CSM Partners With Local Company To Educate Real Estate Agents

LA PLATA, Md. (April 22, 2008)—Real estate is not just about buying or selling a house, it is about educating consumers so they can make the best possible decision, says a spokesman for Baldus Real Estate, Inc. Towards that end, the La Plata-based company is teaming up with the College of Southern Maryland to provide real estate agents with more educational opportunities, starting with a class about ethics and the law. The class titled, "Maryland Ethics and Agency: Law and Responsibilities" begins on April 23.

"Existing agents need to renew their licenses every two years and continuing education is big component of the process," said Sharon E. Martlock, an associate broker and the director of training for Baldus Institute of Real Estate.

"CSM is excited about partnering with Baldus Real Estate, Inc. to provide real estate training," , said Linda Schleip of the CSM Corporate Center. "Through the Corporate Centers continuing education offerings, businesses like Baldus Real Estate, Inc. can collaborate to bring training locally to meet the needs of their business and clients."

According to Martlock, reputation and service are the two qualities that define a great real estate agent. Martlock says in order to provide the best customer service, an agent has to know and understand the standards of practice such as what are the ethics involved in working with other agents, clients and lenders; what are the disclosure laws; what is illegal flipping; and what are the signs of predatory lending.

"We need to be educated if we are going to give our clients appropriate counsel," said Martlock, who pursued real estate 25 years ago after being dissatisfied with the answers provided by people who were supposed to be assisting her in her house purchase. "I realized I could do it and I could do it better."

The classes will be open to any agent, regardless of the broker for whom they work.

"We want to offer these classes to as many people in the industry as possible and teaming with CSM is an excellent opportunity to do that," said Martlock.

CSM plans to bring in experts from different sectors of the real estate industry to serve as instructors.

"Imagine learning about finance from an actual underwriter," said Martlock. "You are not just going to get the bare facts, you are going to have a deeper understanding of why and how financing could work for your client."