special report dave buckley

REBA-ES brokers top up

their knowledge
real estate brokerage. CIPS is one of NARs highest qualications. The CIPS core courses provide knowledge, research and a 360 view in Global Real Estate for Local and International Markets. It is focused on critical aspects of global international real estate business covering markets and regions in the Asia/ Pacic, US/Americas and Europe. CIPS is a members-only group specically aimed at international practitioners of the NAR and comprises more than 2,000 real estate professionals specialising in all types of real estate. Core courses There are in total eight core courses for CIPS, of which delegates are required to complete ve, and pass the course exam. REBA-ES board director, Mark Welch, said after the course: REBAES and its members have taken a massive leap forward in its pursuit to achieve and offer a higher standard of ethical real estate business practice, knowledge, and services. In addition to CIPS we also have eight members who are qualied and certied by NAR afliate, the Council of Residential Specialists (CRS). Thats a very impressive number of international standard qualied and accredited real estate professionals available to the consumer right here in Pattaya. There are many, many real estate companies in the city some of which cause property buyers and sellers unnecessary stress and hassle, and sometimes loss of money, by giving incorrect or misleading advice and/ or by offering poor standards of customer service. Buyers and sellers who are interested in the Pattaya property can be assured that REBA-ES members are knowledgeable, qualied and adhere to ethical, professional standards. By choosing to consult with one of our members, you will feel safeguarded and secure in the knowledge that you are in safe hands. Look out for our members certication, designation and afliate logos. l REBAES members can be found on the website: www.rebaes.com

REBAES CIPS cOUrse aTTeNDees/DeLeGaTes aND cOMpaNies: l Mark Welch (One Stop Real Estate Co Ltd). l Heiner Moessing and Vera Kikote (Siam Properties Co Ltd). l Wanitchaya Bolton and Amornrat Khongpennit (Alan Bolton Property Consultants). l Robert Watson (Five Star Villas & Condos Co Ltd). l Thanya Totharong (Arise Asia Co Ltd). l Craig Turner (Rightmove Pattaya Co Ltd). l June Bernard (Powerhouse Properties Co Ltd). l Gareth De Silva (Benchmark Asia Property Co Ltd). l Markus Probst and Laddawan Laolookin (ACI Enterprise Co Ltd). l Oleksandr Minak (Real Estate Club Thailand Co Ltd). l Paul Eddershaw (Town and Country Property Co Ltd). l Rainer Heinzmann and Winatcha Heinzmann (Global Solidor Enterprise Co Ltd). l Stuart Daly (Pattaya Realty Co Ltd, previously CIPS certied).

n an unprecedented show of solidarity every member company of the Real Estate Broker Association Eastern Seaboard (REBA-ES) attended a top level course in Bangkok recently in a bid to gain their CIPS (Certied International Property Specialist) accreditation. Some 17 delegates from REBAESs 13 member companies took the course and all passed! The course, which had 58 participants, was sponsored and organised by the Real Estate Sales & Marketing Association of Thailand (RESAM) at the Atrium Hotel in Petchburi Road. In the world of property, acronyms exist at every twist and turn. Ive just used three! It can all be a little bewildering. But the point of brokers taking these courses is not so much to be able to put lots of letters after their name though they legitimately can. It is to reassure clients and potential clients that they know what they are talking about. CIPS represents another important step along that knowledge path. Every now and then the property

world debates whether the Thai government will ever step in and regulate the world of brokering. Without regulation it is possible for just about anyone to establish themselves as a broker as we have said many times in the past. REBA-ES members see this as a potential problem. Those without qualications perhaps not surprisingly dont! If regulation is ever introduced REBA-ES members feel they will be well placed to be among the rst to be accredited. Also, as we have mentioned many times before, it should be made clear that REBA-ES members do not claim to be the only professional brokers trading in the city. Easy recognition However, they do feel that being able to display the associations logo gives the public quick and easy recognition that they are dealing with people who have taken the time and the trouble to study the property eld in depth. Take this recent CIPS course as an example. The course was

Above: Members from REBA-ES companies proudly display their CIPS certicates. Above, right: Delegates at one of the sessions conducted at the hotel. Above, far right: The course instructor was the NARs Mrs Aida Turbow, GRi CDEi CIPS, who has more than 25 years experience in Global Real Estate Marketing & Strategic Sales Management.

concentrated into a continuous veday format, daily from 8.30am to 5.30pm, and consisted of several class lectures and a timed exam at the end of each day. Not for the fainthearted or uncommitted. Established markets Gaining international standard real estate qualications in Thailand is extremely difcult, because there is no centralised governing organisation or licensing here, which means that to gain such qualications, an individual has to look to overseas organisations in established real estate markets such as the USA or Europe. And so it is that REBA-ES members look to groups such as NAR (the USA-based National Association of Realtors) for their accreditation. NAR is the largest trade organisation and one of the most powerful lobbying groups in North America. It has more than a million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries. It also functions as a self-regulatory organisation for

Buyers and sellers who are interested in Pattaya property can be assured that REBA-ES members are knowlegeable, qualied and adhere to ethical, professional standards.

70 REM 11/2013

71 REM 11/2013