A Designated REALTOR® (DR) is an NAR term that describes the responsible member of the firm that is active with a REALTOR® association. Annually, it is required that the DR of each firm disclose the names of all licensees and officers in the corporation, LLC, or partners in a partnership who are affiliated with the DR's license. According to the CFR Bylaws, failure to complete this form and turn it in by February 28, 2025, will result in a $100 fine.

We have made it easy for you to complete your DR Certifications by following the instructions below under the category that applies to you. Note: If you classify as more than one of the categories below, you are required to submit each form that applies to you.

After completing the steps in the appropriate instructions above, your DR Certification(s) will be complete. All DR Certifications must be submitted by Friday, February 28, 2025, to avoid being assessed a $100 fine. 

QUESTIONS ABOUT dr certifications?

Contact becky@capefear.realtor.

Bylaw Information

The Association's Bylaws, Article VI, Section 12 states:

Section 12. Certification by Designated REALTOR®. Designated REALTOR® Members of the Association shall certify during the month of February of every calendar year in such manner as is specified in its Policy Manual, a complete listing of all individuals licensed or certified in the REALTOR®’s office(s) and shall designate a primary Association for each individual who holds membership. Designated REALTORS® shall also identify any non-member licensees in the REALTOR®’s office(s) and if Designated REALTOR® dues have been paid to another Board or Association based on said non-member licensee(s), the Designated REALTOR® shall identify the Board or Association to which dues have been remitted. These declarations shall be used for purposes of calculating dues under Article X, Section 2 (a) of the Bylaws. Designated REALTOR® Members shall also notify the Association of any additional individual(s) licensed or certified with the firm(s) within three (3) business days of the date of affiliation or severance of the individual. Designated REALTORS® may be assessed a fine, as established by the Board of Directors, for failure to comply with this section. (Amended 07/21)

Designated REALTOR® with AGents

According to the CFR Bylaws, failure to complete this form and turn it in by February 28, 2025, will result in a $100 fine.

If you are a licensed broker with the North Carolina Real Estate Commission (NCREC) and DO HAVE agents listed under you at the NCREC, you must follow the steps below:

1 - Access the NCREC site HERE.

2 - Enter your license number and click submit.

3 - Click on the green box containing license #.

4 - Scroll to the end of the page and "Click here to view licensees under this Broker-in-Charge." This will bring up a list of all licensees under your supervision.

***If "Click here to view licensees under this Broker-in-Charge" DOES NOT appear at the bottom of the page, you MUST refer to step 5 of the "DR as Sole Proprietor" instructions.

5 - Save or download the website as a PDF. (Please follow these steps for saving a website as a PDF).

6 - If a licensee is not a member of CFR, please indicate on the PDF which association the licensee belongs to.

7 - Once you have saved this document, indicating the CFR agents listed as your licensees, click the link below to finalize your DR Certification.

DR WITH AGENTS CERTIFICATION FORM

Designated REALTOR® As Sole Proprietor

According to the CFR Bylaws, failure to complete this form and turn it in by February 28, 2025, will result in a $100 fine.

If you are a licensed broker with the North Carolina Real Estate Commission (NCREC) and DO HAVE agents listed under you at the NCREC, you must follow the steps below:

1 - Access the NCREC site HERE.

2 - Enter your license number and click submit.

3 - Click on the green box containing license #.

4 - If you are, in fact, listed as a Sole Proprietor with NCREC, you will not see an option to "Click here to view licensees under this Broker-in-Charge" at the bottom of the page.

***If "Click here to view licensees under this Broker-in-Charge" appears at the bottom of the page, you MUST refer to step 4 of the "DR with Agents" instructions.

5 - This page will verify you do not have any licensees under your supervision. Save or download the website as a PDF. (Please follow these steps for saving a website as a PDF).

6 - Once you have saved this document, verifying that you are a sole proprietor, click the link below to finalize your DR Certification.

DR AS SOLE PRORPIETOR CERTIFICATION FORM

Acing a listing presentation requires deliberate planning and execution. Have your agents try this exercise to hone their skills.

Here’s an idea for future sales meetings: Ask your team to take out their tablets or a pen and paper and thoughtfully record their answers to the following questions. Cover two or three questions in consecutive meetings to help agents carefully analyze their listing presentation approach, and provide time for a healthy group discussion.

