Real Estate Credentials
What do all the initials after a real estate agent’s name mean? Here's a handy list.
ABR – Accredited Buyer Representative. Indicates the agent has been specially trained to represent the buyer.
CIPS – Certified International Property Specialist. Indicate the agent has been specially trained in the cultural habits and customs of different client groups from other countries.
CRB – Certified Real Estate Brokerage Manager. Denotes brokers specially trained in managing a real estate office.
CCIM – Certified Commercial Investment Member. Indicates special training in commercial property transactions.
CRP – The Certified Relocation Professional. Denotes as agent who has received special training in handling relocations.
CRS – Certified Residential Specialist. The highest designation awarded to an agent in the residential field, CRS indicates the agent has met demanding educational and transactional requirements. Only about four to five percent of Realtors have the designation. (For more on this designation, visit the Web page of the Council for Residential Specialist at http://www.recouncil.com.)
GRI – Graduate of the Realtors Institute. Indicates the agent has completed special courses ranging from real estate law and professionalism to home inspection, negotiation and bargaining. In some cases, depending on experience, having a GRI is a prerequisite for getting a CRS.
LTG – Leadership Training Graduate. Recognizes members of the Women’s Council of Realtors who have achieved a “superior level of leadership expertise through education and experience.”
MAI – Member of the Appraisal Institute. Denotes an agent who has had extra education in valuing property.
