After 22 years of being called “REBAC,” the Real Estate Buyers Agency Council is no more. REBAC is about to undergo a rebrand to be called the Center for Specialized Realtor Education (CRSE) and is expanding its scope.
REBAC joined the National Association of Realtors (NAR) umbrella in 1996, making their Accredited Buyer’s Representative (ABR) designation officially recognized by NAR.
At the NAR Annual Convention, the Board of Directors changed the name of REBAC to CSRE and broadened their scope to “include oversight of e-PRO, REALTOR® University, the GREEN Council, the Senior Real Estate Specialist (SRES) designation, and the Short Sales and Foreclosure Resource (SFR) certification.”
With this expansion in conjunction with the newly revitalized e-PRO designation to include digital mediums, CSRE will likely undergo a rebrand in this year with a new image.
What do YOU think?
Is this NAR’s move toward renewing interest in the alphabet soup of designations in an increasingly DIY environment? Will the rebrand allow consolidation of like designations? What do you think will be in store for CSRE?
Marc Gould
November 11, 2010 at 6:02 pm
I am pleased to report that the REALTORS Buyers Agent Council (REBAC) is still very much alive and well. I am Marc Gould, Executive Director of the Center for Specialized REALTOR Education, and wanted to reply directly to clarify any confusion that might have come from this name change.
REBAC is now part of a larger organization named the Center for Specialized REALTOR Education simply because the original name no longer matches the scale and scope of what we do and the REALTORS we represent.
More than a decade ago, NAR acquired REBAC and at that time our sole focus was training, education, and advancement of buyer agency. In the years since, REBAC has grown into a much larger organization that provides education, member service, and advocacy which extends well beyond buyer agency. We represent members who have chosen to gain increased education and training in a number of areas including: buyer representation, representing senior clients, working with clients concerned about energy and environmental features of the home, and assisting clients with the purchase or sale of distressed properties.
We see new name Center for Specialized REALTOR Education as an administrative “parent company” and will continue to promote the various entities that REALTORS and consumers recognize such as REBAC, e-PRO, and the Green Resource Council.
Thank you,
Marc D. Gould
Matthew Rathbun
November 11, 2010 at 9:56 pm
REBAC already had all of these designations, so it makes a lot of sense. I’m a licensed school and instructor there is a lot more interest in the newer classes. I hope that the ePRO training will influence the other classes more.
The last few classes have been much better than the past.
Ann Cummings
November 12, 2010 at 9:04 am
I’m thinking there’s a little more to NAR’s education grab than meets the eye, especially with regard to what they did with e-PRO…..
Jim Lee
November 12, 2010 at 2:20 pm
I agree Ann. I think some of the e-PRO folks got thrown under the bus as the new riders were getting on board. Another of “Not one of NAR’s finest hours”
Francces Flynn Thorsen
November 12, 2010 at 7:29 pm
I agree with Ann and Jim.
The term “snake oil” is getting a lot of traction in conjunction with the new e-PRO launch.
Take a look at the learning objectives attached to the new course. It is ludicrous to think a student can grasp and understand the breadth of content. It will be interesting to track students’ progress. My guess is e-PRO “snake oil” salesmen will rule the day with little actionable planning at the end of the day.
Private grumbling by people who attended the Train the Trainer event in New Orleans is that the new e-PRO is not ready for prime time.
The new course eliminates all the basics and elementary instruction in the course. The new course disenfranchises the Internet and computer novice. Social media interviews with NAR peeps associated with the launch haughtily dismiss the value of elementary instruction. I disagree mightily with their conclusions that the old e-PRO program should be totally rewritten.
Existing e-PROs are disenfranchised in the new launch with no discount consideration for attending a live “Day One” of the new program. A rich and thriving social community with active participation by numerous e-PROs was dissolved.
“Not one of NAR’s finest hours” is an understatement.