Why Education Matters When Choosing a Real Estate Professional

Trust matters when you’re choosing a real estate professional. Buying or selling property involves legal, financial, and emotional decisions, and the guidance you receive can shape both the outcome and the experience itself. You deserve to work with someone who is experienced, informed, and committed to continual learning.

I’ve been licensed in Oregon since 2005 as a Broker, Property Manager, or Principal Broker, and I approach my work as a lifelong learner. Real estate laws, contracts, financing, and market conditions change constantly. Staying current isn’t optional—it’s a responsibility I take seriously on behalf of my clients.

Education is a Client Advantage

Continuing education is central to how I serve buyers and sellers. Ongoing training allows me to anticipate risks, explain complex issues clearly, and guide clients through decisions with confidence. Much of my coursework focuses on real estate law, contracts, negotiation, ethics, risk management, and consumer protection—areas that directly affect clients’ outcomes.

Over the past two license renewal cycles, I’ve consistently completed more than double the state-required continuing education. This isn’t about checking boxes; it’s about being prepared when details matter most. You never know what a real estate transaction will throw at you.

• 2024–2026: 63.5 CE hours completed (212% of the requirement)

• 2022–2024: 70.5 CE hours completed (235% of the requirement)

• 2020–2022: 52.5 CE hours completed (175% of the requirement)

  
  

This level of commitment reflects how I believe real estate professionals should show up for the people they serve.

Experience Grounded in Formal Training

My professional foundation combines higher education, formal licensing, advanced designations, and decades of hands-on experience.

Education and Licensing

I earned a Bachelor of Arts in Politics from New York University and completed my Oregon real estate pre-licensing education through in-person coursework at the American College of Real Estate. I have been licensed continuously in Oregon since 2005 as a Broker, Property Manager, or Principal Broker.

Advanced Professional Designations

I hold advanced designations that reflect specialized training beyond standard licensing:

• Real Estate Negotiations Expert (RENE), completed twice

• Certified Residential Specialist (CRS)

• Graduate, REALTOR® Institute (GRI)

  
  

These programs emphasize negotiation strategy, ethics, contracts, and client advocacy—skills that directly support better outcomes for buyers and sellers.

Transparency and a Different Client Experience

I choose to share my continuing education history openly because I believe transparency builds trust. Real estate professionals are not all the same, and education levels vary widely. By showing you how I invest in learning year after year, I hope to demonstrate that working with me is a different experience—one grounded in preparation, accountability, and care.

Years of real-world experience, paired with consistent education, allow me to offer steady guidance, informed advice, and strong representation in a complex and evolving market.

A Thoughtful Way Forward

Real estate decisions are significant, and the professional you choose should earn your trust. Through ongoing education, experience, and openness about how I approach my work, I aim to provide a level of service that feels informed, steady, and supportive. If you’re looking for thoughtful guidance and clear communication, I’d welcome the opportunity to talk—please feel free to call me!

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Appendix: Julia’s Real Estate Continuing Education

The courses listed below reflect continuing education completed for credit throughout my real estate career. In addition to these, I have completed numerous non-credit professional trainings not noted here. Together, this coursework reflects sustained professional development well beyond minimum licensing requirements, with a strong focus on legal compliance, risk management, negotiation, and market expertise.

2026

• Anti-Money Laundering Regulations for Real Estate Transfers (January 2026)

• CRS Ai Certification (February 2026)

  
  

2025

• Buyer Broker Blueprint: Mastering the Process (February 2025)

• Selling Tenant-Occupied Properties: Overcoming Challenges (March 2025)

• Buyer Representation Panel (March 2025)

• Influence Unlocked: Communications (March 2025)

• Real Estate Negotiation Expert Course (RENE) (May 2025)

• Easements, Flag Lots, and Property Line Adjustments (May 2025)

• OREF Seller Toolkit (June 2025)

• Q3 2025 Lender Panel: Predictions, Pre-Approvals & Preparedness (July 2025)

• Keeping Your Clients Safe from Real Estate Scams and Fraud (July 2025)

• The Brokerage Experience (September 2025)

• Leading With Purpose (October 2025)

• House Bill 3137 (October 2025)

• Law of Trees (November 2025)

• Cyber Security in Real Estate (November 2025)

• Situational Awareness for REALTORS® (December 2025)

2024

• Market Forecast (January 2024)

• DEQ 2024: Heating Oil Tanks & Soil Updates (January 2024)

• BBA’s as Law? Navigating Required Buyer Broker Agreements (January 2024)

• The Latest in Lending (February 2024)

• YPN Appraisals Webinar (March 2024)

