VanEd Newslog

Designation Spotlight: EcoBroker

Van Education Center has affiliated with EcoBroker to deliver the Nationally recognized EcoBroker Designation program to all VanEd students. EcoBrokers stay current with the growing green real estate market and are better able to help their customers get the most when buying or selling a home. The EcoBroker designation provides the latest and most comprehensive energy and environmental real estate training.

The EcoBroker online courses may be approved for continuing education credit and all designees receive a full profile page on EcoBroker.com. Students have up to a year to complete all three online courses. Designees also have access to proprietary marketing templates and advertising opportunities.

You can view detailed program information, information about courses and benefits or register for the EcoBroker online courses by clicking here!

VanEd Presents: Nevada real estate continuing education ~ now available online!

What if continuing education (CE) wasn’t a chore? What if it actually helped you be a more successful agent? That’s the idea behind VanEd’s online CE courses. And the most successful people in real estate choose VanEd, and now we are proud to announce our most recent state approval - Nevada!

We are now offering the following courses for Real Estate Continuing Education credit in Nevada:

• Taxation in Real Estate (CE.5037000-RE) - 6 hours CE credit
• Finance in Real Estate (CE.5038000-RE) - 12 hours CE credit

These courses are available online anytime and can be completed on your schedule. Instructional support is available online within the course itself, and both courses are certified by ARELLO. To find out what other courses and programs are available, please click here or follow the link below for more information. Have questions? eMail us at info@vaned.com. We are here to help!

Click Here for information on our new Nevada CE programs, or for more information on all of VanEd's real estate continuing education programs, click here.

Designation Spotlight: At Home with Diversity

NAR's Equal opportunity and Cultural diversity program is designed to help REALTORS® help buyers of any cultural background achieve the American dream of homeownership. The AHWD course is designed to present a clear view of the changing face of the real estate industry. And with a the current price on the course there has never been a better time to get started in learning how to maximize your earning potential by learning how to more effectively communicate with real estate buyers and sellers from other cultures.

VanEd is proud to offer our students the AHWD course online. Visit http://www.vaned.com/AtHomeWithDiversity/ for more information or to sign up for the At Home with Diversity course online.

This course may also qualify for GRI credit in some states.

Designation Spotlight: November is REALTOR® Designation Awareness Month

NAR recognizes November as REALTOR® Designation Awareness Month, an important month in which to encourage members to stay current in such a changing industry. NAR and its Institutes, Societies and Councils offer advanced education designation and certification programs. Encompassing nearly every real estate specialty, official NAR designations and certifications, as well as those hosted by other education providers, give you the tools to succeed in today's challenging market.

Celebrate November as REALTOR® Designation Awareness Month by starting, completing or continuing the courses necessary to earn a designation or certification. Earning a designation from NAR or one of its affiliated Institutes, Societies and Councils can help you succeed in all aspects of your business and help you earn more money.

REALTORS® who pursue professional designations have a distinct competitive edge as a result of their increased expertise and marketability. Based on 2009 survey data, the median income of REALTORS® without a designation was $28,400 and the median income of those with at least one designation was $57,700.  The difference between the two? $27,300!

There is an official NAR designation for practically every specialty area in the real estate industry. The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® and its affiliated Institutes, Societies and Councils provide a wide-range of programs and services that assist members with increasing skills, productivity, marketability, proficiency and knowledge.  Designations and certifications acknowledging experience and expertise in various real estate sectors are awarded by each affiliated group upon completion of required courses.

Access acomplete list of Designations and Certifications is available online at http://www.VanEd.com/Designations.

Early registration open for NAR Resort & Second-Home Symposium

The 2010 NAR Resort & Second-Home Symposium will be held at the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa and Casino on June 13-15, 2010. Held every 18 months, the symposium is a can’t-miss networking and educational event for REALTORS®.

REALTORS® attendees either already have their Resort and Second-Home Property Specialist (RSPS) certification or are attending the symposium to earn their certification. The symposium offers all attendees a variety of educational events, seminars, property tours and social gatherings.

Symposium attendees come from across the United States and North and worldwide to get the latest information on economic issues, learn about marketing trends and new products, discuss the process of marketing of luxury homes, and to connect with clients and other REALTORS®.

Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to attend education sessions and networking events tailored for your business! Attendance at the NAR Symposium counts as one elective towards your Resort and Second-Home Property Specialists (RSPS) Certification. To view the RSPS Certification requirements, please visit www.realtors.org/resorts

Click Here for more information or to register online.

Designation Spotlight: e-PRO ~ Discounted registration ends Friday!

e-PRO is designed to help agents thrive in the world of online real estate by teaching students the technology on the forefront of the industry. VanEd offers access to the e-PRO certification program online. e-PRO is the only Internet certification program endorsed by NAR, and is designed to enhance the students knowledge of online marketing and resources.

