Become a CRS: Guidelines for use and promotion of the CRS designation

Earning the CRS Designation

Active members may apply for the Designation after completing all CRS Designation requirements. After the Council has processed your Designation application and reviewed the necessary documentation, you will receive a "New Designee Kit." This kit includes camera-ready logos, a press release, your CRS pin, and other items you may use to promote yourself. After you receive the kit, you are free to promote yourself as a CRS Designee.

Things to Remember About Promoting Membership and the Designation

The Council of Residential Specialists has two member categories for individuals. Members of the Council who do not hold the CRS Designation are referred to as General Members. We ask that you:

• Promote the Council Courses you have taken. When the courses are being featured in writing, include the title and course description, and mention that they are part of the requirements for the CRS Designation. (Press releases are available for each course.)
• Explain that you are a member of the Council of Residential Specialists, which is an affiliate of the National Association of REALTORS® and was founded to assist REALTORS® who specialize in residential sales.
• Please do not use the term "candidate" or any term other than "General Member" to describe an individual's non-Designated association with the Council.
• The term "Designee" can be used once you have received written notification from the Council that you have been awarded the CRS Designation. Completing all the requirements for the CRS Designation does not automatically confer the title.

When mentioning the CRS membership or Designation to potential clients, try to feature some of the reasons to work with a CRS. CRS Designees possess:

• A high level of professional experience and sales
• The highest standard of professional ethics
• Specific experience in managing residential transactions
• Strong technical abilities to meet the demands of today's market
• When discussing CRS membership with your peers, you might emphasize the requirements and benefits of achieving the CRS Designation, which include:
• Access to timely, specific education taught by industry leaders
• The nationwide referral system via print, CD-ROM and on-line directories
• The Council's image campaign designed to increase customer recognition of the advantages of working with a Certified Residential Specialist.
• Sales and Marketing Support

Please remember that in order to maintain CRS-Designated status, you must continue to hold membership in the Council of Residential Specialists. If membership is cancelled, or interrupted as a result of non-payment of dues, the privilege of using the CRS Designation is withdrawn.

Using the CRS Designation

The Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) is a registered trademark of the Council of Residential Specialists. All certificates, emblems, and other evidence of Designation are the permanent property of the Council. They may be used only by members who have been awarded the Designation and are in good standing with the Council.

Promoting the CRS Designation

There are two ways you may use the Designation:

1. You may use the CRS letters behind your name
2. You may use the CRS emblem any time your name goes before the public (i.e., in ads, newspaper articles, listings, on business cards, etc.)

When using the CRS Designation initials with other designations, simply place them in alphabetical order.

Example: Joe Smith, ABR, CCIM, CRS, GRI

Using the Official Emblem

The Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) emblem consists of the CRS initials printed on a shield within a rectangle, and the words "Certified Residential Specialist" printed within the box below the shield.

In some instances, it may be appropriate to use only the shield shape with the CRS Designation initials. If you are unsure about using only the shield, please forward a copy of your planned materials to the Director of Membership for feedback.

Proper Colors and Shading

The emblem may be used in its full-color format or in black and white.

If the emblem is being printed onto a dark background, the emblem may be reversed (black on white).

The logo may not be screened—it may not be lightened and/or used as a background for other text or graphics.

Size

The emblem may be as large as you require, but must always be large enough to be clear and legible. If the CRS initials and "Certified Residential Specialist" text are not clearly readable, the logo is too small.

Use on Stationery and Business Cards

The emblem may be used on individual or corporate stationery. If used on corporate stationery, the statement "Individual Member" or "Individual Members" must appear beneath the emblem to indicate that the Designation is connected with an individual or individuals, and not with a firm or partnership.

Placement of the emblem is at your discretion provided that it is readable and not overwritten with other text or graphics.

Use on Promotional Items

The CRS shield may appear on promotional items intended for personal use as long as there is no implication that the individual is a CRS Designee. Approved examples include luggage tags, pencils, mugs, T–shirts, etc.

If the CRS shield is used on stationery, business cards, web pages, or other printed materials with a list of names, all persons must be CRS Designees. The Council and CRS chapters are exempt from this rule.

The letters "CRS" must be attached to individual names if not all members of a team are CRS Designees.

   Correct: Joe Smith, CRS and Mary Smith
   Incorrect: Joe and Mary Smith, CRS

If all team members are CRS Designees, the letters "CRS" may follow the last name listed.

   Correct: Jack and Jane Doe, CRS
   Incorrect: Jack Doe, CRS and Jane Doe, CRS

Using the Logos

The Pantone colors used in the logo are as follows:

Coated: Gold 129, Blue 2935

Uncoated: Gold 114, Blue 286

Digital copies of both the full color and black and white versions of the logo may be downloaded from www.crs.com. Disk copies of the logos may be purchased at $5.50 per disk. For more information, call the Council at 800-462-8841.