"Alphabet Soup" Realtor Credentials

Impressed . . . or Just Perplexed?

Joan H. Doe

CIPS, TRC, ABR, RELO-Specialist

It would certainly be nice if some of the Realtor credentials above -- pulled verbatim from a Realtor's newspaper ad the other day -- were as recognized as, say, "MBA" or "CPA."

But they're not.

Until they are, I think Realtors who append a long string of "alphabet soup" acronyms to their names look more silly and self-important than impressive.

P.S.: for the record, here are the definitions:

CIPS: 'Certified International Property Specialist'

ABR: 'Accredited Buyer Representative'

TRC: 'Transnational Referral Certification (trust me, no one's heard of this)
Relo: 'Relocation'