We're not sure what you think of when you hear the words "fast track." But for us, we think of speed. Speeding toward a seamless career path that takes you to the top. For us, fast track is all about agility and velocity. At Iowa Association of Realtors, we’re here to handle all things real estate career-related in our state, including helping people advance in theirs.
Points for word usage aside, we know how challenging and competitive it can be in the field of real estate — and that's exactly why we want to help you reach your goals with this program.
What is Fast Track?
The Fast Track is a series of courses that allows Realtors to earn their GRI designation while getting a head start on the Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) Designation with several CRS courses counting toward both the GRI designation and kick-starting a CRS designation.
o GRI Designation: “In today's competitive business environment, it often takes more than just motivation and initiative to succeed. Earning the Graduate, REALTOR® Institute (GRI) designation is a way to stand out to prospective home buyers and sellers as a REALTOR® who has gained in-depth knowledge on technical subjects as well as the fundamentals of real estate.”
Source:NAR.realtor
o CRS Designation: “The CRS designation is the highest credential awarded to residential sales agents, managers, and brokers. On average, CRS designees earn nearly three times more in income, transactions, and gross sales than non-designee REALTORS®.”
Source: NAR.realtor
The Classes
Consisting of 13 courses, 60 hours that are taken over a 3 month period, you’ll earn your GRI designation and complete your mandatory Law Update and Ethics requirement for your license renewal.
Classes consist of the following:
· GRI 105: Federal & State Laws Affecting Iowa Practice
· AHWD: At Home With Diversity
· GRI 104: Principles of Appraising & Marketing Analysis
· ABR: Accredited Buyer Representative
· CRS: Digital Marketing
· GRI 103: Ethics Acting With Integrity
· GRI 101: Financing for Today's Buyers
· GRI 102: Avoiding Issues That Impede Professionalism
· CRS: Win, Win Negotiation Techniques
· Plan For Success - Creating a Marketing Plan that Works
· Federal and State Laws (6 hours) + Avoiding Issues that Impede Professionalism (2 hours) is equivalent to the Law Update course.
· Acting with Integrity (4 hours) is equivalent to the Ethics course.
After completing these required courses in The Fast Track program, Realtors will obtain their GRI certification and can choose to continue on with additional courses to receive their CRS designation as well.
Why should you hop on the “Fast Track?”
1. Education to excel
The courses required to obtain a GRI Designation provide thorough training and education for modern real estate professionals. These courses include education on topics such as business skills, risk management, ethics, professional practice, and real estate technology. By obtaining this certification, you will be able to demonstrate an increased level of knowledge and proficiency.
2. Gain confidence
Confidence is built on knowledge – the more you know, the more confident you will be. The GRI course builds confidence by giving you a solid foundation of information about the real estate industry and its related topics. The course also gives you the opportunity to practice using this knowledge through interactive assignments.
3. Stand out from the crowd
The GRI Designation is one of the most recognized and respected designations in real estate. It demonstrates to clients and colleagues that an agent has gone above and beyond by meeting strict criteria in education, experience, and professional conduct. As a result, they are able to provide better service to their clients.
4. Increase your income
According to the National Association of Realtors®, agents who hold the GRI designation earn $27,600 more annually than other agents in the industry without a GRI designation.
Bonus Features
- Bundle and save: when you register for all the classes as a bundle you can save $180
- Earn all of your law update requirements
- Earn all of your ethics update requirements
- Earn hours towards your CRS certification
The “Fast Track” has given our agents an efficient way to earn their GRI designation as well as gain a head start on the CRS designation. In the end, our program gives real estate agents a way to stand out from the competition, distinguish themselves, and build their client base—which will help them get more listings and listings sell more quickly. If you’re ready to take on the challenge and step on the gas to accelerate your career, sign up now.
Register for the Fast Track