How will you exploit this designation to benefit your business?

If you do not know, this will NOT be a good investment to grow your business or authority.

Do you place great value in digging for gold in educational events?
If you say yes, then there will be value.

However 'investment' implies ROI, and that will not exist UNLESS you answered yes to question 1.

The education is worth the effort. Consumers generally do not care about these designations.

Absolutely. I received my GRI as the second accrediation after I became a Realtor (after the Accredited Buyer Representative).

I was in Roanoke, VA, and just took the classes as they came through town. I did not have to travel to pay for a hotel or extra drive time, and finished them in about two years.

I have found them to be immeasrably valuable, as they gave me a great foundation to have more success as and to be more confident in my decisions as a real estate agent.

If you take classes to learn then yes. Knowledge is always a good investment.  If you are taking the classes to impress your clients, it doesn't matter to most.

Depends on the state and how good their program is. Oklahoma is top notch.

It depends.  If you need the hours for license renewal then maybe.

It depends on what you do with it afterwards. It's supposedly one of the better ones to get.

Yes, provided that the agent is not brand spanking new and needing to spend prime time gaining experience and building up their business. A class at a time to learn skills, in between getting hands-on training, is best.

When I was in college, the one thing that made sense to me was to get out in the real world and make college count for something. Spend time on results

These classes were really good when I was a newer agent.  LOTS of great information to use in your business.

I dont know about the initials, but I have always found education to be a good investment.

If you consider the educational component useful then it could be a good investment.  Whether you decide to continuously pay for the designation may relate to what ongoing benefits you receive as well as whether anyone you meet knows what the designation means.

This is one of the best designations I've received. I think it's worth it. It's a very comprehensive series of courses. 

It would be if you gain knowledge and know how to use the designation in your advertisements.

I constantly invest in my education, and GRI was my very first designation. You get it for you only, clients do not care, so you have to decide why you personally want it. 

Rick,

Unless it will gain you knowledge, skills and/or attitude that will allow you to improve what you are doing or expand into a new market segment, I would say no.

To me the alphabet soup of initials means NOTHING to the general public and very little to realtors, unless you are hiring agents to work for/with you.

Education should always be about improving yourself, not chasing initials or trying to impress others.  I almost went down that rabbit hole in a prior life and again in RE before realizing (twice) that it wasn't worth it.

If you can get the knowledge "on the street" I would do that and save the money.  There really isn't anything magical about these courses, except they tell you things you can learn on your own and make money disappear from your wallet.  :)

The only certs that may be useful (over learning on the street) are ones that put you on a directory, like CRS.  There are agents who will only refer to CRS agents for relocation, more so to justify their CRS credentials over any real "magic" of being a CRS.  There isn't anything special about relo buyers and if you've ever shown friends around town you've got the skills to work relo buyers.

If you use the material you learn to your advantage, then most likely it is.

It's always good to learn, but it depends how you use it. Most clients don't care about the alphabet soup.

I say no

Rick Obst If you want the knowledge from the course, go for it.

any training and schooling is worth the money, but I have never had anyone ask me for my designations

Spend money for knowledge not on designations.... 

 Years ago I went to my 1st ever open house saw an older agent. He had a pin GRI on his coat. He proudly pointed out that I was the first person asked about it. Then I asked him if GRI and a realtor if there is a difference? He stated realtor has a license card and GRI has a pin. 

I personally feel CCIM, or a MBA is more useful. In our area many placed their schools(Stanford, Hasting Law) to differentiate their brand.

Sorry, my answer is no. There is nothing better than real hands on experience. I'm not sure what you expect them to teach you?

I do not agree that all education is worth the time. 

I would say any education is a good investment

I used it for my CE credits one year so yes it was!

An investment in your knowledge possibly.  If it helps you close more transactions, probably.  It's all what you do with the information you gain.  Customers most likely won't be impressed.

that was my first one....and at the time, it was very difficult to get it.... everyone thought it was big deal in the late 70's.... not so much now!!!

I don't think the public cares about the ABC's after our names.

I consider all education worth the time and money. Too many people fail to invest in themselves and their business.

Rick,

One can always learn something, compared to an MBA or a CPA or a JD or a PhD, the difference is that the public knows what this means, wherease they have no idea what a GRI is.  A