More Training Available For Manhattan Real Estate Brokers

Thanks to The Real Deal for the reminder that a while back I received an email from REBNY about a new professional designation available to "seasoned" New York real estate brokers.

Here’s the text verbatim from REBNY’s website:

New York Residential Specialist (NYRS)

Thank you for your interest in the REBNY NYRS designation course. This designation course will recognize the business and educational achievements of qualified residential brokers. This professional designation course will be offered only to REBNY members; although, the public can take the state approved program courses but not for the NYRS designation.

The curriculum will consist of 30-hours of course work broken down, in most instances, to 10 separate 3-hour modules (several of which can be applied to a student’s NYS CE requirement). Classes will be conducted at REBNY located at 570 Lexington Avenue on Monday evenings from 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Criteria for admittance to this highly competitive program, schedule and course topics as well as an application are listed below. For further information, call REBNY’s education Department at 212-532-3100.

Criteria for attaining NYRS Status: 

1. Be an Associate Broker
2. Have negotiated at least 30 transactions in NYC
3. Closed at least $30M in sales or $12M (based on 12 x monthly rent) in rental transactions in NYC
4. Completed a minimum of three year tenure in NYC real estate
5. All transactional criteria must be verified by the Broker of Record or Manager of each firm upon recommendation of a candidate.
6. Completed 30 hours of NYRS coursework within a 1.5 year period 1 evening/week from 5:30 – 8:30 pm = 3 credits.  10 Evenings to complete course.

Tuition $375:  Required reading included in tuition fee

1. Emotional Intelligence by David Goleman
2. Getting To Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In by Roger Fischer & William Ury
3. The Handbook of Emotionally Intelligent Leadership by Daniel Feldman

General Education Guidelines

1. For classes that fall within the State approved curriculum, training modules will conform to the State’s 3 hour time blocks.
2. Topics focusing on ethics, professionalism, leadership and success via a rigorous program will cover a broad spectrum of content relevant to NYC agents at this level of experience.
3. The NYRS program will be designed so that each class builds on the knowledge & ideas in previous classes.
4. NYRS candidates can take classes in any order, but the building block approach will be stressed, and the appropriate order strongly recommended.

Course Completion and Recognition

1. In lieu of a strict evaluation at the end of each course, candidates will be asked to submit a final project at the end of program completion.
2. Evaluation projects may include any format selected by the candidate and approved by the Program Advisor, including, but not limited to: Oral Presentation, Book Evaluation, Essay, Creation of a Website, etc.
3. A candidate will receive an “Incomplete” until the final project is delivered.
4. After the final project is submitted, candidates will receive a framed certificate of completion.
5. NYRS Brokers shall be entitled to use the NYRS acronym/logo on marketing materials such as business cards, stationary, etc.

NYRS Curriculum

1. Psychology and Real Estate – 3-HOURS
2. The Art of the Negotiation (M7072) – 3-HOURS *
3. Professional Ethics – Let’s Make the Deal, with Ethics (M7071) – 3-HOURS*
4. Time & Information Management – 3-HOURS
5. Advanced Business & Communication Practices – 3-HOURS
6. New Development & Condominium Conversions (M7070) – 6-HOURS* (2 evenings)
7. How a Building Works (M7073)– 3-HOURS*
8. NYC Real Estate Macro-Economics (M7074) – 3-HOURS*
9. Leadership Development – 3-HOURS

I am reluctant to say anything about that which I know nothing about and that is precisely the case here.  I am attending this 30 hour course however and will report back with an intelligent analysis of the curriculum.  Looking forward to #3 above but sincerely believe that more than 3 hours should be dedicated to ethics.  I also think 3 or more hours should be dedicated to the topic of integrity.  And lastly, I’m terribly curious to see who exactly will be teaching these courses.  Check back in September when classes begin for regular updates.