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The Florida Real Estate Commission (F.R.E.C.) offers three state licenses: the ‘Sales Associate license’, “Broker Associate license’ and the ‘Broker license’. Everything else is a derivation of these three. In order to obtain the basic ‘Sales Associate license’ one must have a high school diploma, take a 63-hour Sales Associate pre-license course, final exam, and then pass the state's Real Estate Sales Associate license exam. In order for your license to be active, you must hang your license under a qualifying Broker that is in good standing. Once these steps are completed, you may perform any of the above eight functions for residential, commercial, industrial or business opportunities, legally.

 

In order to maintain an active license and remain in good standing requires the completion of an additional 45-hour post-license course within two years of the original issuance of your Sales Associate license. Upon the first renewal of your license and for every two-year period thereafter, maintaining your Sales Associate license in good standing requires that you take and pass a 14-hour continuing education correspondence course.

 

For the more ambitious, a Broker license is required to own and qualify your own real estate business. Or maybe you wish to complete the course for its educational value. Once completed, non-qualifying Brokers are referred to as “Broker-Associates”. This license requires that you have your Sales Associate license and are in good standing, have at minimum one year of real estate experience, 72 hours of classroom study, pass the course exam, then schedule and pass the State of Florida exam. Post licensing requires completion of a 60-hour course within two years of receipt of the Broker license and subsequent 14-hour correspondence courses every two years thereafter.  A Broker Associate is not permitted to register or be licensed as a general partner, member, manager, officer or director of a brokerage firm. Likewise, they cannot be an officer of a real estate company. This holds true for those who hold Sales Associate licenses as well.

 

Technically, these licenses allow one to legally perform any of the functions of real estate. Florida does not regulate the licensee beyond these two licenses and leaves it to the industry to identify and educate its participants and to provide the specialized education one requires in order to adequately perform specialized areas of real estate. As an example, earning a private pilot’s license does not qualify you to fly a commercial airliner, jet fighter or helicopter.

 

A licensee becomes a Realtor® once they join the National Association of Realtors (NAR®) and pay their dues. As a member, they gain access to the MLS system and additional education.

 

The NAR® has nine affiliated institutes, societies, and councils that provide a wide-ranging menu of programs and services that assist members in increasing skills, productivity and knowledge. Designations acknowledging experience and expertise in various real estate sectors are awarded by each affiliated group upon completion of required courses. In addition, NAR® offers five certification programs to its members.

The two most sought after and commonly seen designations are:

 

 GRI Graduate Realtor Institute

Members involved in residential real estate who want a solid base           of information for their practice will want to participate in the Realtor® Institute program and earn the GRI designation.

 

 

 

CCIM, Certified Commercial Investment Member®

CCIMs are recognized experts in commercial real estate brokerage, leasing, valuation and investment analysis. The CCIM business network includes more than 7,500 designees and an equal number of candidates principally in North America, but also in Asia and Europe. CCIMs are backed by a respected education program, as well as superior technology products and business resources.

 

Other designations, although not as common, offer specialization in several important areas:

 

ABR, Accredited Buyer Representative

With over 40,000 members, the Real Estate Buyer’s Agent Council (REBAC) is the largest association of real estate professionals focusing on all aspects of buyer representation. Over 30,000 ABR® designees have completed the REBAC course, passed the test and provided documentation of buyer agency experience.  Call REBAC at 1-800-648-6224 for more information. 

 

  ABRM, Accredited Buyer Representative Manager

Geared to real estate firm brokers, owners and managers that have or wish to incorporate buyer representation into their daily practice, designees have taken and passed both the ABR® and ABRMSM course and provided documentation of past management experience. Call REBAC at 1-800-648-6224 for more information.

                                                   

ALC, Accredited Land Consultant

ALCs are the recognized experts in land brokerage transactions of five specialized types: (1) farms and ranches; (2) undeveloped tracts of land; (3) transitional and development land; (4) subdivision and wholesaling of lots; and (5) site selection and assemblage of land parcels.

