|
Written by Ryan Zook, Cook and Zook Team
|
|
Tuesday, 09 December 2008 00:00 |
Frank Herbert, a famous science fiction novelist, once said "The beginning of knowledge is the discovery of something we do not understand." In our industry, which I consider a 'Jack of All Trades' profession, it's important to learn more of what you don't know. We are not lawyers, but we are required to understand contract law. We are not accountants, but we are supposed to do basic accounting. We are not lenders or appraisers, but we are expected to know loan products and methods of estimating property value. In our rapidly changing world, education is essential to becoming better realtors®. This week, Cook and I completed our broker's exam and will change our licenses from Salespersons to Associate Brokers. For non-realtors®, what exactly does that mean?
In short, it means we've pursued higher education to help us better serve you, our clients. The requirements necessary to obtain a broker's license include 3+ years of real estate experience, 180 hours of education (4 semesters), and passing a national and state examination. Topics covered include general brokerage, real estate law, appraisal, finance, agency, fair housing and ethics, contracts, and real estate practices. While our Graduate of Realtor® Institute (GRI) and Accredited Buyer's Representative (ABR®) designations demonstrate educational achievements, obtaining a broker's license is the crème de la crème of real estate education.
Recent realtor® demographic articles provided by the Virginia Association of Realtors® and the National Association of Realtors® indicate that only 12% of realtors® in Virginia hold a broker's license... Click the VAR and NAR article links to learn more statistics. Raising our level of professionalism and expanding our knowledge, we are striving to better represent you. Keep an eye out for our next round of "associate broker" business cards.
|
© 2008 Cook and Zook Team. All Rights Reserved.