What Every Home Seller and Home Buyer Should Know

Frequently Asked Questions . . . and Answers

What is Quality Service Certification^®?

This is a new training program, leading to certification, for real estate professionals. It requires agents to follow specific procedures and introduces standards of practice for the benefit of the consumer.

How does Quality Service Certification benefit the consumer?

When consumers spend significant dollars for a service, they expect consistency, reliability, predictability and accountability from that professional service provider. Until now, the absence of service standards in the real estate industry contributed to the inconsistency of satisfaction and value experienced by the home seller and home buyer. Thus, the Quality Service Certification program was created to offer greater value for the home seller or home buyer by providing consistent, reliable, predictable and accountable service for every real estate transaction. This service is provided by a Quality Service Certified^® real estate practitioner.

What distinguishes a Quality Service Certified real estate professional?

To become Quality Service Certified, a real estate practitioner must attend the Quality Service Certification program, pass a written examination, and sign a commitment to follow a prescribed procedure that is presented and communicated in writing to every home seller and home buyer. Following the closing of each home sale or purchase, an independent research company sends the consumer a comprehensive survey asking critical questions about the details and overall satisfaction of service provided by the sales person and broker. The sales person's ability to maintain Quality Service Certified status is dependent upon satisfactory service evaluation feedback from those buyers and sellers.

How is Quality Service Certified professional recognition different from the other designations real estate professionals use?

Most existing designations have been created for the benefit of the real estate practitioner to enhance image and credibility. Quality Service Certification exists for the benefit of the consumer - to insure a higher level of professional accountability, better service and greater service value. Most designations are earned one time and renew nearly automatically. Quality Service Certified professional recognition is earned and maintained by meeting or exceeding a standard of ongoing quality service delivery each time a customer is served. That's quite a difference!

If Quality Service Certified professional recognition is so good, why doesn't everyone have it?

The Quality Service Certification program, its standards, defined service process, service guarantees and higher level of professional accountability, is new. We expect that thousands of sales associates and brokers will earn Quality Service Certification in the coming months and tens of thousands more will join those ranks over the next couple of years. Certainly, not everyone will elect to be held to this higher standard of service and accountability.

How do I find a Quality Service Certified professional?

A consumer Web site for Quality Service Certification information is available at www.QualityService.org. This site offers consumers a directory of Quality Service Certified real estate professionals along with quantitative data related to individual service performance and consumer feedback. This system gives the consumer the knowledge and information needed to select a real estate service provider based upon service quality and service satisfaction, not sales volume and the number of homes sold. And that's a real breakthrough!