 

 

 

 

 

CIPS, Certified International Property Specialist

The CIPS network is comprised of 1,500 real estate professionals from 50 countries who deal in all types of real estate, but with one common element: they are focused specifically on the "international" market.

 

 

 

 

CPM, CERTIFIED PROPERTY MANAGER®

Acquire valuable real estate management skills through educational offerings leading to the CPM® designation. CPM® members have the competitive edge in every area of real estate management from residential to commercial to industrial.

 

 

 

                                               

CRB, Certified Real Estate Brokerage Manager

The Certified Real Estate Brokerage Manager (CRB) designation is recognized industry-wide as the measure of success in brokerage and real estate business management. The designation is awarded by the Council of Real Estate Brokerage Managers to Realtors® who have completed the Council's advanced educational and professional requirements.

 

 

CRS®, Certified Residential Specialist®

Agents can maximize their potential by earning the CRS® designation and joining the organization that has served top-producing residential sales agents since 1977. More than 35,000 CRS® designees benefit from nationwide referral opportunities, a professional image that attracts customers, sales and marketing support.

 

 

                                                   

  CRE, Counselor of Real Estate

The Counselor of Real Estate – or CRE – is a member of The Counselors of Real Estate, an international group of recognized professionals who provide seasoned, objective advice on real property and land-related matters.

 

 

                                                 

 GAA, General Accredited Appraiser

Certified General Appraisers wishing to increase their visibility should consider pursuing the GAA designation. The GAA designation is awarded to appraisers whose education and experience exceed state appraisal certification requirements and is supported by the National Association of Realtors®.

 

PMN, Performance Management Network
The Performance Management Network (PMN) is a new Realtor® designation that’s built from the ground up to bring you the real-world skills, the know-how and the tools that will keep your business out front and on top of a lighting-fast market. This designation is unique to the Realtor® family designations, focusing on the idea that in order to enhance your business, you must enhance yourself. The curriculum is driven by the following topics: negotiating strategies and tactics, networking and referrals, business planning & systems, personal performance management and cultural differences in buying and selling.

RCE, Realtor® Association Certified Executive
Association executives interested in demonstrating commitment to the field of Realtor® Association Management should pursue the RCE designation. AEs are recognized for their specialized industry knowledge and their association achievements and experience. For more information contact NAR® at 1-312-329-8545.  

 

                 

Residential Accredited Appraiser
Certified Residential Appraisers wishing to increase their visibility should consider pursuing the RAA designation. The RAA designation is awarded to appraisers whose education and experience exceed state appraisal certification requirements and is supported by the National Association of Realtors®. Call 1-800-874-6500, ext. 8393, or visit the NAR Appraisal page.

 

SRES®, Senior Real Estate Specialist
The SRES® Designation program trains Realtors® to profitably and ethically serve the real estate needs of clients age 50+. This includes first year membership in SRES Council and its umbrella of services. For more information call 1-800-500-4564.

 

SIOR, Society of Industrial and Office REALTORS®
Individuals certified with the SIOR designation are top producers in industrial and office real estate brokerage. SIOR's network includes more than 2,800 members in 480 cities in 20 countries on six continents. The Society's mandatory recertification requirement assures clients of the designee's excellence in the fast changing commercial brokerage field. For more information call 1-202-449-8200.

 

NAR Family Certifications:

 

At Home with Diversity Certification
A ground-breaking professional education initiative designed to provide America's real estate professionals with training and tools to expand their businesses well as homeownership opportunities for more Americans.

AHWD certification relays to the public that those certified have been professionally trained in and are sensitive to a wide range of cultural issues inviting a wider volume of business from a greater variety of cultures. For more information, please visit the At Home with Diversity sub-website or call 1-202-383-1201.

