Course Offerings
Custom Courses & Continuing Education:
Commercial Real Estate CORE
Commercial Real Estate CORE: This intensive 5-session master class will equip Realtors with the critical skills they need to develop a sustainable, ethical, successful career in commercial real estate. This is the perfect course for Realtors looking to launch a thriving commercial career. It is offered both virtually and in person and portions can be qualified for Continued Education if requested.
Topics Covered
Day 1
The Commercial Landscape – Residential vs. Commercial
Commercial Real Estate Brokerage Models
Know Your Numbers – Understanding Market Viability
Building a Database – From Micro to Macro
Monetizing Your Database – Put the Plan in Action
Prospecting Calls – Make the Phone Your Cash Register
Day 2
Industrial Deep Dive
Multi Family Deep Dive
Retail Deep Dive
Office Deep Dive
Land Deep Dive
Day 3
Fundamentals of Leasing
Fundamentals of Sales
Representing Buyers
Representing Tenants
Marketing Commercial Real Estate
Day 4
Breaking It Down – The Science & Art of Underwriting
Depreciation – Why Losing Money Is Awesome!
The 1031 – Vanilla Ice Time
The Escrow Process
Case Study – Multi-Family & Retail
Case Study – Office & Industrial
Day 5
Must Have Tech Tools
The 1st Appointment
The 2nd Appointment
The Commercial Positioning Analysis
Specialization vs. Generalist Careers
Developing Your Long-Term Career Playbook
Now What? – Putting It All Together
Opportunities & Pitfalls in Commercial Real Estate
This introductory course is perfect for Realtors looking to better understand the commercial real estate landscape. Students will learn the various types of commercial real estate, common terms, and some of the risks and challenges that are unique to the commercial real estate marketplace. We compare a residential and commercial transaction to explore the differences in timelines, pursuit costs, and processes. Next, we touch on the world of commercial leasing and wrap up with a discussion on Article 11 and methods to generate commercial referrals.
This class can run 2-4 hours and is perfect for residential agents, “resi-mercial” agents, and managing brokers who are looking to better understand the commercial real estate business. Available virtual or in person.
Best Practices in Marketing Commercial Real Estate
Best Practices in Leasing Commercial Real Estate
Offensive & Defensive Investment Property Underwriting: What Hat Are You Wearing?
This is the perfect class for Realtors who want to understand the real-world application of cash-flow metrics in investment real estate. We start with a review of the metrics that are the foundation of investment real estate including GRM, cap rate, and cash on cash. Then we explore the nuances of buyers and sellers of investment real estate, with a focus on agency and representing the client’s best interests. Next we look at the powerful effect that various factors can have on the final pricing of investment real estate including: mortgage, vacancy, property taxes, and depreciation. In the full segment of this course (4 hours) students complete a hands-on underwriting and negotiation exercise in groups to be sure they master the skills while achieving their client’s goals.
This class can run 2-4 hours and has both a commercial and residential variant. Available virtual or in person.
Anatomy Of A Commercial Sale Transaction
Join us as we dive deeply into all the nuances of a commercial sale, from initial pricing, marketing, and negotiation, all the way through due diligence to closing. Students learn the critical terminology and best practices for all phases of the sale transaction including: earnest money procedures, environmental reports, ALTA surveys, title endorsements, post-closing agreements, settlement procedures, where Fair Housing does and DOESN’T apply, and more. This class is perfect for both new and experienced commercial Realtors as everybody comes away with new knowledge.
This class can run 2-4 hours is available virtual or in person.
Anatomy Of A Commercial Lease Transaction
The world of commercial leasing can seem daunting and this course will walk students through a lease transaction from market positioning of a lease property to property tours, negotiations, lease execution, move-in, and beyond. Together we will discuss the critical terms and their effect on both the tenant and the landlord, including: lease structures, rent abatement, buildout allowances, lease buyout options, and more. Students will leave the class with a firm working knowledge of how to effectively and ethically represent their clients on either side of a lease negotiation. This class is perfect for both new and experienced commercial Realtors as everybody comes away with new knowledge.
This class can run 2-4 hours is available virtual or in person.
Breaking Down Your Market With Data - Is There Enough To Eat???
Attendees will learn to use available data resources to understand the market dynamics of their trade area and discover neighborhoods or property types with the greatest opportunity for business development.
They will be equipped with the tools to analyze any marketplace for its sales viability; and will receive a blueprint for becoming the dominant agent in a marketplace. This is a hands-on session, and each attendee will need to bring a laptop/tablet and relies heavily on local MLS, RPR, and CIE data, and it is critical that students understand how to use them well prior to attending.
