Do you know the difference between a Realtor and a licensed commercial real estate agent? This quick video will explain that because this is a term that is often misunderstood and misappropriated within the industry of licensed real estate agents. Designations have meanings and it is important to know them and who you may be hiring and why because knowledge is empowering and provides for a better, well-informed decisions in real estate.

A “Realtor” is a designation given to a license real estate agent that joins the (NAR) National Association of Realtors, a membership driven organization that consists of real estate agents whether commercial or residential. However, the vast majority of its members are residential agents focused on the selling of homes, which is the association’s main focus. Though the NAR has made an advertising push to enlist more commercial real estate agents over the years, it has largely fallen short of compelling those who specialize in only commercial real estate transactions to join.

In major markets like the Washington DC region, real estate agents can specialize (and should) in very specific segments of the real estate industry because the inventory of the various different real estate product types is very large, supporting careers in real estate based upon expertise in a specialized segment. For instance, at ROSSI Commercial Real Estate, we specialize in office leasing which primarily covers office buildings, flex buildings and medical buildings.  We do not handle any residential home sales.

Posted by Brian Rossi