How often do you get an opportunity to be the first? You'll get instant bragging rights if you register soon to be one of the first e-PROs in the country. The new certification course offered by the National Association of REALTORS® promises to launch the wired Realtor into the customer-rich world of the Internet. As an e-PRO, you will learn to avoid the pitfalls of the Internet and instead, harness this new medium to market your services and serve the Internet-savvy consumer. You will learn everything you need to know to be a Internet-empowered real estate professional.

As one of the first Realtors to pre-register for the e-PRO certification course, your name will be entered into a lottery and the first 500 chosen will be the first group to take the e-PRO certification program and use the e-PRO 500 exclusive certification in your personal promotion.

As a member of the e-PRO 500, you will be in the e-PRO 500 directory which will be marketed by the N.A.R.'s development partner, Websuite.com, as the go-to source to find wired Realtors for consumers. In addition the directory will be an invaluable referral source, as wired Realtors seek to offer referrals to other Internet-empowered Realtors.

According to Kirk Klinkhammer with Websuite.com, special consideration will also be given to the first persons to begin the course, and one will be chosen from among this group by lottery to be the first e-PRO. This person will have a one-of-a-kind logo that they can use as long as they are an e-PRO in good standing. In addition, prizes are being selected to present to the first e-PRO.

The e-PRO certification promises to be the gateway to the Internet for the Realtor, an interactive, self-paced course which will teach Realtors how to market to and serve consumers using the Internet. The $299 course, which will roll out this spring, will be offered online only, through REALTOR® University at One Realtor Place®.

According to e-PRO course designer Michael Russer, the e-PRO certification is unlike any other certification or designation offered by the N.A.R. or its affiliates. Open to real estate rookies and seasoned veterans alike, the only qualification a Realtor needs is to be a member in good standing with the National Association of REALTORS and to have a willingness to harness the power of the Internet in their business. The curriculum is designed with real-world Internet situations so that students are certified with real working experience, not theory.

"Students may be tested in ways they aren't even aware of," hints Russer. "They may receive emails designed to test how--and how quickly--they respond to prospective buyer and seller inquiries." This approach will assure that students complete the course with real-world abilities, says Russer.

"e-PRO ensures your readiness to compete and thrive in an increasingly technology-based real estate market yet attentively serve the human side of every real estate transaction," he says.

The e-PRO certification pre-registration will only be offered to Realtors online through partners such as Realty Times. (Click here to pre-register.) To protect the integrity of the e-PRO 500 group, the only way an agent can learn about entering the e-PRO 500 lottery if they read their e-mail regularly, read online news like Realty Times, or go to www.eproinfo.com, says Russer.  

Pre-register now to become an Internet-enabled real estate professional. Pre-registration to participate in the e-PRO 500 lottery will end March 31,2000. Pre-registrants will also be eligible for the Internet Basics Study Course, a free computer basics course to get you ready for the e-PRO certification course.

e-PRO 500 lottery winners will be notified by April 7, 2000.

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Published: March 6, 2000

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Blanche Evans is the award-winning senior editor of Realty Times, the Internet's leading independent real estate news service. She is featured daily on the Realty Times Video Network in the "Realty Viewpoint" segment. Blanche has been named one of the "25 Most Influential People In Real Estate" by REALTOR Magazine, and has been twice recognized as a "notable." In 2005, she was named "Top Reporter Covering the NAR" by Delahaye-Bacon's. Blanche is a renowned author of five real estate books. Her newest, Bubbles, Booms and Busts: Make Money In Any Real Estate Market, McGraw-Hill, was rave-reviewed by The New York Times. She was also selected from hundreds of real estate experts to contribute to Donald Trump's book, Trump: The Best Real Estate Advice I Ever Received: 100 Top Experts Share Their Strategies, Rutledge Hill Press, and is featured on page 68. Order Now Review - Honors In 2006, Blanche was selected among scores of candidates to author two consumer real estate guidebooks for the National Association of Realtors: The NAR Guide to Home Buying, and The NAR Guide to Home Selling, Wiley & Sons. She is currently planning two new books for the NAR and its members.       Known for her keen insight into real estate industry issues and for her ability to make complex subjects easy to understand, Blanche is a sought-after keynote and continuing education speaker. Real estate organizations from MLSs, to brokerages, to franchisors, to associations hire her to provide up-to-the-minute analysis of real estate industry news and advice on how to improve revenues. Her passionate delivery, peppered with stinging wit, is a huge hit with audiences and fans. Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors, Blanche Evans, Richard Courtney, president 2007, GRAR "The GNAR membership meeting last week featured Blanche Evans as the keynote speaker. Her comments and insights resonated extremely well with those in attendance and we have had many requests for copies of her PowerPoint Presentation. She was a terrific part of the membership meeting and convention program!" - Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors Coverage from WSMV, Nashville - 8-14-2007 That Interview Guy - Get Inside The Head Of Today's Generation 2007 AE Institute Session - To purchase 2006 AE Institute Session - Parts 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 HouseValues Mastermind call - Parts 1 2 Blanche's fireside chat with Jeremy Conaway, HAR - Click here. To contact Blanche, email her at . For more articles by Blanche, click here.