This class runs 3 hours and has both a commercial and residential variant.
Available virtual or in person.
Bulletproof Your Business For A Changing Market
This is the perfect class for Realtors new to the world of “being their own boss.” The market is shifting rapidly, and this session will prepare students be ready for any market. Attendees will learn ways to set up business accounts, prepare for life as an independent contractor, build business credit, plan effectively for retirement, and explore alternative income streams to diversify and bulletproof their business. Additionally, we will explore the unique advantages that Realtors have when investing in real estate for their own account. This is the class agents wish they had taken before they were licensed to set them on the path to success.
This class can run 2-4 hours and has both a commercial and residential variant. Available virtual or in person.
Why Should I Hire You? The Value of Representation in Commercial Transactions
Being Supplied Answers Beats Trying Guesses
This introduction to the B.S.A.B.T.G. metric will give agents a powerful framework for their client interactions. Attendees will learn the six critical questions they need to better meet client needs and drive successful sales while more effectively representing their clients. They will then participate in extensive role play, with peer analysis, of various listing and buying scenarios to create a positive environment for sales skill development. Everybody will participate in this fun and high energy session.
This class can run 2-4 hours and has both a commercial and residential variant. Available virtual or in person.
Designation/Certification Courses:
REBAC's Real Estate Investing: Build Wealth Representing Investors & Become One Yourself
This course will cover the fundamentals of real estate investment that practitioners need to know to expand their business services. The one-day course looks at how practitioners can adapt core real estate skills and learn new skills to serve clients who want to invest in single family homes, condos, townhomes, and small multifamily properties. Students will learn how to work with investors as they goal set, plan, evaluate, and acquire properties as well as manage them. Critically, this will also prepare Realtors to become active real estate investors and build wealth for themselves.
Course Highlights:
1. Why Invest in Real Estate?
2. Working with Investor Clients
3. Making the Purchase Decision
4. Financing Options and Tax Issues
5. Owning the Property
6. The Real Estate Professional as Investor
This class runs 1 full day and is good for any Realtor who is looking to understand investment real estate. Available virtual or in person.
REBAC's Accredited Buyer Representative Courses (ABR)
This class is at the heart of earing the coveted ABR designation and offers a powerful overview of the value of buyer’s agency in the residential real estate transaction. The goals of the ABR® Designation Course are to prepare real estate professionals to thoroughly represent buyer-clients in real estate transactions and provide the quality of service and degree of fidelity to buyers that sellers have customarily enjoyed. Students also develop a self-customized tool for conducting a buyer counseling session.
When coupled with the Seller Representative Specialist (SRS) and Real Estate Negotiation Expert (RENE) this forms an incredible knowledge base for all aspects of residential real estate transactions.
This class runs 2 full days and is available virtual or in person.
NAR's Certified International Property Specialist Designation (CIPS)
The CIPS course provides attendees with the foundational tools they need to take their business from hyper-local to hyper-global. Over 5-day period students will learn fundamental skills, build their global network, and put these skills to work in real world scenarios. Once students complete the courses, they can apply for the CIPS Designation, which only 0.002% of Realtors have earned. This is the gold standard for understanding and effectively completing global transactions. Aspects of global real estate covered include:
• Cross-cultural relationships
• Regional market conditions
• Investment performance
• Tax issues
• This course is taught in an environment of cross-cultural sharing and learning, and students are challenged to create real time assessments of various countries during class.
This class can be focused residentially or commercially as needed and runs 5 full days. In person is strongly preferred due to the nature of the course and networking.
NAR's Green Designation
NAR’s GREEN Designation is designed for agents looking to learn about issues of energy efficiency and sustainability in real estate. Green designees can position themselves as a leader in green real estate and gives them the tools to let their clients know they are experts in the field of sustainability and environmental awareness in housing.
What Students Gain From The Green Designation:
• Access to an extensive array of members-only marketing tools build business and gain a competitive edge
• Comprehensive understanding of how homes with green features should be marketed differently than traditional homes
• Market research about communicating with clients interested in different facets of green
• Improved visibility as a trusted advisor and source of information on green homes
• Listing in the online GREEN directory(link is external)
• Exclusive industry webinars
• Pre-written green content for your social media channels
• The GREEN REsource Council’s monthly newsletter
• Access to the GRC Facebook group
• Toolkits, guides, and other resources available through the members-only section of the GREEN Resource Council web site.
This class is 2 days in length. It can be delivered virtually but is much more interactive when in person.