1. What do you typically include in your listing presentations to home sellers? Write out a detailed outline.

2. How does your listing presentation highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the seller’s home? (For example: It’s located in a good school district but has unusually high HOA fees.)

3. How does your listing presentation highlight the opportunities and threats in today’s market? (Such as when a Fortune 500 company relocates within miles of a home, making the neighborhood more popular but also pushing up property taxes.)

4. Why do your sellers typically need to sell? How can you speak to and meet those needs in your presentation?

Tip: Although your agents should find out why each individual seller is selling (as this determines price flexibility, dates, and so on), they should also have an understanding of the general reasons why their particular sellers sell. With this information, they can develop pricing and marketing strategies that provide solutions for their sellers. By knowing this in advance, agents will increase their preparedness and the likelihood of winning their next listing.

5. What surprises sellers the most once they have listed their homes for sale? (Think about what you hear from other agents as well.)

6. How can you prepare sellers for these surprises during your listing presentation?

7. What objections do sellers typically have when listing their home for sale (such as commission rates, pricing, or other factors)?

Tip: Create a boilerplate template that agents can use to help answer and overcome such objections.

8. What references can you include in your listing presentation?

Tip: Agents could include video testimonials from other satisfied sellers, but at the minimum, they should include written client testimonials with names and contact numbers.

9. How do you promote or advertise your listings (including brokerage resources)? 

Tip: For an additional exercise, have agents create a visual map or collage of these marketing channels and syndication points, which they can add to their presentation.

10. In what format is your typical listing presentation (handouts, on-screen presentations, PDF, or other formats)?

11. How does your presentation format suit your ideal client? (Think about whom you desire to work with, not just whom you normally work with.)

Tip: Help your agents get inside the head of their ideal client and determine what type of presentation would make them say, “Wow!”

These questions should help your agents be more intentional about their listing presentations by incorporating tips from group discussion and feedback. These questions were excerpted from my Plan to Win guide, which offers more thought-provoking exercises to get your brain wheels turning and your real estate sales thriving.

Introduce your agents to these five user-friendly platforms for building marketing and presentation materials.

There's no reason agents should have to spend hours agonizing over complex design software, meticulously choosing fonts, colors, and layouts. After all, their primary focus should be on customers.

Here is a list of five platforms that will help your team create listing presentations, social media branding, brochures, and property marketing materials. They promise ease of use, offering turnkey designs and templates as well as full customization options.

Even if you have in-house marketing staff, you can still take advantage of these resources. From producing sharable infographics to customizing a YouTube page, these creative platforms are up to any task you throw at them.

1. Canva

This online tool isn’t just about designing flyers or business cards. Whether your agents are looking to market listings or their personal brand, with Canva they can create designs for a variety of marketing needs. Think Facebook cover images, Instagram posts, Twitter and YouTube branding, postcards, presentations, and more. Agents can use Canva to create branded, professional CMAs and brochures that will impress sellers. Canva has an extensive library of modern graphics and images. Or upload your own photos, logos, charts, or graphs. Canva provides help with layout, fonts, color schemes, and more with a simple drag and drop interface. Price: Free

2. Google Slides

Create presentations that sync with any computer or device using Google Slides, an online presentation application. Users can also embed video and animations into presentations, and choose from a variety of themes and fonts. Convert Powerpoint files into Google Slides and vice versa. This is a great tool for brokers and managers who lead meetings and training sessions. Google Slides is part of the Google Apps suite, which is integrated with Google Drive. But what really sets Google Slides apart is that it offers real-time collaboration, so that multiple people can work on a file at the same time. Price: Free

3. Haiku Deck

Don't worry — you don't have to be a poetry expert to use Haiku Deck. This online presentation application lets you create an image-based slide show or “deck” that you can pull up on any device. Haiku Deck uses three words to describe its presentation philosophy: simple, beautiful, and fun. Haiku Deck recently launched Zuru, which automatically lays out all your slides and images for you, so there’s not even a need to choose colors, layouts, or images. All you need to do is upload your presentation outline. Price: Zuru is currently on preorder for $30 per year (will be $60/year), but a basic account with Haiku Deck is free.