Right now receive a discount on the price of the e-PRO certification course. Register by Friday, October 16th and pay only $299! and receive: e-PRO - NAR's only internet certification program as well as the new Web 2.0/Social Media module that was released in July - FREE!

Click Here to register today!

For more information on e-PRO, and you may also watch the approx. 8 minute video below to learn more about e-PRO.

Affiliate Spotlight: $2 Million in Commissions Paid and Growing!

Entrust New Direction reports that over $2 Million in commissions have been paid to real estate professionals who know about self-directed retirement plans have been brokering deals involving IRAs purchasing or selling real estate for their clients. Entrust New Direction has overseen over 900 real estate transactions for clients. Self-directed plan administrators like Entrust New Direction are not allowed to give investment advice, make recommendations, or sell any products.

“Being a marketing person, our limitations put me in an awkward spot at times. Potential clients call, are excited, and want to know how to find that first piece of real estate for their IRA. I can’t help them with that. That’s why we spend so much time building relationships with professionals who can,” offers Marketing Coordinator, Amy Sheflin.

“The key for professionals is just letting clients know that they can make these investments and then following up with listings of available investment properties. Knowing how to analyze the investments for the client’s retirement plan is key. This education can be a cornerstone to building sales and catering to investor clients.”

Many professionals are just starting to realize what this growing market of investors could mean for their business. Entrust New Direction continues to try to reach these professionals through continuing education and other events in the metro area and teach them how to use the tool to build sales. Entrust offers education both online and in their on-site classroom and has several events planned for this fall. For a full list of upcoming events, visit www.NewDirectionIRA.com.

Agents and brokers can take the MRE approved course online through Van Education - register online at http://www.vaned.com. Entrust New Direction will also be the featured course author in VanEd's booth at the Colorado Association of Realtors convention in Colorado Springs from 11:30am - 2:00pm at the Broadmoor on Monday, October 19^th. Stop by the VanEd booth to say hello!

Two follow-up classes are planned after this event and qualify for 2 hours of Continuing Education credit. The Introduction to the Real Estate IRA offers an overview of how it all works and how professionals can incorporate self-directed investment tools into their business to help sell properties. It will be offered on October 28^th from 8:30am – 10:30am and again on November 12^th again from 8:30am – 10:30am. Both classes will be held in Entrust New Direction’s classroom, registration is available online by clicking here.

Guest Authors Bill Humphrey and Catherine Wynne are Principals with Entrust New Direction IRA. Reach them online at www.newdirectionira.com.

Designation Spotlight: SRES ~ Senior Real Estate Specialist

Van Education Center offers the online SRES^®, Senior Real Estate Specialist designation course. The SRES^® Designation course will instill a new level of knowledge and understanding of the 55+ real estate customer. Agents who complete this training will gain the skillsand recourses needed to serve this special and growing segment of the real estate market.

The SRES^® course also receives MRE, Master of Real Estate Credit and can be used as an MRE elective for those candidates who wish to learn more about this specialized market. You can learn more and enroll by clicking here.

Designation Spotlight: GRI, Graduate REALTOR Institute ~ available in Wyoming!

VanEd, along with Wyoming Association of REALTORS® and the Colorado Association of REALTORS®, are proud to announce the launch of the GRI, Graduate REALTOR® Institute Program in Wyoming.

The program, which will allow Wyoming REALTORS® to earn their GRI designation, is being provided to WAR members in cooperation with CAR and VanEd. Through the use of the online GRI program and available classroom GRI courses, Wyoming REALTORS® will now be able to complete and earn the GRI.

Visit VanEd's website to learn more by clicking here.

The Graduate REALTOR® Institute is a national program of real estate instruction whose course of study meets the accreditation standards established by the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (NAR). VanEd is proud to be the online education provider for the Colorado, Nebraska and Wyoming REALTOR® Associations.

Designation Spotlight: CIPS ~ Certified International Property Specialist

VanEd offers our students access to leading online education programs, including the Certified International Property Specialist, or CIPS, designation program.  VanEd is proud to present four of the CIPS courses online. 

The CIPS organization was founded in 1953 as a real estate education curriculum that focuses on the critical aspects of international real estate transactions. Courses in the CIPS program are designed to give students intensive study focusing on currency and exchange rate issues, international and regional market conditions and investment and tax issues related to international real estate transactions. REALTORS® must complete the "International Real Estate for Local Markets" course before joining the CIPS Network. This course also counts as 12 credit hours towards the MRE, Master of Real Estate designation!

To learn more about the CIPS designation and the courses available, visit the VanEd information page online at www.vaned.com/CIPS. Continuing Education credit is also available in some states!