Barrington Il Certified Residential Specialist

What is a Certified Residential Specialist (CRS)?  You may see some REALTORS with the CRS letters after their name.  This is an important designation that REALTORS can earn that is based on a combination of real estate related education and actual experience. 

Less then 4% of all real estate agents in the United States can put this designation after their name and for those of us that have earned it, we know that it is one of the most difficult and prestigious recognitions a REALTOR can earn.  

It's also one of the most important factors we look for when we help our relocation clients in selecting a REALTOR in the area they are moving from or the area they are moving to.  We've sent out numerous referrals since we've been licensed and more often then not, the CRS agents always outperformed in customer satisfaction.

Many CRS agents work by referral only and in order to be successful in this, the principle of exceptional customer service is the core of practicing real estate with an extremely high level of ethics and knowledge. 

If you are looking to choose a REALTOR to represent You in the sale or purchase of what the majority of people consider one of their biggest and most important assets - their home, choosing a REALTOR that is also a CRS is a big step in insuring that the representation you select has the Education and Experience that exceeds over 90% of other residential real estate agents!

According to the Council of Residential Specialists, Less then 4% of all Real Estate Agents have earned the right to use the CRS designation. That should help you in narrowing down your search for a real estate professional and here is why:

CRS stands for Certified Residential Specialist

It's not something made up to make a REALTOR sound special and if it was easy to obtain, then the value to you would be minimal. There are many designations out there that can be earned simply by paying a few dollars and taking a day long class. This is not one of them! These courses are taught by top notch Real Estate Professionals that could easily be considered some of the best in their niches.

Each class is a two day eight hour course with a final exam that must be passed in order to get credit for the class. These classes are not the cheapest classes to take, but the knowledge gained is priceless for us and our clients. Some of the classes taken to meet the educational requirements:

• CRS 200 - Business Planning and Marketing

This was an extremely beneficial class. Many marketing gurus will tell you straight out that the amount of money wasted on advertising by Real Estate professionals is absurd and has zero benefit for the client. This class taught us concepts that work and concepts that don't which results in a more effective way of marketing real estate in an effective and efficient way. 

• CRS 201 - Marketing Residential Real Estate

This class focused on selling homes and included concepts such as educating sellers for preparing their home for sale and avoiding the biggest mistakes that home sellers make. Strategies that are the most effective in selling our Barrington homes and strategies that are a complete waste of time and money for clients. "Buying" Listings is certainly discussed and we do not practice it because it's certainly bad business and makes the whole real estate industry look bad. Getting the most money for our clients homes in the shortest amount of time does not happen by accident!

• CRS 204 - Wealth Building

This was about analyzing single family investment homes - Multi family investment properties and how to determine if they really are a good investment or not. You often hear that buying real estate is the best investment you can make, well this class teaches REALTORS what really makes a good investment... or not by analyzing the before tax and after tax cash flows and being able to educate our clients in plain english the benefits of investing in residential real estate. For the average investor, investing in Single Family Investment properties is the best way to start if you actually know the numbers, stay away from what you read in the paper or magazines and actually understand the concept.

Experience Counts

In addition to the educational requirements, there are requirements that can only be earned by experience. A REALTOR must have represented a buyer or seller for a minimum of 25 transactions or $8,000,000 in sales with a minimum of 10 transactions within any two year period.

Hopefully this helps to bring to light what CRS means after the name of a REALTOR and why it will benefit you in your choice in selecting a Certified Residential Specialist for your real estate needs. When we seek out REALTORS to handle our clients relocation needs, we always seek out a CRS agent. We always want our clients to have the best representation possible!  It's one of our principles of working by referral - taking care of our clients before, during and after the real estate transaction.

For Buyers and Sellers of Chicago Real Estate

Rest assured, we have the experience to make your buying or selling real estate needs simple, enjoyable and rewarding.  Relocating, Investing, Buying or Selling Real Estate, We are a full Service Husband and Wife Real Estate Broker Team that both work for you. You get two Brokers with a wealth of experience for the price of one and it is our ultimate goal to do everything to make you happy for your real estate needs! Begin your Chicago Real Estate search or contact us below.

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