The overall goals of the ABR^® Designation course are to educate and prepare buyer’s reps to provide the kind of service and fidelity to buyers that sellers have always enjoyed, and to offer methods for building your buyer representation business.  In each Course Module, you will examine a different topic, and together they create a comprehensive guide to help you become an effective, efficient—and profitable—buyer’s representative.

After completing this two-day course and successfully passing the exam, you will have achieved ABR^® Candidate status, a three-year period during which you must fulfill the ABR^® Designation requirements to earn your ABR^® Designation. 

 The ABR^® course contains four modules and an appendix.  Below is a topical outline of the ABR^® course.

I.       Objectives

II.      History of Real Estate Timeline

• Real Estate’s “Culture of Cooperation”

• Evolution of Buyer’s Representation

• Identifying advantages for buyer representation    

III.    Agency Relationships in a Real Estate Transaction

• Parties to agency relationships

• Subagency and its decline

• Group Activity 1-1: Duties to Clients

• Fiduciary/statutory duties to a principal/client

• Responsibilities to a customer

• Group Activity 1-2: Duties to the Client

• Group Activity 1-3: Responsibilities to Customers

• Potential penalties for breach of fiduciary duties

IV.     Relationships Between Real Estate Brokerage Companies and Consumers

V.      Office Policy, Standard of Care and Risk Management

• Group Activity 1-5: Office Policy Case Studies

• Brokerage relationships

• Individual Activity 1-6: Your Office Policies

VI.     Creating an Agency Relationship

• Express agreement

• Implied agreement

• Group Activity 1-7: Creating Agency Relationships

VII.   Agency Conflict

• Controversy

• Vicarious liability

• Group Activity 1-8: Vicarious Liability

• Imputed (assumed) knowledge

• Group Activity 1-9: Imputed Knowledge

• Imputed notice

VIII.  NAR’s Policy on Agency Disclosure

• Timely

• Group Activity 1-10: Timeliness Requirement

• Meaningful

• Written

IX.     Risk Reduction Tips for Module 1

X.      Module 1 Review

XI.     Module 1 Self-Assessment Questions 

 

I.       Objectives

II.      How We Work With Buyers

• Group Activity 2-1: Identifying the Level of Service

III.    Buyer Services Provided in a Real Estate Transaction

IV.    Five main stages in a real estate transaction

• Comparing services provided to clients and customers

• Group Activity 2-2: Making Customers Your Clients

• Individual Activity 2-3: Identifying the Level of Service

• Services Buyers Want

V.      Reasonable Care and Diligence to Protect the Buyer-Client

VI.     Properties

• Group Activity 2-4: Identifying Information About Properties

• Resources to find properties

VII.   Recognizing Conflicts of Interest

• Single Agency

• Group Activity 2-5: Single Agency

• Disclosed dual agency

• Group Activity 2-6: Dual Agency and Conflicts of Interest

• Group Activity 2-7: Dual Agency and Servicing the Client

• Group Activity 2-8

• Handling unique circumstances

VIII.  Changing an Agency Role

IX.     Risk Reduction Tips for Module 2

X.      Module 2 Review

XI.     Module 2 Self-Assessment Questions 

I.       Objectives

II.      Understanding Services and Protecting the Broker

• Common Provisions in a Buyer Representation Agreement

• Paying the Brokerage Fees

II.      Building Your Buyer Representation Business

• Group Activity 3-1: Identifying buyers’ needs for representation

• Locating qualified buyers

• Reaching out to potential clients

• Using your ABR® designation to build your business

IV.     Marketing Strategy

• Individual Activity 3-2

V.      Initial Meeting with the Buyer

• Developing a buyer counseling session

• Group Activity 3-3: Preparing for your presentation

• Presenting yourself to the buyer

• Interview and presentation strategies

• Buyers to avoid

VI.     Fair Housing and the Buyer’s Representative

• Group Activity 3-4: Who is Protected by Fair Housing Laws

VII.   Which Law Prevails?

• Market diversity

• How will you handle it if the buyer says:

• Statement of fair housing policy

• Fair housing self-assessment questionnaire

VIII.  Maintaining Your Buyer Representation Business          

• Understanding your market as it changes

• Group Activity 3-5: Expanding your services

IX.     Risk Reduction Tips for Module 3

X.      Module 3 Review

XI.     Module 3 Self-Assessment Questions 

I.       Objectives

II.      Working Towards a Purchase Contract

• Protecting the buyer-client’s interests through the negotiating process

• Presenting your buyer-client’s offer to a seller-customer

III.    Negotiating as a Buyer’s Representative

• Negotiating opportunities

• Tips for successful negotiations

• Creating a negotiating strategy that tilts the scales in your  buyer-client’s favor

• Assessing your buyer’s negotiating position checklist

• Group Activity 4-1: Negotiating Scenarios

IV.     Adhering to the REALTORS® Code of Ethics

V.      Risk Reduction Tips for Module 4

VI.     Module 4 Review

VII.    Module 4 Self-Assessment Questions 

I.       Recommendations of the Presidential Advisory Group on the Facilitator

II.      Risk Reduction Review

III.     Court Cases

IV.     Stigmatized Property

• AIDS Disclosure

• Other Stigmas

• Reducing the legal risks with stigmatized properties

V.      Niche Marketing

• Auctions

• Relocation

VI.    Forms/Checklists

• Determining the Buyer’s Negotiating Position

• Determining the Level of Service Desired

• Fair Housing Self-Assessment Questionnaire

VII.   Resource Reference

VIII.  Statistical Data

 

End of course outline