 

e-PRO®
e-PRO® is a revolutionary training program presented entirely online to certify real estate agents and brokers as Internet Professionals. The National Association of Realtors® is the first major trade group to offer certification for online professionalism.

e-PRO® gives you:
- Exhaustive Internet training
- Unique competitive advantage
- Professional distinction
- CE credit is now available in several states

REPA ^sm, Real Estate Professional Assistant ^sm

REPA is a comprehensive two-day certificate course that provides an intensive introduction to the real estate business and to the specific ways support staff can become valuable assets to their employers. Every administrative employee in the brokerage office, from listing secretary to the personal assistant, will benefit tremendously from this quick-start program.

 

Resort & Second-Home Markets Certification
The RSPS is a new certification offered by NAR^® Resort for resort & second-home realtors around the world. The RSPS core certification requirements include the NAR^® Resort & Second-Home Market Course and the RLI Tax-Deferred (1031) Exchange Course. RSPS applicants will also choose from nine different elective choices including courses from the NAR^® Education Matrix and the NAR^® Resort Symposium.  For more information call: NAR^® Resort at 1-312-329-8393.

Transnational Referral Certification
The goal of this certification offered by the NAR^® is to prepare real estate professionals to make and receive compensated referrals using the Transnational Referral system developed NAR^® and the International Consortium of Real Estate Associations (ICREA).

Information courtesy of National Association of Realtors (www.realtor.org).

Finally, business brokerage, although regulated in Florida through the Department of Real Estate and requiring the same general Sales Associate or Broker licensing, must look outside of the normal real estate associations in order to receive comprehensive education and certification. A few states like Florida have statewide associations that provide some rudimentary education and a code of ethics governing the way business brokerage is to be conducted.

 

However, the International Business Broker Association (www.ibba.org) is generally recognized as the ‘premier’ educational authority awarding the Certified Business Intermediary (CBI) designation and the more advanced Merger & Acquisition Master Intermediary (M&AMI) designation awarded through the M&A Source, an affiliate of the IBBA.

 

Qualifications for the CBI are as follows:

• A candidate must successfully complete a total of 60 credit hours of association courses, including passing each course examination with a score of at least 75%.

• Sixteen of the 60 hours of education must be completed at an IBBA Conference. An IBBA affiliate conference/meeting does not qualify as an IBBA conference.

• There are 40 required credits - These courses are mandatory as their subject matter involves activities in which every business broker, regardless of geographic location or business type specialization, is engaged: ethics, financial analysis, pricing/valuation, and legal and tax implications. The remaining 20 hours are elective.

• CBI applicants must attend at least one IBBA Conference for professional development, before they can receive the CBI designation.

Once all requirements are met, the candidate must apply to take the comprehensive CBI examination. A minimum score of 75% must be obtained or the candidate may retest.

Requirements for the Merger & Acquisition Master Intermediary (M&AMI) designation requires first earning the CBI designation and then attending or teaching 32 hours of 300 or 400 level courses; attend three M&A Conference and Deal Mart Expos over a three-year period; and, show proof of three M&A transactions in which the total transaction value is $1 Million or greater, excluding real estate.

 

John S. Stivers, CBI, M&AMI, BVS, BCI, Broker, President of PBBI-Mr. Stivers founded PBBI in 1991. Since the company’s inception, Mr. Stivers has had many awards bestowed upon him. He received The Million Dollar Plus Award provided by the Business Brokers of Florida in 2003 through 2006.  He will also receive the same award in 2007.  Mr. Stivers was also given The Million Dollar Club Award provided through the Florida Business Brokers Association in 1995 through 1998 and then again in 2000. In 1998, Mr. Stivers was awarded The Diamond Achievement Award for Sales of $10 Million or more. Mr. Stivers has earned the designations of Certified Business Intermediary, Board Certified Intermediary, Business Valuation Specialist, and is one of only two Merger & Acquisition Master Intermediary in Brevard County.  He is also a current member of the Florida Society of Accountants and a Licensed Real Estate Broker. He graduated with honors from Northwestern Military & Naval Academy and served in the United State Air National Guard.   You can contact John Stivers at Jstivers@pbbi.com or at (888) 287-7763.

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