Real Estate Designations

GRI, ABR, CRS - What Do They Mean and Why Are They Important?

GRI, CRS, CRP - what does all this alphabet soup mean to you? When you see initials like these behind a REALTOR®'s name, it means that this person is a committed professional, not content just to take the courses needed to get and maintain a real estate license, but determined to improve his or her professional skills. They have devoted time to attending advanced educational courses and taking examinations to earn these designations. Sales Associates at Bluegrass Sotheby's International Realty are industry leaders in terms of advanced education.

Additional education helps ensure success for clients!

ABR: Accredited Buyer Representative - denotes a Sales Associate who is qualified to provide buyer representation and is familiar with buyer brokerage and buyer agency issues. Requires a 12 hour course, active membership in REBAC, and at least five documented transactions during the previous 18th month period where the Sales Associate acted as a buyer's represetative. Awarded by the Real Estate Buyer's Agent Council (REBAC).

CRS: Certified Residential Specialist - the "master's degree of real estate". Every CRS Designee must have a proven track record in the business, as well as advanced education in related areas like finance, technology and marketing. The training available to CRS Designees includes a strong focus on technology and its applications in the real estate business. Awarded by the Residential Sales Council.

ePro: ePro is a new certification first offered in 2000 by the National Association of Realtors®. It is a comprehensive Internet certification program for real estate professionals. e-PRO holders have completed a course covering fundamentals of doing business online, ways of creating and maintaining online relationships, web marketing ethical and legal issues, and ways to adapt to new ways of doing business online.

GRI: Graduate, REALTOR® Institute, is a nationally professional real estate designation. This designation may only be earned after successfully completing a rigorous educational program that includes 92 hours of live course instruction from a statewide faculty selected because of extensive experience in their own areas of expertise. This designation is available only to members of the local, state and National Association of REALTORS®.

QSC: Quality Service Certification®, is presented by Quality Service Certification, Inc., and is recognized for credit toward the CRB Designation through the Council´s Accreditation Program. The program provides an education program leading to service certification and includes a formal framework and process for delivering measurably better service results. It offers consumers the opportunity to identify and select certified service professionals based upon the experience, quantified feedback and evaluations of other consumers.

SRES: The Senior Advantage Real Estate Council®, "SAREC", offers a specific designation, Seniors Real Estate Specialist, "SRES®", to identify those members who have successfully completed its education program along with other prerequisites. REALTORS with the "SRES" designation help seniors make wise decisions about selling the family home, buying rental property or managing the capital gains and tax implications of owning real estate. By earning the "SRES" designation, the REALTOR has demonstrated that they have the requisite knowledge, experience and expertise to be a senior's real estate specialist and counselor.