Only the very best brokers in the real estate industry seek and qualify for designations, professional symbols held by brokers who demonstrate the highest level of knowledge, experience, production and ethics in their respective commercial real estate practice specialties. The most prestigious designations are only earned by the very best practitioners in the industry.
The National Association of Realtors and its affiliates offer and grant more than a dozen specialty designations, but two stand out as the most prestigious and highly regarded in the commercial real estate industry.
SIOR
Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR) is a leading professional commercial and industrial real estate association. The society represents today’s most knowledgeable, experienced and successful commercial real estate brokerage specialists.
The SIOR network includes more than 2,900 members in 480 cities in 20 countries on six continents. The society has certified almost 2,300 of its members with the prestigious SIOR designation. Designees specialize in industrial, office, sales manager, executive manager or advisory services categories.
The society also includes associate members who include corporate executives, developers, educators and others involved in the commercial real estate industry.
Clients represented by an SIOR designee receive an extraordinary level of service. The average SIOR possesses 20 years as a professional, has completed an intensive curriculum of SIOR courses and has demonstrated extensive experience by closing a very high volume of sales and lease transactions.
As evidence of society member experience and expertise, society members reported an average person dollar volume of $25 million in closed transactions. As a group, society members closed more than 68,0000 transactions in 2003, averaging 34 transactions per member. Society members leased or sold an average of 1.2 million square feet of space per member in 2003.
CCIM
A Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) is a recognized expert in the disciplines of commercial and investment real estate. A CCIM is an invaluable resource to the commercial real estate owner, investor and user, and is among an elite corps of 7,500 professionals across North America who hold the CCIM designation.
Only 6 percent of the estimated 125,000 commercial real estate practitioners nationwide hold the CCIM designation, which not only reflects the caliber of the program, but also shows why it is one of the most coveted and respected designations in the industry.
Conferred by the CCIM Institute, the CCIM designation was established in 1969. Courses leading to the designation are offered throughout the world. CCIM members are in more marketplaces in North America — 12 CCIM regions representing 1,000 cities — than all major real estate companies combined.
The CCIM movement began more than 40 years ago with commercial real estate practitioners who wanted to elevate their business practices through education and networking. Then, and now, education and networking remain the cornerstones of the CCIM designation and the reason for its success.
Of the many professional designations conferred to members of the National Association of Realtors, the SIOR and CCIM designations stand out as the most prestigious. Clients who demand the highest level of service choose practitioners who hold the SIOR and CCIM designations.
For more information regarding the SIOR and CCIM designations, and the many resources provided by each, go to www.sior.com and www.ccim.com.
Thomas W. Frank, SIOR, CCIM, is a co-founder of Summit Realty Group and a 30-year veteran of the real estate industry. He specializes in corporate real estate services, tenant representation and office space advisory services. Frank has been involved in more than 1,000 transactions, handling more than 5 million square feet for tenants and buyers of commercial real estate. He also serves as Summit’s Director of Office Services. Reach him at (317) 713-2104 or [email protected].
