Did it years ago and it was not a help and I let it go.

Hi Mimi! Great to see your beautiful face! Happy New Year!

I have not taken the course but, do have a good friend who has it and spoke very highly of the course. The annual renewal fee is not outrageous either. 

I found the classes very interesting.  

Hi Mimi Foster I have the Accredited Senior Agent designation, and the course was very informative.. things you don't normally think about when dealing with seniors.  It a specialized market, and its not always about selling their home...It's about meeting them at a crossroads in their life, helping them to make decisions, dealing with family members, putting them in touch with accountants, lawyers for their Wills, referring them to a company to help them decide what to keep, what to take what to give to charity.   If I am in a consulting position with them, its quite acceptable to charge an hourly fee.  It requires a lot of patience and compassion but it is so rewarding.  My brokerage recently parntered with a large moving company who will be supplying referrals to those of us in the office with this designation.  If you take the course it will give you new insights when dealing with seniors... Education is never wasted..  Thank you Debe Maxwell, CRS for the mention.

I've earned my SRES almost 20 years ago. I don't look to designations to "help" my business. I look to them to learn new things, new perspectives on running my business. Education is never wasteed.

I couldn't see any difference having it but the classes did offer good information. Gave up the designation last year.

  It may be worth the $99 annual renewal fee (once you get the designation), but I can't justify it.  Maybe if I was farther south in Florida, where there are more seniors, I would consider it.

I love my SRES designation... Super Real Estate Salesperson.  I even have shirts and a logo'd cup for it!!!

I can't top Nina Hollander's answer.

The education is worth it, the renewal is what's up for debate when you reflect back on your year. But, like anything, it all comes down to you and the action you put behind the designation. 

Over the years, for knowledge purposes, pursued designations. Does the alphabet soup behind your name produce results. I think not, but your presentation does!

It was a fad about 10 years ago already? I love seniors but don't need to pay to love & help them.

Got the designation several years ago. No, i don't think it helped  much with business.

Not likely to make much of a difference here, though I do seem to be feeling more and more senior every day.

Not helpful at all, don't use it anymore.

In 20 years not one person has asked for my designations

My target demographic is actually much younger, so I did not have much interest in this.

Also did it a few years ago.  My market is a big market for seniors and retirees so having the designation serves me well. The class material reenforced mostly what I had already encountered and worked with. 

The classes were interesting and helpful but can't say the designation itself has made a difference.

I had that designation for years.... listed 4 subdivisions that were 55+.... no one knew what they meant and the course did not provide anything I did not know....  but I liked the fact that I had 9 designations and it showed those who saw my card that I was an agent who participated in furthering my education in the field....

and Happy New Year, Mimi Foster 

I have not found many designation courses helpful or interesting. One exception was certifications for short sales. They actually taught us what we needed to know (not all of it) to do a short sale. 

A designation is like an announcement. The person then becomes the center

Mimi,

Two of our clients here did it.  Neither were that impressed. A

I don't have this designation.

Joe Pryor nailed this one!

Let us know how it turns out, if it was worth it for you Mimi Foster . Do you have lots of letters already trailing your name now? How's that working for you?

Mimi Foster - I am way behind in getting those designations.

Honestly, I do not remember that designation helps here. Almost no one cares. I have seen esq, mba(Stanford), JD(Hasting), MD(Harvard) on realtor cards.

I have a engr license(PE) so my measurements of property can be submitted to tax records. Appraisers values can not. I put it on my card.

I am sure one can learn something interesting from any class. Valid designations can not exchange for food.....

I have few designations and certifications and would not consider it to be extremely helpful by itself. 

I need to take this class but have not yet.

I sometimes wonder WHY I have the designations I do. I took the SRES class when it was first developed by Tim Corliss, then a CAR President. I didn't find the subject matter enough to delineate me from those who did NOT have the designation. I've flirted with taking one of their classes to see if it would be worthwhile but lookng at the class synopsis doesn't intrigue me enough. This is true of the CRS designation which at one time was THE designation to have. Now you'll see a TON of designation initials after an agents name--who cares what they mean. Is it just the sheer volume which is desireable by the agents. DO YOU as an agent choose someone who has a specific designation. I think the CCIM designation is the most powerful. If there is a total "production" based designation I'd look into that. 

I view many NAR designations as just a profit generator for NAR with no ROI to the poor agents who drink the Kool Aid.

The education delivered through the course is beneficial.

However, my recommendation to be of GREATER service to the senior population is to attend and collaborate with an attorney who specializes in and provides seminars regarding Life Planning and Elder Law.

This will prove to be an association you will willingly spend money to maintain.

The problem is most of the public has no clue what any of the letters or designations means

Don't have that one.  I got 2 designations when I first started in real estate.  Will not spend any more money on them.

No.