Before I go down this path I need to admit that I did the C2EX thing. The letters and number stand for “commitment to excellence”. It is a program for Realtors.
I went through the program and got the certificate. I just got a renewal notice as apparently, my commitment will expire at the end of the year.
True the course won design awards and it looks expensive too, which means it will be around for a long time. It is the content that I am objecting to.
Course content seems to be designed for the lowest common denominator which is a real estate agent who reads at an 8th-grade level and might not be a registered voter. The agent likely lives on one of the coasts and probably works in a large metro area.
To earn a C2EX a Realtor must learn about laws and rules that might not even apply in their market. Like how escrow works even though we close at the table. Apparently, excellence is generic even though real estate is local.
The older I get the less time I have for anything that is a waste of time. Maybe deep down inside I understand that I am closer to my expiration date than I am to my birthdate and my “best if used by date” is fast approaching.
I have no tolerance for being talked down to. I used to be able to tolerate it but at this point, it angers me and I am told that anger isn’t healthy. I want to slap someone but that isn’t excellent so I won’t.
Part of “excellence” had to do with creating and deploying surveys and keeping in touch with prospects 8 times in 8 weeks rather than 10 times in 16 weeks.
Email signatures are apparently a big deal too. Who knew? Registering to vote is also part of excellence as is understanding agency. I am required by the department of commerce to take an agency class for each license renewal period.
In my humble opinion excellence is something that takes time and goes way beyond meeting the minimum standards required to have a real estate license. Obeying the law isn’t excellence and neither is a gaudy email signature from a Gmail account.
Doing what is required and lawful isn’t excellence. Properly measuring a house might be an example of excellence. Checking to make sure the key works in the door before putting it in the key box is closer to excellence than sending out surveys is.
Former C2EX