Do you support the idea of having a Professional Association or Certification

I'm of two minds on this. Although I kind of like the idea of a professional association or certification along with those things comes the idea that someone has to be responsible for the criteria for qualifying for entry into the association or becoming certified and the cost of membership as well as administration. As a Realtor, I am all too familiar with licensing fees, requirements and association dues and although there is a need, it becomes more and more expensive and in some cases prohibitive to doing busines. The current real estate climate is estimated at a reduction of about 40% of Realtors currently in the business due to an increase in expense and a decrease in sales.

I also have to be concerned with what the requirements would be for being included. As a person who has been learning the trade of real estate photography and virtual tours under fire and not by professional training, I could find myself on the outside looking in after spending the past 2 years building my business and now trying to hold on through a tough economic time where my Realtor clients are cutting back on their expenses and think that photography is something they can sometimes do without.

This is a question that looks pretty innocent on the surface but can have an undercurrent to watch out for. I do like the free sharing of information and ideas on PRFE and would hate to think that it would go away after the implementation of an association.