The Home Finance Resource Certification
The Home Finance Resource Certification course is designed to teach REALTORS® how to explain key pieces of the loan origination process to clients and confidently answer questions about mortgage options. With the skills learned by earning this certification, Realtor members will be equipped to provide guidance on navigating mortgage applications and alternative financing options for all types of buyers.
Other benefits include:
• Access to the HFR logo
• Personalized certificate
• Marketing materials
• Credit toward the ABR® designation
This class is 1 day in length. It can be delivered virtually or in person.
NAR's Pricing Strategy Advisor Certification (PSA)
The Pricing Strategy Advisor (PSA) certification is specifically designed to enhance agent skills in pricing residential properties, creating CMAs, working with appraisers, and guiding clients through the anxieties and misperceptions they often have about home values. Students will learn to assemble a market analysis at a granular level; and how to present it to both buyers and sellers to convey maximum value. Attendees leave with skills they can immediately use to improve their business.
Key Benefits:
• The purpose and benefits of CMAs, and how to guide clients through them
• Terminology of pricing and valuation
• The Code of Ethics as it relates to pricing
• How to identify appropriate comparables, and where to find information about them
• The role of supply and demand in pricing
• How to adjust comparables
• How to hone pricing skills and practices
This class runs 1 full day and can be in person or virtual.
More information from NAR.
NAR's Seller Representative Specialist (SRS)
The Seller Representative Specialist (SRS) designation, recognized by the National Association of REALTORS®, is the premier credential in residential seller representation. It is designed to elevate professional standards and enhance personal performance. SRS is a global community of REALTORS® who use their ideas and expertise to represent sellers professionally and ethically. The SRS Course provides a comprehensive foundation of skill development, training and resources to help real estate professionals represent the interests of sellers in today’s shifting marketplace.
Students learn to:
• Increase listings and grow their business
• Demonstrate and communicate their value package to seller clients
• Understand and apply the Code of Ethics & Standards of Practice
• Understand and comply with state license laws when representing sellers
• Understand and apply methods, tools, and techniques to provide support and services that sellers want and need
This class is 2 days in length. It can be delivered virtually but is much more interactive when in person.
The Seniors Real Estate Specialist® (SRES®)
The Seniors Real Estate Specialist® (SRES®) designation is for REALTORS® who want to be able to meet the special needs of maturing Americans when selling, buying, relocating, or refinancing residential or investment properties. By earning the SRES® designation, REALTORS® are prepared to approach mature clients with the best options and information for them to make life-changing decisions.
What Students Gain:
• Access to the online SRES® member database
• Access to the members-only section of the SRES® web site
• Consumer marketing materials
• Quarterly newsletter
• Marketing letters
• Scripts and concepts for contacting clients age 50+
This class is 2 days in length. It can be delivered virtually but is much more interactive when in person.
NAR Real Estate Negotiating Expert Certification (RENE)
The RENE course is an interactive experience to help residential negotiators elevate their game. Students will examine all types of negotiation formats and methods including virtual. A full spectrum of tips, tools, and techniques are provided so that RENE students can produce effective results for their clients. Topics covered include:
– Process phases of a negotiation
– Developing a negotiating plan
– Understanding the influence of personality styles in the negotiating process
– Understanding conflict behavior types
– Establishing a strong bargaining position
– Venues for negotiation – text, email, phone, virtual
– Understanding and application of the Code of Ethics
This class is 2 days in length. It can be delivered virtually but is much more interactive when in person.
Leadership Development & Association Strategic Planning:
The Inside Baseball of Realtor Leadership
Strategic Planning for Commercial Overlay Boards/Committees
As a Commercial Realtor since 2005, John deeply understands the unique needs and nuances of Commercial Realtors. He will work with you to create a comprehensive multi-year strategic plan for your overlay board/committee/council. We begin with an analysis of your organizational history, then look at current membership, leadership, and resources; and finally look to the future to determine where your organization needs to be to stay relevant to your Commercial Realtor members.
This can run anywhere from ½ day to 2 days, please reach out for a detailed proposal.
Strategic Planning Facilitation For State/Local Associations:
Thanks to John’s affiliation with Dynamic Directions, we offer a wide range of strategic planning and association development opportunities. As a group we have facilitated plans for State, Local, and Provincial Associations from 300 to 68,000 members, and can work with you to develop an effective program. Due to their custom nature, these programs are individually priced with full proposal
References and testimonials happily provided
These planning sessions can run anywhere from ½ day to 2 days, please reach out for a detailed proposal.
Our Complete Course List
Learn more and in detail about all the courses John can teach.