It's amazing

Interest rates are down for the second week in a row, contrary to our predictions.

But that's not the most amazing thing we noticed this past week. There is a network TV show, "Justified" that ran last week. Although not a fan of network television, curiosity caused us to pause long enough to hear an actor say the word, "Realtor." What? Realtor, pronounced correctly?

Even in news broadcasts, the name is often mis-pronounced as "Real-a-tor," yet the person directing this show got it right, not just once but several times. Captivated by this pronunciation we had to watch. As the plot played out, even the bad guy correctly enunciated "Realtor." Amazing.

Everywhere we turn we hear. Realater, realitor or some other misnomer. Although we wait in anticipation, we have yet to hear, "Docator, or Dentitist" even from those who persist in calling us Realators.

As you no doubt have gathered, the correct pronunciation is, "Ree-al-tor" even "Ree-al-ter" is acceptable. Apart from the extra vowel though, most of you know what it is we do. We bring together buyers and sellers of property. Simple. Not so simple to understand though are the extra letters on your agent's business card. Not many ask, but we are sure many wonder about those acronyms appearing behind the name.

Although there are many designations that may be earned by Realtors, we will not list them here. Rather, we will define some of the more common.

AB - Associate Broker.

ABR - Accredited Buyers' Representative.

CCIM - Certified Commercial Investment Member.

CRS - Certified Residential Specialist.

ePro - Internet Specialist.

GRI - Graduate Realtor Institute.

SRES - Seniors Real Estate Specialist.

RSPS - Resort & Second Home Property Specialist.

Many Realtors will have more than one designation. Each comes with its own education and testing requirements. When you see some letters behind your agent's name, don't be shy about asking what they mean. Your agent should be proud that you noticed and delighted to share their meaning. The letters you should always look for are R-E-A-L-T-O-R. These letters (no extra vowels please) mean your agent subscribes to a code of ethics that reaches beyond the legal requirements to be a licensed agent.

Kim Cooper is a real estate Broker and the spokesman for the Coeur d'Alene Association of Realtors, www.cdarealtors.com. Kim and the association invite your feedback and input for this column. You may contact them by writing to the Coeur d'Alene Association of Realtors, 409 W. Neider, Coeur d'Alene, ID 83815 or by calling (208) 667-0664 with your questions or commentary.