Designations

Seniors – Baby Boomers Market / Aging-in-Place

SRES - Seniors Real Estate Specialist® (SRES®) designation is dedicated to serving the real estate needs of senior consumers and their families. It is the largest and most comprehensive seniors program in the real estate industry with over 16,000 members.  The course focuses on the personal (communication, generational psychology) and professional (legal issues, reverse mortgage / finance issues, housing options) skills and knowledge required to effectively and appropriately counsel and advise seniors and their family members.  This designation is conferred by the National Association of REALTORS®. http://www.seniorsrealestate.com/sarec/index.jsp

CSA - Certified Senior Advisor (CSA) designation is conferred by the Society of Certified Senior Advisors.  This is a group of over 17,000 senior knowledgeable professionals in a variety of occupations, ranging from law, finance, and insurance to medical and health experts. https://sponge.secure-host.com/csa-csa/index.html

CAPS – Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) designation is a series of three courses cover changing lifestyles of older Americans who want to revitalize their home environments to age-in-place safely and comfortably.  Topics include: changing physical needs as people age, housing options, categories of home design modifications (universal design, accessible design, adaptable design, and visitability), and appropriate communication with seniors and their families. This designation is offered by the National Association of Home Builders.  http://www.nahb.org/category.aspx?sectionID=686

Luxury Home Market

CLHMS – Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist (CLHMS) is a unique designation dedicated to educating agents in handling the special needs of an elite clientele and their exceptional properties.  Agents must have documented performance in the 1op 10% of their marketplace. http://www.luxuryhomemarketing.com/real-estate-agents/home.html or http://www.clhms.org/cms/index.html

General Real Estate

GREEN - The new designation from the National Association of REALTORS® which focuses on ways to create or remodel homes to be as environmentally friendly as possible, what products and resources are available and how to partner with contractors for a win-win solution. http://www.greenresourcecouncil.org/

GRI - Graduate, REALTOR® Institute (GRI) provides agents with a solid base of knowledge in a broad range of topics, including real estate law and contracts to 1031 Exchanges to Fair Housing and International Real Estate.  This designation is offered by the National Association of REALTORS. http://www.realtor.org/griclear.nsf?OpenDatabase

ABR - Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR) designation focuses on all aspects of buyer representation, including the best methods to help buyers successfully purchase their property.  This designation is offered by the Real Estate Buyer's Agent Council of the National Association of REALTORS. http://www.rebac.net/Home.aspx

CPMS - Certified Property Management Specialist (CPMS) teaches ways to profitably manage rental property, handle tenant concerns appropriately, and legal issues, such as Fair Housing laws and Fair Credit Reporting laws. http://www.landlording101.com/pdf/Certified%20Property%20Management%20Specialist.pdf

RFS - Residential Finance Specialist, a new designation offered by the Professional Certification Corporation, teaches about today's changing homebuying financial marketplace, the loan process, helpful resources and much more. http://www.artreedseminars.com/Seminar_Topics.html 

CSP – Certified New Home Sales Professional (CSP) offers an understanding of the new home sales environment, differences in selling new homes versus resale homes, marketing and communication in connection with new home sales.  This designation if offered by the National Association of Home Builders.    http://www.nahb.org/generic.aspx?sectionID=687&genericContentID=34099

PMN - Performance Management Network (PMN) is a designation offered by the Women’s Council of REALTORS®. The curriculum is focused on negotiation, networking, performance management – both personal and organizational, and cultural awareness. This certification is offered by the National Association of REALTORS®.  http://www.wcr.org/pmnd.html  

International / Diversity

CIPS - Certified International Property Specialist (CIPS) designation 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.  Whether locally or internationally, consumers can be assured that they are working with a knowledgeable professional who can help.  This designation is offered by the CIPS Network through the National Association of REALTORS.
http://www.realtor.org/cipshome.nsf/pages/education

AHWD - At Home with Diversity is a certification that helps real estate professionals understand a wide range of cultural perspectives and offers tools to create homeownership opportunities for all consumers. This certification is offered by the National Association of REALTORS. http://www.realtor.org/divweb.nsf

