Fluff or Puffery has been used in the real estate industry for years to describe properties such as “Best Home in Neighborhood” or “Great Deal.” Unfortunately it has even extended itself to some agents’ description as the “South Area Specialist” or the “Neighborhood Expert.”
Some agents just tout the term “Expert” or “Specialist” when they start selling in a community while others at least put up a neighborhood oriented website. While it’s a wonderful idea, utilizing a website or just selling in a neighborhood doesn’t make someone that neighborhood’s “Expert.” You clearly need to do more, know more, and be a cut above the competition.
We are seeing a major shift in what the average consumer is looking for when they contact a Realtor® from information about the house to more details regarding the neighborhood, community, services, etc. They are seeking that information you have in your head from working (perhaps living) in that neighborhood; subtle things that don’t show up anywhere, or at least not where they can readily find them – the lifestyle issues.
So what makes a “neighborhood expert? What knowledge should a Realtor® have to realistically refer to themselves as a specialist of the neighborhood? What proof can validate or demonstrate this knowledge and expertise?
After months of research, writing, focus groups and editing, the answers resulted in the creation of a real estate course focused on enabling agents to learn the intimate details of their neighborhood. Aptly titled “Certified Neighborhood Specialist” (CNS), this course goes far beyond just using the information found in the MLS to empower Realtors® in advancing their skill set as a true specialist in their neighborhood and community.
This is a dynamic course shows Realtors® the enormous resources and huge pool of information available via the Internet, which can be used to vastly improve their personal neighborhood knowledge. It will allow them to ensure that home buyers are aware of all pertinent and critical information they need to know about the neighborhood they are interested in. The information that will help them answer that critical buying question … “do we want to live here”?
When you think about it, this course really speaks to the information and tools every serious real estate agent should p[osess in any market – you really have to know your area. The course not only enhances knowledge but for the first time it provides a designation that home buyers and sellers can actually relate to; Certified (being approved by an authoritative group); Neighborhood (the area where they live or want to live); Specialist (having specific knowledge beyond the level of one’s peers).
Over the past several years more and more emphasis has been placed on specific community knowledge. It has become increasingly more difficult for consumers to distinguish between those that art truly neighborhood specialists and those that aren’t. By covering Property Development and Construction, Critical Neighborhood Information and Community Demographics, this course not only fills that void by identifying and illustrating the vast resources that are available in order to fully research a specific neighborhood, but upon completion it provides access to a special Intranet site with tools and links that can be used for neighborhood research and samples of ways to disseminate the information.
Success in today’s market requires that you become the “go to” resource for your customer and at the heart of that are all of the “lifestyle issues – the issues they are really interested in. I think you will find the interactive online Certified Neighborhood Specialist course and CNS designation will give your skill set a huge boost – there are powerful resources out there if you know where to find them and how to use them. The course is available from RealtyU® and you can learn more about it by clicking here.
