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The Graduate REALTOR® Institute (GRI) symbol is the mark of a real estate professional who has made a commitment to providing a superior level of professional services by earning the GRI designation. REALTORS® with the GRI designation are highly trained in many areas of real estate to better serve and protect their clients. Why Choose a REALTOR® With a GRI designation? Buying property is a complex and stressful task. In fact, it's often the biggest single investment you will make in your lifetime. At the same time, real estate transactions have become increasingly complicated.New technology, laws, procedures and the increasing sophistication of buyers and sellers require real estate practitioners to perform at an ever-increasing level of professionalism. So it's more important than ever that you work with an agent who has a keen understanding of the real estate business. The GRI program has helped the best and the brightest in the industry achieve that level of understanding.GRIs are: Nationally recognized as top performers in the real estate industry Professionally trained Knowledgeable Dedicated to bringing you quality service A GRI can make a differenceWhen you see the letters "GRI" after an agent's name, you can count on receiving the knowledge and guidance you need to make your transaction go smoothly. In short, you can count on getting the best service available from a real estate professional. Don't you deserve the best? The Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) is the highest Designation awarded to sales associates in the residential sales field. The CRS Designation recognizes professional accomplishments in both experience and education. Since 1977 the Council of Residential Specialists has been conferring the CRS Designation on agents who meet its stringent requirements. Currently, there are more than 39,000 active CRS Designees.   Why Choose a REALTOR® With a CRS designation? Today, home buying and selling is faster, more complex, and more competitive in every way. Our goal is to make the process a little easier for you. The first step is choosing the right REALTOR®. Experience - To earn the Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) Designation, every REALTOR® must have significant experience and volume of real estate transactions. Ethics - Every CRS Designee is required to maintain membership in the National Association of REALTORS® and to abide by its strict Code of Ethics. A Focus on Home Buying and Selling - To help make the home buying and selling process more rewarding, every CRS Designee must have a proven track record in the business, as well as advanced education in related areas like finance, technology and marketing. Work with the top 5 percent! Technology Expertise - The training available to CRS Designees includes a strong focus on technology and its applications in the real estate business. What is Home Staging®?Home Staging® is the very best proven way to get top dollar for your home as you prepare it for sale. Homes that are Staged® with an ASP Professional Home StagerTM sell faster and for more money! This is because Staging® sets the scene throughout the house to create immediate buyer interest in your property. This will then lead to your home selling for the highest possible price in today's market. Remember, "The way you live in your home, and the way you market and sell your house are two different things." What is an Accredited Staging ProfessionalTM? Accredited ASP StagersTM are true Professionals trained under strict guidelines using proven Staging® techniques developed for over 30 years. When you bring your home on the market and prepare your house for sale always hire an ASP because they are the true leaders in the Staging® and Real Estate Industries. Accredited Staging Professional Code of Ethics I believe in my ability to help my clients Stage® their properties. I will follow and protect this Code of Ethics for the good of all Accredited Staging ProfessionalsTM (ASPs). I will establish and maintain professional policies to hold my clients accountable to prepare their homes for sale and keep them in staged showing condition until the home is sold and the inspection and appraisal are completed. I will protect the quality of Staging by following the Staging criteria and will only use the word "Staged" to describe homes that have truly met or exceeded the criteria I will protect the Stage® trademark by including the registered trademark symbol (®) with any derivation of the word in any print advertising or marketing that I do. I will protect the Accredited Staging ProfessionalTM trademark by including the trademark symbol (TM) with any marketing or print advertising that I do with the ASPTM designation. I will honor the Staging University by not releasing my password to the University to any non-ASPs. I will display and marker my ASP Designation in my staging marketing materials to inform people that I am an Accredited Staging ProfessionalTM. I will educate my clients and the public as to the meaning and origin of Staging to enhance the ASP Designation for all ASPs. I will bring credit to the ASP Designation through my honesty, my integrity and by honoring my clients and myself. I will honor all ASPs with the dignity and respect of the designation for the greater good of all Home Staging® Myth Busters Myth 1: Staging is Decorating.....Fact: Staging is NOT Decorating or Design! Decorating or Design is personalizing and Staging is De-Personalizing and preparing a house for the un-known Buyer. That is why it' KEY that you hire someone with training specifically on how to prepare a house for sale. The Accredited Staging Professional DesignationTM (ASPTM) is the ONLY nationally recognized professional designation for Home Staging®. Make sure to hire someone with this professional designation when selecting a qualified Home Stager. TIP: When the focus of thee Staging® becines about things and not your house, then you are working with a decorator and not a trained Stager®. An ASP Stager®can use existing items in a house and their creativity to properly Stage®a house for sale.Myth 2: Staging Costs Too Much...Fact: Staging® is an INVESTMENT in getting a house sold and the investment in Staging® is always less than a price reduction. An ASPTM Stager has been trained to work with a Seller's budget and time frame to properly Stage® a house. We like to ask our clients, "Can you afford NOT to Stage®?" When compared with the other costs associated with the sale or purchase of a home, Staging® is very reasonable. In most markets, a Staging® report detailing what needs to be done to Stage® the house for sale is less than the appraisal or Home Inspection reports. Myth 3: All I Need Are Lights, Flowers & Music...Fact: Lights, Flowers and Music are great for Showing a house, but that is not Staging®. Staging® requires an objective and professional assessment of a house's strengths and challenge areas, and solutions to help Buyers fall in love with what they see. This requires more than just flowers and music to achieve - it requires an Action Plan! Your ASPTM can help you and your clients with a Success Plan for getting their house STAGED® and SOLD! Myth 4: I Can Just Watch One of Those Shows...Fact: The shows on HGTV and similar channels give Sellers the idea that they need to do something to their house to prepare it for sale, but Sellers cannot truly be objective in a house they have been living in and need a 3rd party independent opinion to get it properly Staged®. ASPsTM have the experience and ideas to help Sellers get their houses ready and we honor our clients, and work closely with Realtors to help get a house sold.