It’s NHAR GRI time….

Way back when I was a new agent it took me  about 4 years to get my GRI but once I completed it, I was so happy and proud.  Back then each module was 4 days long and held in Lebanon NH, so you needed to stay in a hotel and had the expense of dinners out and being away from home on top of the course fees.  It was hard especially with small children at home.  It would have been so awesome to just drive the Concord to take it and then only have to be away for 2 days.  The nice thing about GRI is once you earn it… it’s yours for as long as you are a REALTOR. You don’t have to keep paying each year to keep it.

So if you don’t have yours yet you should think about signing up…especially since you could get a freebie. But like the tax credit you have a small window of opportunity here.

NHAR sent this notice out last week…. check it out and be sure to watch the video testimonial!

Register for GRI 104 by Wednesday, March 24,
and be eligible to win a FREE GRI 2-day module class, a $210 value!

Your professional connections: GRI 104 is April 13-14

Click to register online

GRI 104:  Serving the Generations-Consumer Centric; Sales and Marketing Training (How to Market Yourself, Networking and Referrals); How to Meet, Greet and Connect; Secrets of Top Producers

Where:  NHAR office, 115 Airport Road, Concord

When:  April 13-14, 2010

Instructors:  Monika McGillicuddy, Dave Millett, Jim Pugliese

Register online  by clicking here.

Free GRI:  All those who register for the course by Wednesday, March 24, will have their names entered into a drawing for a free GRI module of their choice — a $210 value.  The winner will be announced during the class on April 13.

Students will learn about the changing real estate market and REALTORS’ relevance to the needs of the consumer, generation characteristics, superior servicing, knowing the existing climate, knowing who to reach, setting marketing goals, benefits of referral business, negotiations, visibility, rapport building, advertising vs. community relations.

The GRI designation

GRI stands for Graduate REALTOR® Institute.  GRI is one of the most widely recognized designations available to real estate professionals nationwide. The REALTOR® Institute program has helped the best and brightest achieve a well-developed understanding of the real estate industry. The GRI designation is granted through State Associations whose courses of study meet the standards set by the National Association of REALTORS® and is available to NAR members only. Therefore, you must maintain your REALTOR® status in order to keep your GRI designation. Unlike other designations, there are no annual fees.

The program consists of one four-day module and six two-day modules. You must complete all modules and receive at least a 75 percent passing grade in order to obtain your GRI designation. Modules may be taken in any order and must be completed within five years from the student’s start date.

Reasons to consider earning the GRI designation:

You will be more knowledgeable.
Recent NAR studies show that REALTOR® members that have the GRI designation earn an extra $18,000 per year.
Increasing your education helps reduce risk and liability.
Professional designations enhance your image.

Monika McGillicuddy Education GRI, NHAR, NHAR GRI time

The monthly message from NHAR President Monika McGillicuddy follows the March 15 Board of Directors meeting.  Monika addresses action items from the meeting, as well as NHAR and social media, eCommerce, upcoming course offerings and a new monthly challenge:  lead paint disclosure.

Dave Education, Leadership, Presidents Message 2010 President Monika McGillicuddy, Lead paint, NH REALTORS, NHAR Presidents message

REALTORS are talking… all about NHAR REPS

Curious as to why some REALTORS are successful even in a down market?  Curious about all the buzz about NHAR REPS?

Are you a new Agent?  Experienced Agent?   An Agent who wants to take advantage of all the tools available?

Do you know what your fellow REALTORS are doing and how they are taking advantage of the “NHAR Advantage” and the New Hampshire Real Estate Professional Series!

REALTORS are talking… all about NHAR REPS and so are Gail Athas, Marsha Foden and George Skilogianis!

REALTORS are talking! Now you can listen to Gail, Marsha and George in their own words!

Did you know that NH REPS qualifies you to test out for GRI 101 and 102?

Are you ready to sign up and take your career to the next level? It’s as easy as following this link to >>>  NHAR.org

Monika McGillicuddy Education, Resources Gail Athas, George Skilogianis, GRI 101, GRI 102, Marsha Foden, NH REALTORS, NHAR, NHAR REPS

Seacoast Board of REALTORS® Presents the State of the Seacoast

On Friday March 5, 2010 I had the opportunity to address the Seacoast Board of REALTORS® at the their semi-annual State of Seacoast News Conference and membership meeting.

I was part of a panel of speakers that presented current statistics and information to a group of about 120 attendees.  They included: Peter Francese, Demographer; Kevin Bartlett, Real Data Corporation; Peter Stanhope, Stanhope Appraisers; and John Rice, Seacoast board member and past president and a member of the board’s PR Committee. Thank you so much to the Seacoast Board of REALTORS ® and President Joanna Rousseau for the invitation!

The session was video taped by REALTOR® Lauren Kane who posted several video clips on her YouTube page.

Also the board has made the presentations available for downloading by following this link:  State of The Seacoast Press Conf March 5th

The video below  covers my remarks, I thank Lauren for videoing the event and granting permission to use the clip.

NHAR President Monika McGillicuddy’s remarks at the State of the Seacoast New Conference

Foster’s Daily Demarcate was part of the media present and they covered the event in this  article >>> Fosters.com

Monika McGillicuddy Leadership, REALTOR Association Joanna Rousseau, Lauren Kane, NHAR, NHAR President Monika McGillicuddy, Seacoast Board of REALTORS, State of the Seacoast

Creating your own Gravatar

Many people ask how to get a gravatar, that little picture of you that shows when you comment on Blogs.

I’ve included a link that will take you to a site to create your own gravatar.  All you need to do is enter your e-mail address and a link will be sent to you. Follow the link and create a password then upload an image you’d like to use. While some people may use images of pets or signs, it is recommended that you actually use a picture of yourself.

Creating your own personal gravatar can be fun and it can also be changed when ever you want to. I change mine during a holiday or seasonally.  You may have to reduce the size of the image if you use one that is too big.

http://en.gravatar.com/site/signup

Cool Photo Editing at Picnik

A neat place to check out for easy and free photo editing is Picnik.com so if you need help it’s an easy place to learn some cool photo techniques.

Enjoy creating your own gravatar and we hope to see you commenting on the Blog!

Monika McGillicuddy Education, Resources Creating a Gravatar, Using picnik