Editorial
Front Page - Friday, January 8, 2010
Professional development staff keeping Realtors on leading edge
David Laprad
When high schools and colleges hand out diplomas, they’re only kidding. A graduate isn’t done learning when he receives that coveted piece of paper; rather, he’s simply marking the end of one part of his educational journey and the beginning of another. No matter what profession he goes into, his attainment of knowledge and skills will go on as long as his career.
That fact is as true for real estate agents as it is for any other profession. For starters, once an agent receives his license, the firm at which he hangs his shingle might want him to undergo additional training. He can also choose to pad his business card with any number of three-letter designations, ranging from ABR to GRI. And then there are the perpetual CE, or continuing education, requirements.
If an agent wants to practice in Hamilton County, for example, the Tennessee Real Estate Commission requires him to complete 16 hours of state-approved courses every two years. While some agents might have a hard time cramming those hours into their already packed schedules, they can rest easy knowing two ladies at the Chattanooga Association of Realtors have their backs: Linda Maffett, head of professional development, and her assistant, Jessica Snyder.
As the head of professional development, Maffett, an 11-year employee at the CAR, schedules about 300 hours worth of classes each year. Some of the courses are no-brainers, such as the TREC core class, a refresher course agents must take every two years. Then there are the classes designed to update all agents on changes to the standard operating procedures, such as the upcoming course covering adjustments to the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act.
“Continuing education is important,” Maffett says. “The contracts change every year. So do the forms. And agents need to be updated on those things.”
When it comes to selecting classes, Maffett receives input from the CAR’s professional development committee, which is made up of real estate professionals. Once a month, she gathers all of the information she’s collected on new courses and presents it to the committee members, who offer their thoughts on what agents might want. “That helps me a great deal,” Maffett says.
Maffett must also select the instructors that will teach the courses, although in most cases, the teacher comes with the class. She’s reeled in some big fish, too, including Oliver Frascona, a real estate attorney in demand on a national level. “We had agents travel here from other states to hear him talk,” Maffett says.
As pleased as Maffett was with landing Frascona, she’s just as proud of the collective expertise of Chattanooga’s real estate professionals, and says she enjoys hosting courses they develop. “We send the materials in to the real estate commission, and if they’re approved, we schedule the course,” she says.
Maffett is not only the head of professional development at the CAR, she’s also the office manager, so she needs help with the day-to-day logistics of hosting the classes. That’s where Snyder, professional development assistant, comes in.
“When Linda schedules a class, it goes to me,” Snyder says. “I put the course in our system, which allows agents to register online. Also, after Linda creates the sign up form, I fax it to the Realtors, should they want to sign up that way. Then I start collecting registrations and money.”
Snyder’s job is no part-time gig. She works full time for the CAR, putting together the materials for each class, gathering any else the instructor might need and sending the course rosters to TREC so the state can keep up with the credits each agent has earned. “And at the end of each class, I hand out certificates so the agents have proof they were there,” Snyder says.
Snyder also takes calls from agents inquiring about the number of hours they’ve earned. Like everything else she does, it’s all a part of providing a service to busy professionals.
The same is true of the entire professional development endeavor at the CAR. “We’re here as a service to Realtors,” Maffett says. “We do whatever we can to help them with their education.”
To support her statement, Maffett points to their efforts to offer more online courses in 2010. “Right now, we have two classes online. But we’re going to add a lot more. Online courses are a lifesaver when someone waits until the last minute to take a class,” she says.
Snyder says the CAR’s online courses are as challenging as the traditional classes. “The agent gets online, works through a section and then takes a quiz. And he has to pass with a certain percentage. If he doesn’t, he can take the quiz again, but there will be more questions and the percentage will be higher.”
Fortunately, agents can save their progress, take a breather and return to the material at a later time.
“Online courses are the wave of the future, and we want to keep up with the times,” says Maffett.
Maffett and Snyder have plenty to keep up with, as the CAR has just earned its Georgia credentials, which means it can help agents who practice in the Peach State to complete their CE requirements, which amount to 24 hours every four years. In addition, they plan to continue offering the longer and more complex classes through which agents can earn a variety of designations.
But you won’t hear Maffett or Snyder complaining.
“We’re proud of the Realtors and the role we play in their careers,” Snyder says. “We’re not just about earning credits. We have Realtors with more than enough credits taking extra classes just for the education. The more they know, the better they can serve their customers. That’s what we’re all about.”
To learn more about the classes the CAR offers, visit www.chattrealtors.org. Members receive a discount on each class taken at the association.
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