In a bid to better address the 6.75-million housing backlog in the country, A Better Real Estate Philippines (ABREP), in partnership with key developers, provided more than 2,000 new real estate salespersons with free Brokerage Training Programs for them to earn credit units necessary for accreditation with the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC).
These credit units are essential for incoming industry sales professionals because instead of a PRC exam, they only need to apply for accreditation through the credit units in real estate brokerage. According to ABREP President and real estate veteran Anthony Gerard Leuterio, this is part of the organization’s advocacy of enabling and empowering Filipinos to maximize their potential in real estate.
At present, ABREP is the fastest growing real estate organization and advocacy group promoting PRC compliance and initiating free Brokerage Training Programs. What sets ABREP’s campaign for the real estate industry apart is its support of the digitalization of the industry to enhance training, networking events, marketing and rental opportunities, social responsibility, and the personal growth of its members. It has the largest group of brokers in the country who are also actively campaigning for their agents and real estate salespersons to comply with the requirements.
“Those who applied in PRC for their accreditation three months ago already received their PRC Resolution Numbers. We are the only organization right now encouraging real estate salespersons to be PRC-accredited and register with the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) because for us, compliance is a must,” Leuterio said.
“Because every week, merong applications to realty. Interested applicants will undergo a qualification process before they become eligible for the free Brokerage Training Program to earn their credit units for PRC accreditation,” Leuterio explained. “In a sense, it's never-ending. But the good thing is that we have qualified brokers, and all of them are qualifying their own salespersons.”
Real estate certification seminars, even online, cost up to Php3,000. ABREP advocates that in the time of the pandemic, coupled with economic recession and technological advancements, organizations and businesses should also be able to provide career opportunities and equality, as well as advancement, to those who are financially-challenged.
Elddie John Benigay, a civil engineer by profession, recently earned his necessary credit units from ABREP’s free Brokerage Training Program. “Maswerte po ako dahil para akong scholar na nabigyan ng paraan makapagtrabaho sa real estate. Tapos parte ka pa ng malaking grupo na inaalagaan ka. Malaking tulong ito para sa aking pamilya,” he shared.
Another recent graduate of the training program also shared how it helped her to finally decide to pursue real estate. “Akala ko matagal yung process kasi yung requirements mahirap asikasuhin ngayong pandemic. Inisip ko din kung worth it ba gumastos pa ngayon dahil naka-budget tayo eh. Pero napa dali ni ABREP yung pagkuha ng certification. Thankful ako,” Charmaine Yape, a real estate salesperson, said.
It’s not only salespersons who benefit from the free certification program because brokers also see it as a way to encourage many unaccredited salespersons to finally become accredited practitioners.
“It’s a matter of not only compliance but ensuring that we only give the best to our customers because of the certification training. Kasi sinong customer o broker ba ang may gusto na unlicensed o di accredited ang salesperson na kausap niya?” Sienna May Pepito, a broker from Filipino Homes, said.
As of March 10, ABREP has announced that eight batches of new real estate salespersons have already availed of their free Brokerage Training Program for New Salespersons (Entry Level) for their credit unit certifications. With COVID-19 restrictions, PRC license renewal and the acquisition of credit units were migrated to an online platform with deadlines pushed to December 31, 2021.
With the “never-ending” application due to the influx of Filipinos interested in real estate either as a part-time or full-time job, ABREP also offers webinars and information drives as part of its nationwide campaign to provide equal and easy access to resources to its partner agents.
By utilizing the power of technology during a time of limited face-to-face interaction, ABREP pushed forward its advocacy of promoting inclusivity while embracing change in the digital age among the real estate brokers and developers and some of the largest real estate groups in the Philippines.
Rosanna Perez accessed a webinar all the way from Calamba, Laguna. “Thank you for the great webinar on The New Rules in Social Media Marketing in Real Estate last February 8, 2021,” she wrote to ABREP, “I learned a lot in the above webinar of ABREP and the speaker is very much knowledgeable in the field of real estate.”
Even non-practitioners can get an overview of the business. “The webinars are very good and informative. These will give Filipinos an opportunity to have a real estate practice,” Jose Marlon, an instructor from Samar State University, shared.
Ivan Carlo Bautista, a real estate salesperson from Marajc Realty, remarked that though the training was free, the value or quality was premium.
Aside from advocating PRC compliance and initiating free Brokerage Training Program for credit unit certifications, ABREP has campaigned for a transformation within the real estate industry to keep up with the digital era by amending the more-than-decade-old Real Estate Service Act or RESA Law.
Under the proposed amendments, ABREP aims to expedite accreditation processes to consider changes in technology, allowing greater educational attainment by including the K-12 curriculum, and opening access to far-flung communities to licensed brokers.
“We just want the industry to be more relevant. When the pandemic struck the country, in April and May last year, everyone was hanging. We had to pivot and use technology. Demand is stronger because of the backlog,” Leuterio explained.