience – not about what designations I have. They also want to know I care about their success and that I’m creative and cutting edge in helping them accomplish their goals. They don’t want to know how much I’ve spent on trendy designations.
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