• What are designations?
Answer: The National Association of REALTORS® has nine affiliated Institutes, Societies, and Councils that provide a wide-ranging menu of programs and services that assist members in increasing skills, productivity and knowledge. Designations acknowledging experience and expertise in various real estate sectors are awarded by each affiliated group upon completion of required courses. Designation opportunities offered by Louisiana REALTORS® are listed in the education calendar and more information can be found on the designations and certifications page

• What is the GRI?
Answer: The Graduate REALTOR® Institute (GRI) symbol is the mark of a real estate professional that has made the commitment to provide a high level of professional services by securing a strong educational foundation. REALTORS® with the GRI designation are highly trained in many areas of real estate to better serve and protect their clients. In Louisiana you are required to earn 12 GRI credits totaling 96 hours of instruction to complete the designation over a 5 year period.

• How many courses are required to complete the GRI designation?
Answer: New requirements have been implemented. Please click here for a list of courses.

• What happens if I was already working on my GRI designation when the new changes went into effect?
Answer: This will be determined on a case by case basis, depending on what courses you have already taken. Please contact Amy Phuphanich or Lindsey Landry if you have any questions.

• Where do I go to view courses being offered?
Answer: The courses we offer vary each year, to view go to our home page and under the quick links section you can go to the education calendar or the upcoming education.

• What are the requirements for continuing education credit for license renewal?
Answer: LREC is the body responsible for license renewal and enforcement of continuing education credit for licensees. You can read more on their website.

• Do I earn CE credits when taking Louisiana REALTOR sponsored courses?
Answer: Most of the courses offered are approved for CE credit. If the course is approved for CE credit it will be noted next to the course on the Education Calendar or within the event detail.

• How do I check to see if my CE credits have been reported to the Louisiana Real Estate Commission (LREC)?
Answer: You can view your education transcript with the LREC by clicking here. Enter your first and last name and click “submit.” When you find your name, click on it and it will pull up your information. Then click “view education transcript” to see all your courses that have been reported to the commission. If you find a course is missing from your transcript and the course was taken through Louisiana REALTORS®, please notify us so we can look into the issue.

• Are any courses available online?
Answer: Louisiana REALTORS® offers a designation learning platform and a continuing education. You can view our online education page for more information. GRI courses are not available online.

• What’s a NRDS ID?
Answer: Every member is assigned a unique National Realtor Database System (NRDS) number by the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR). If you do not know this number, click here. You will need this number in order to register for courses.

• How do I register for a course?
Answer: To register for a course, go to the education calendar, and click the course you want to take, the event details will come up for the course and at the bottom of the page you will see “Register for this event.” You will have to log in to IMS to register for the course. Your user name is your NRDS ID and your password is the last 5 digits of your NRDS ID. If you do not know your NRDS ID, you can look it up by clicking here. After you log in to IMS, click “add to cart.” Next, click “Pay by Credit Card” and enter your credit card info and click “Submit.”

• What happens after I register online for a course?
Answer: Louisiana REALTORS® will process your registration and send a confirmation email detailing the course date, time, location, and any other instructions having to do with credit, etc. If you do not receive a confirmation, please check back with us to make sure your registration was received.

• What is the cancellation policy?
Answer: The policy varies with each course so be sure to review before registering as well as when you receive confirmation. Louisiana REALTORS® understands your time is valuable and that things can come up so as a general rule the sooner you notify us of a need to cancel the better. The best way to process your cancellation request is in writing via email. In extreme emergencies, phone calls will be accepted.

For any other questions or comments contact: Amy Phuphanich, Vice President of Professional Development or Lindsey Toben, Professional Development Assistant.