On being Certifiable…

I got an email a few days ago advertising a class so that one could become a CDPE, Certified Distressed Property Expert. America is such a great entrepreneurial country that folks can figure out ways to make money off just about anything and anyone. In the real estate business there is a whole group of entrepreneurs who make money off inventing new designations of expertise and then selling classes to “certify” Realtors for those designations. It’s all about the money, folks. Lots of these so-called designations aren’t worth the paper that they are printed upon. They are just ways for the people running the course to make money. Of course they also provide an aura of knowledge and experience to the certified, where none may have existed before.

I get a kick out of many of the designations. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) lists 16 designations to which Realtors can achieve certification, from an Accredited Buyer Representative to a Seniors Real Estate Specialist to becoming an ePRO, which supposedly makes you some sort of Internet expert. All of these programs share one feature – you pay someone and sit through some number of classes. In some cases there will be a test at the end to make sure that you have absorbed all of the knowledge and deserve to be admitted to the secret order of the certified whatever group; however, in some the only test is whether your check clears or not.

Now every group that is trying to label itself a “profession”, with professional practitioners, has programs like this or maybe professional groups into which one must somehow earn admittance. In many professions admission is earned through demonstrated performance and experience or through peer review and recommendations. In some, like real estate, it just takes a few bucks and a little time and one can become “Certified” as an expert on almost any aspect of the business. Now, I don’t want readers to think that I’m putting down all designations. There are a few designations sponsored by NAR that do require quite a bit of training and experience to attain, like the GRI (Graduate Realtor Institute) designation, which is sort of like a college level course on real estate. Others, not so much.

In the case above of becoming a Certified Distressed Property Expert, almost anyone who is selling anything these days has become an expert on that, out of necessity. Understanding the paperwork and process involved in dealing with banks on foreclosures or short sales is something that no one could possibly have avoided over the last two years and something that better companies have internal training programs to cover. In fact dealing with distressed properties over the last couple of years probably has left many agents “certifiable” from the experience.

The bottom line on this designation is a $599, two-day course that will let you put the coveted (so they would like you to believe) CDPE designation on your business cards. I can just about hear pitchman Billy Mays shouting – “But wait! There’s more. You get the 180-page guidebook on distressed properties and the forms you’ll need and the disk that the forms come on to take home; plus you get a one-year membership in the prestigious Distressed Property Institute. But wait! This offer isn’t over yet! Not only do you get all that, but because you are a member of a local board, you get a $150 discount on the course. Rush to your phone and call to get the course right now.”

One of the most savvy and trustworthy trainers that I’ve had in this business has nothing but Realtor on his card and told me that all of those designations stacked end-to-end on a card mean nothing if there isn’t experience coupled with skills and integrity in the guy or gal holding the card. I guess if it makes you feel better about yourself to have a bunch of designations on your card, go for it. I’m sure that that will initially impress some potential clients; however, no amount of designations on a business card will cover over forever a lack of skills or experience or integrity. Your own performance over time will be what eventually dictates your success or lack thereof.