The real estate CEU blues
Realtor Notebook
By Teresa Boardman, Thursday, June 11, 2009.
Flickr photo by Lucas de Vries.I hang my head in shame. My 15 continuing education credits (CEUs) that are required by the Department of Commerce are due in just a few days. I had an entire year to take my classes, but I didn't do most of it until last week.
After getting a reminder note from my broker, I spent 30 minutes rooting through my file cabinet and found the file folder labeled CEU. I was confident that I had enough credits. I opened the folder and looked at the dates on the completion certificates and discovered that I had about one-third of the needed credits.
If I were to estimate how much business-related training I have taken and given this year I would say it has to be more than 80 hours, but only a few hours of it are approved for continuing education.
The rules on CEU are simple: If it is not completed on time, my broker's license is suspended and I can't sell real estate "for others for remuneration."
The night after I got the reminder note, I completed 3.75 hours of continuing education. I took an online course in Minnesota contract law. It took me 1.5 hours to take the course and pass the test. The only reason it took that long is because I was on MSN.com chatting with a friend as I took the course.
The next morning I decided to take an online course about architecture and local architectural styles, for another 3.75 credits. Useful information for a Realtor, but I think I could have gotten 100 percent on the test without taking the course. It took me almost two hours to complete it, as I was on the phone most of the time dealing with a messy real estate transaction.
I searched for a two-credit course to complete my 15 credits and could not find one. I took yet another 3.75-hour course and gave it my undivided attention. I completed it in 40 minutes. The course was about local trends that may lead to business opportunities.
The bar is very low in our industry for getting licensed and for continuing education. If I had taken my CEUs in a classroom it would have been more time-consuming, though I would not have been required to take a test. ...CONTINUED
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Submitted by Abel Solano on June 11, 2009 - 2:07pm.
Amen sister! I also love reading your stuff.
Sincerely,
Abel
Abel Solano REALTOR®
ARG Abbott Realty Group
435 4th Avenue
San Diego, CA 92101
Direct / Voice / Fax: 619-398-3873
http://www.ARGSD.com
Submitted by Jillayne Schlicke on June 11, 2009 - 3:27pm.
Many states have strict guidelines about completing online education in way less time than prescribed by the state. Sounds like your state is not one of them.
"Aren't state commerce departments supposed to regulate the local real estate industry and protect consumers?"
Yes. It's up to the state to set minimum standards.
It's up to the real estate industry to take it from there and make it better.
If you want and need courses on contract law, ask your local Realtor association for them OR go find classes like that through your state Bar Association. Often these classes are approved for continuing legal ed credits for attorneys and also for real estate continuing ed.
A survey was done by WA State several years ago and we found out that the majority of agents wait until 60 days before their renewal date to take ALL of their CE classes.
This puts the agent at a disadvantage in having to settle for whatever they can get for CE credits.
In terms of looking for that last 2 credit class, many states set a minimum number of hours for class approval such as 3 hours. It's really hard to do much learning in less than that.
I'm not surprised that you're continuing ed experience was sub-par this year after hearing how distracted you were while trying to take your class.
Maybe you can make some different choices for your next renewal cycle and then write again and....hopefully your experience will be better.
:)
Submitted by Bill Fooks on June 12, 2009 - 2:14am.
Bill Fooks
TFT realty Marketing Service
Warwick, RI http://www.fooksteam.com
I BELIEVE THAT CEU SHOULD ALSO HAVE TO BE TIED TO THE NUMBER OF CLOSINGS YOU HAVE OR NUMBER OF SUCCESSFUL SOLD LISTINGS YOU HAVE OVER A PERIOD OF TIME. WE HAVE SOME HIGHLY EDUCATED AGENTS AND BROKERS WITH A LOT OF CEU'S WHO DON'T KNOW HOW TO SELL A THING OR TO CLOSE A SALE. I WONDER WHAT THE STATE AND PUBLIC WOULD THINK OF THIS. IS NOT THE PUBLIC INTERESTED IN RESULTS. THE STATE COULD ACTUALLY SEE THE REULTS OF THE EDUCATION IN PERFORMANCE. WE COULD HAVE A SEPERATE CATAGORY FOR MANAGERS AND OWNERS WHO DON'T SELL AND THEY WOULD HAVE TO PASS DIFFERENT CLASSES FOR THEIR CEU'S. IT MIGHT BE BENFICIAL TO ALL.
Submitted by Sergei Sokolov on June 13, 2009 - 9:51pm.
One need only look no further than the industry for this problem. The real estate industry refuses to teach their agents how to sell. No wonder the public has a low perception of us. Brokers are so afraid of agents getting rejected that they teach time honored, industry endorsed non rejection failure proned techniques. How can an industry predicated on defeat have anything less than high turnover? Thankfully, only a few brokers think outside the box.
Sergei Sokolov
Michael Saunders & Company
Sarasota, FL