TRC – This course prepares real estate professionals to work in a global marketplace.  It utilizes a system developed by the International Consortium of Real Estate Associations (ICREA) http://www.realtor.org/cipshome.nsf/pages/icrea that provides information on business customs, practices, and courtesies so that referrals can be handled with respect and professionalism. This certification is offered by the National Association of REALTORS. http://www.realtor.org/cipshome.nsf/pages/trc

Technology

RECS - Real Estate Cyber Specialist (RECS) offered by the Real Estate CyberSpace Society of over 6000 members provides tools for better utilizing the Internet and CyberSpace for marketing, technology, and networking systems. http://www.recyber.com/

e-PRO - an internet certification that helps real estate agents blend the people and technology skills to provide on-line professionalism.  This certification is offered by the National Association of REALTORS.
http://www.epronar.com/

Advanced Education / Skills

ITI - Instructor Training Institute (ITI) is a professional development resource for real estate instructors.  The Florida Association of REALTORS^® offers three days of hands-on workshops that successfully achieve the credential.  FAR has over 100,000 members from 70 local boards/associations within the state of Florida. http://www.planetrealtor.com/Florida/Education/Instructor-Training-Institute-Sample-Media-Release.cfm

Ruth has also taken a similar course in Tennessee: the Learning-Centered Instructor Workshop who focuses on learning processes, presentation skills, and involving students thru stories: https://www.123signup.com/servlet/SignUpMember?PG=17239182300&P=17239191156628500&Info   

SPHR - Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) verifies a high degree of knowledge of the Human Resources field, including workforce planning, management, benefits and compensation, and HR development and training..  This certification credential is awarded by the Human Resources Certification Institute in conjunction with the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM).  Based on her experience and knowledge, Ruth has been awarded this credential for Life. http://www.shrm.org/  or http://www.hrci.org/

AIM - Associate in Management (AIM) designation offered by the Insurance Institute of America (IIA) for completion of education requirements on insurance, leadership, and management.  http://www.aicpcu.org/

Master's Certificate in Project Management - Provided by ESI International with a partnership from George Washington University School of Business, this certificate recognizes individuals who have achieved a high level of knowledge and experience in project management, including scheduling, quality, communication leadership skills.  http://www.esi-intl.com/public/index.asp

CTM - Competent Toastmaster (CTM) awarded by Toastmasters International for completion of 10 speech projects.  http://www.toastmasters.org/

M.A. - Masters of Arts in Adult Education from the University of South Florida (USF) following a B.A. in Women's Studies and Psychology. The College of Education ranks in the top third of all graduate schools in the United States by modeling leadership in teaching and research.  This is an advanced degree focusing on a variety of methods to help adults learn effectively, including course design and development, facilitation skills, and communication skills.
http://www.usf.edu/  or  http://www.coedu.usf.edu/main/

Memberships / Organizations

WCR - With over 300 Chapters and 19,000 members, the Women's Council of REALTORS^® is an organization that promotes community, professional credibility, and inclusiveness necessary to be successful in a changing business environment.  http://www.wcr.org/

REEA - Real Estate Educators Association encourages continuing education and learning, building strong professional relationships, and sharing thoughts and ideas.  Membership is a valuable tool for successful real estate educators. http://www.reea.org/

TN Coalition on Visitability– Member of steering group of public and private organizations and individuals seeking to bring accessibility and visitability concepts (http://www.concretechange.org) into new construction in Tennessee.  The following groups are some of those involved: TN Council on Developmental Disabilities, Habitat for Humanity, AARP, state and local National Association of Home Builders, Easter Seals, Statewide Independent Living Council, TN Housing Development Authority, Down Syndrome Association of Middle TN, and Senior Safety.

TN Council on Aging Housing Work Group – Working with Nashville Mayor’s office and community leaders to establish collaborative relationships addressing current and future senior housing options, solicit funding sources, and educate the community on senior services.