Council of Residential Specialists Releases 2015 Annual Report

CHICAGO - June 2, 2016 - PRLog -- The Council of Residential Specialists (CRS) today released its 2015 Annual Report, an overview of the Council's key initiatives and accomplishments in serving its professional REALTOR^® members. The report emphasizes how CRS continues to lead the way in raising the standards of the residential real estate profession by expanding its catalogue of industry leading education and training and its presence as a networking organization at the state and local level.

"This past year, the sense of community was reflected in everything we did," said Lana Vukovljak, CRS Chief Executive Officer in her introduction to the Annual Report 2015 -Working Together to Stand Apart. "Together we increased membership, maintained an extraordinarily high level of retention and improved our overall financial position. We are extremely proud of the many accomplishments we were able to achieve this year."

These efforts include significant changes to its governance structure which were adopted at the Council's annual meeting in November, 2015. The new structure allows for a more flexible and nimble organization that can operate in the complex, highly-competitive real estate environment. It includes a competency-based Board, a Leadership Development Committee and a Finance Committee, as well as ad-hoc task forces and three Mastermind Divisions. These changes are planned to be fully implemented by January, 2017.

The Council's expert education and training continue to receive high ratings from members. 88% of members reported that they were extremely likely to recommend CRS educational programs to colleagues. Two new one-day classroom courses were introduced, "Mastering Relevant Consumer Focused Marketing" and "Turning New Homes into Ongoing Revenue." CRS educational webinars were expanded to include 35 titles plus 11 complimentary offerings. In 2015, over 13,000 participants attended CRS live or recorded webinars.

The report also highlights the progress of the organization's transition to a new member engagement model with value-added services designed to strengthen CRS presence at the community level. The initiative focuses on helping its State and local leaders to maintain a vital community presence, representing the best and brightest leaders in the residential real estate industry.

Other key activities include the efforts of State CRS members who raised more than $100,000 through the CRS with a Heart program to support non-profit organizations in their communities.

Read the full CRS 2015 Report at www.crs.com. For more information about the Council, visit www.crs.com or call 312-321-4400.

About CRS

The Council for Residential Specialists is the largest not-for-profit affiliate of the National Association of REALTORS® comprised of more than 31,000 members. The Council supports its members with advanced education, business and networking support. It also awards the CRS Designation to experienced agents who have completed advanced professional training and demonstrated outstanding professional achievement in residential real estate.