Atlanta Local Realtor

Local.  Dependable.  Professional.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q.  I see the ® symbol after the word Realtor a lot—how can the name of a job be a registered trademark?

A.  Well, only about half the people who work as real estate agents are Realtors ®. 
A Realtor ® is a member of the National Association of Realtors, and usually a local Real Estate Board (like NAMAR, the North Atlanta Metro Association of Realtors).  To be a Realtor ®, and not just a real estate agent, you have to agree to a Code of Ethics, which you can read here.  It’s a set of rules first set out in 1913, and which formed the basis of today’s real estate licensing laws.  Agents who are not Realtors ® are not bound by the Standards of Practice and the Articles of the Code of Ethics, which may mean that their clients don’t have a clear channel for presenting their grievances if things go wrong.

 

Q.  Are there any other industry designations I should know about?

A. Only about twenty of them!  The most common ones you will see are:

REALTOR ®     We already explained this one in the question above.

GRI                   This means that the Realtor® has become a member of the Graduate Realtor Institute.  To achieve this, the Realtor® must complete 90-hours of training in all aspects of real estate.

e-Pro                This designation is earned by attending classes specifically tailored to make your Realtor® an expert in online and electronic real estate services.

ABR                  An Accredited Buyer Representative has taken classes and is recognized as being a qualified negotiator for buyers in the real estate business.