4. Piktochart

Infographics are a visually appealing way to communicate data and information to current and potential clients. Piktochart provides infographic templates, charts, graphs, and maps. Upload data from an Excel file or a Google spreadsheet. Piktochart has more than 2,000 graphics you can add to your design, or you can upload your own. Create a newsletter, market your community, or gather market stats to share on social channels. The uses are limitless. Price: Free for a basic plan. A pro account is $29 per month and includes extra infographic templates, more cloud storage space for uploading your own images, enhanced privacy, and watermark removal.

5. Present.me

Agents are educators who teach clients about the real estate process as much as they assist in buying and selling. Present.me speaks to that skill. This online video presentation platform uses a split-screen format, with the presenter on one side of the screen and the presentation slides on the other. That way, even if clients are out-of-state, they can still visually connect with the agent who is making a pitch or explain the details of a transaction. Simply upload the presentation files (PowerPoint slides, PDFs, Google Docs, or Prezi), then hit the record button and walk through the slides using a webcam. Edit mistakes, and embed the final product on your website as a video or send them via e-mail. Videos can also be designated private and secured by a password. Price: Starts at $17.95 per month.

Looking to grow? These questions from Tom Ferry will help you identify sales agents who are the right fit for your company.

How does your company make a difference to a salesperson’s career? What value does your office offer new and experienced real estate agents?

Before you begin recruiting salespeople for your team, identify what your brokerage has to offer. Once you have a firm grasp on what sets your company apart from the agents’ perspective, then you can start building a successful sales force.

Whether it’s a rookie agent or an experienced salesperson, do your homework before you make contact. Real estate coach Tom Ferry suggests approaching it as you would a buyer consultation. Google your prospect and get to know a little about their history and career. Then arm yourself with questions that will evoke thoughtful conversation and provide insight as to whether this person will be a good fit for your team.

Here are four questions to ask experienced agents and four to ask new agents from Ferry’s Recruiting Tips and Scripts.

Experienced agents:

• What are you seeing in the market right now?
• How are market trends affecting the way clients deal with you and your real estate transaction?
• Tell me about specific trends that are affecting you and what you are doing to overcome these challenges.
• Do you see any opportunities? What are you doing to take advantage of these opportunities?

New agents:

• What makes you interested in a career in real estate?
• Do you have another job right now? If so, please tell me about your current position.
• Do you have any experience selling?
• Are you planning on a full-time or part-time career in real estate?

Asking the right questions will open up a dialogue and provide context for you to present your company’s value, whether it is education and training, culture, support, or market expertise.

Get into the practice of asking more questions and speaking less, Ferry says, because the interview is about the agent, not the broker.

Before your initial phone call, brokers should keep a few questions in mind to measure the compatibility of the salesperson:

• Do they project a “marketing” state of mind?
• Will they overcome the fear of failure and asking for business?
• Are they coachable?
• What is their past sales history? Will they volunteer their past track record?
• Are they self-directed or self-starters?
• Do they want success more than you want it for them?

If your first conversation goes well, it’s time to invite your prospective agent into the office. Here are Ferry’s recruiting scripts for setting an in-person appointment:

Experienced agent:

_______(prospect name), my goal is to help you make a better decision. You said you needed _____________(recap what they need), right? I believe we would be a great match and that we have the system in place to help you reach your goals. Let’s get together so you can see the opportunity... Is ________(date, time, location) good or would _________ (date, time, location) be better?

New agent:

We could sit down over a cup of coffee, no pressure, and talk about what you want to achieve in this business and how so many of our agents are already achieving their dreams. Is ________(date, time, location) good or would _________ (date, time, location) be better?

If an experienced agent says no, offer this reply:

I’d love to be your “spare tire,” and I’m always available for questions or consultation as needed. Sound good? Since we’ll be doing transactions together, and I value your thoughts on some really important issues we are facing in this market and economy, let’s meet for coffee.

If a new agent says no, offer this reply:

I appreciate that this may not be the time for you. I’d love to be your “spare tire,” and I’m always available for questions. Sound good? Check back with me periodically. By the way, do you know anyone else that might be interested in hearing more about our company?

For more of Tom Ferry’s recruiting tips and scripts, visit www.tomferry.com/recruitingtips