Our Education and Designations

Let’s talk a little bit about the Real Estate Professional.

Buying property is a complex and stressful task. In fact, it’s often the biggest single investment you will make in your lifetime. At the same time, real estate transactions have become increasingly complicated. Depending on the contract, here are about 180 steps for each transaction and 32 “outs” for a buyer!

New technology, laws, procedures and the increasing sophistication of buyers and sellers requires real estate professionals to perform at an ever-increasing level of professionalism. As the industry continues to evolve and change, today’s real estate professionals need more than just motivation and initiative to succeed. They need a solid foundation, as well as in-depth training in legal and regulatory issues, technology, professional standards, and the sales process.

The Doubles Team has developed a solid foundation of knowledge and skills to navigate the current real estate climate—no matter what its condition.

What it takes to become a licensed Real Estate Professional

Step 1. Mandatory requirements for our real estate license begin with the completion of 180 hours of instruction, including Law of Contracts, Law of Agency, Real Estate Principles, Contract, and Real Estate Finance, and pass exams in each category.

Step 2. After completing the 180 hours of instruction, we are required to pass a state and national exam.

Step 3. After receiving our Real Estate license, we are then required to complete another 98 hours of instruction within two years.

Step 4. Continuing Education requirements. We must complete Legal, Ethics, and Contracts classes every two years, maintain membership of one or more Boards of Realtors, pay MLS fees, real estate insurance, and other required fees to stay active and current in our field.

Cindy Curtis Sue Sammons

The Doubles Team

Phone:
225-954-9577
512-688-9636
Email:
ccurtis234@gmail.com
Sue@suesammons.com

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The Doubles Team

Designations and Certifications

In addition to the below designations, The Doubles Team regularly takes classes on topics such as:
• Foundations and Foundation Repair
• Septic Systems
• Staging
• Ins and Outs of Marketing Property
• 1031 Exchanges
• Estate Planning
• Real Estate Investments
• and many more

GRI- Graduate Realtor Institute

In a Nutshell…Achieving the Graduate REALTOR® Institute (GRI®) Designation isn’t easy. With three areas of study – marketing and business skills, contracts, and brokerage– and 30 hours for each section, this is a serious investment!

We hone a valuable set of comprehensive skills and gain a true understanding of what it takes to be successful! Only 10% of agents in the state of Texas can put GRI after their names and about 5% of MetroTex members!

“GRI designees act with professionalism and are committed to serving their clients and customers with the highest ethical standards!”

ABR- Accredited Buyer’s Representative

By earning the ABR® Designation, we work to increase knowledge of how best to represent buyers, with emphasis on negotiation, appraisal waiver addendum, and inspection reports.

SRES- Senior Real Estate Specialist

By earning the SRES® Designation, we have demonstrated necessary expertise to counsel senior clients through major financial and lifestyle transitions involved in relocating, refinancing, or selling the family home. The Doubles Team is dedicated to the special needs of the senior population, the fastest growing market in real estate.

PSA- Pricing Strategy Advisor

Whether working with buyers or sellers, the National Association of REALTORS® Pricing Strategy Advisor (PSA) certification is designed to: Improve our skills in creating Current Market Analyses and pricing properties. It also refines our understanding home values and working to get a property ready for the appraiser.

SFR- Short Sale and Foreclosure Resource Certification

In this National Association of REALTORS® Certification, we once again, improve our negotiating skills and gain a better framework for understanding how to direct distressed sellers through finance, tax, and legal professionals. We prefect our skills in qualifying sellers for short sales. We learn to develop a short-sale package and negotiate with lenders. We also learn better ways to tap into buyer demand and help protect buyers.

CHMS- Certified Home Marketing Specialist.

Created by Martha Webb, author and producer of Dress Your House for Success, this course incorporates staging concepts and strategic marketing designed to create an increased level of real estate expertise—from ideas that motivates sellers to ads and photos that motivate buyers.

It takes skill to address sensitive issues like clutter, cleanliness, odors, pets and curb appeal – as all of these issues can turn off buyers. We learn “no and low-cost staging techniques” with big impact. We stay on top of the trending color schemes and what appeals to buyers. The CHMS® also perfect our skills with effective ads and photos that sell.

CNE- Certified Negotiation Expert
As a CNE®, agents will improve their negotiating skills and learn about behind- the-scenes issues and how to deal with them. Also we learn how to handle a wide range of personalities and situations and how to sort out the competing objectives of the parties involved in a transaction.
SRS- Seller’s Representative Specialist
By earning the SRS® designation, a REALTOR® has demonstrated that they possess the necessary knowledge to apply methods, tools, and techniques to provide support and services that sellers want. It shows we emphasize the skills and tools necessary to best represent the seller in this current market. We perfect our pricing, marketing, and other skills that benefit the seller. These are big take-aways from this course. This course is designed to help us reinvent how we work with sellers in today’s market.