From the desk of 2021 RRC President Alex Milshteyn, CRS
I learned of the CRS Designation in 2000 from a mentor I had early in my career. She was just finishing the coursework to become a CRS herself, and she always said, “This is the most prestigious designation for residential real estate agents and has the best education that you can find anywhere in the country.”
I looked at it and thought to myself, “You know, I do want to achieve CRS Designation at some point in my career.” But at the same time, I didn’t know what to expect.
However, the more I learned about the CRS Designation and the more people I met outside my real estate market who had the designation, the more I realized I needed to earn it.
When I did achieve the designation in 2012, I realized the work required to become a CRS afforded me many opportunities to meet and learn from other colleagues, so the work was not too taxing after all.
Bringing awareness to the CRS Designation and the RRC is important, which is why we’re celebrating CRS Week from Sept. 20–24. Both at the grassroots and national level, RRC networks will host various events to promote the designation. Nationally, RRC will have an educational one-hour webinar every day of that week. The topics are always current, so you know you’ll be getting the most up-to-date information on what’s happening in the residential real estate world. Then, groups across the country will be hosting events focusing on education, networking and even happy hours throughout the week.
The goal is for members to go to social media or office meetings and talk about how important and valuable CRS Week and the designation are, prompting people who don’t have their CRS Designation to learn more. It’s our big push to not only engage our current members, but also to promote the designation to future new members.
Our members are the real driving force behind the growth we see each year. Talking to peers about why the designation is a valuable asset to you helps expand membership and allows RRC to provide the outstanding assortment of resources to our agents—from our incredible referral network (Find A CRS) to topical and beneficial education opportunities, to discounts on useful products and services that every agent needs to be successful.
In addition to those member perks, there are, of course, financial benefits of achieving the designation. Personally, my RRC membership and my CRS Designation brings in close to $50,000–$75,000 in business that I wouldn’t have otherwise had. The value of becoming a CRS is obvious.
Don’t be afraid to share how the CRS Designation has impacted your career for the better.