• Title Company Broker Risk Management Forum (March 2024)

• Buyer’s Commission: What to Know + What If (April 2024)

• Reading Plat Maps – What Does It Mean? (April 2024)

• PB Forum: NAR New Rules – Anti-Trust (April 2024)

• Explaining Value & Compensation: Sellers (August 2024)

• RMLS Post-Compensation (September 2024)

• Adult Mental Health First Aid USA (September 2024)

• Oregon REALTORS® Forms and OREF: Key Differences (December 2024)

• Law and Rule Required Course (LARRC) 2024–2025 (December 2024)

2023

• OREF 2023 Forms Updates (January 2023)

• Using Oregon REALTORS® Forms 3 (January 2023)

• Appraisals (February 2023)

• Hard Money (February 2023)

• YPN Risk Management Panel (February 2023)

• Chimneys 101 (March 2023)

• Using Oregon REALTORS® Forms (March 2023)

• What’s Hot and What’s Not With E&O Claims (April 2023)

• Landlord-Tenant Law (May 2023)

• Creating Listing Abundance (June 2023)

• Short-Term Rentals (July 2023)

• NAR Litigation and Other Undesirable Legal Issues Update (July 2023)

• Electrical Panels (August 2023)

• OREF Mid-Year Forms Changes (August 2023)

• PB Forum – August 2023 (August 2023)

• Webmaps 101 (August 2023)

• Code of Ethics & Professional Standards (October 2023)

• OREF Forms Changes – Annual (December 2023)

• Master Buyer Representation (December 2023)

2022

• Advanced 1031 Exchange Solutions (March 2022)

• Understanding the Latest Construction Technologies (April 2022)

• Sewer & Heating Oil Tanks (June 2022)

• How to Read a Preliminary Title Report (June 2022)

• Principal Broker Forum – July (July 2022)

• Navigating Divorce in Real Estate (September 2022)

• Business Tax Planning for REALTORS® (October 2022)

• PB Forum: Identifying Risk (November 2022)

• The Never-Ending Saga of Cyber Fraud (November 2022)

2021

• New Forms: What Has Changed, Best Practices and Suggestions (January 2021)

• PMAR Principal Broker Forum – Risk Management (February 2021)

• 2021 OREF Forms Changes (February 2021)

• Omitted Property Issues (March 2021)

• Professional Standards Academy – Mediation (March 2021)

• Professional Standards Academy – Business Ethics (March 2021)

• What Is Acceptable Indoor Air Quality? (April 2021)

• The Essential Guide to Asbestos (October 2021)

2020

• Rental Property Pitfalls (March 2020)

• Financial Freedom for REALTORS® (April 2020)

• How to Thrive, Not Just Survive, in Turbulent Times (April 2020)

• The Current State of Credit (April 2020)

• Working With Clients’ Animals (April 2020)

• OREF Seller Carry Issues (April 2020)

• To Open or Not to Open, That Is the Question… (May 2020)

• Law and Rule Required Course (LARRC) (May 2020)

• State of the Rental Market – Spring 2020 (June 2020)

• Changes Coming to Eviction Moratoria (June 2020)

• Principal Broker Forum: Industry Update (June 2020)

• National Real Estate Ethics Day (August 2020)

• Oregon REALTORS® General Membership Meeting + Education (October 2020)

• Be Your Own Bodyguard: Personal Safety for REALTORS® (October 2020)

• Common Legal Traps and How to Avoid Them (October 2020)

• Social Media Professionalism & Crisis Management (October 2020)

• Legal Capacity: Working With a Questionably Competent Client (November 2020)

• The Color of Housing: A Deeper Look Into Long Island Divided (November 2020)

2019

• Cyber Security & The Dark Web Safety (January 2019)

• Raving Fans (January 2019)

• Flood Insurance 101 (February 2019)

• Legal Issues Every Realtor Should Know (February 2019)

• Marijuana Impacts on Real Estate (February 2019)

• Prepping Your Clients for Moving Day (March 2019)

• Senate Bill 608 (March 2019)

2018

• Real Estate Taxation (February 2018)

• 1031 Exchanges: What’s In & What’s Out (February 2018)

• Renovation Loans (April 2018)

• Smoke & CO Detector Requirements (May 2018)

• Website Basics: What Every Agent Should Know (May 2018)

• Brokerage Administration & Sales Supervision (May 2018)

• Lead Generation Tools (July 2018)

• Leveraging Women’s Home Ownership (July 2018)

• The Psychology Behind Guiding People (July 2018)

• Bonds & Impact on Real Estate Values/Taxation (August 2018)

• The Appraisal Process (August 2018)

• Millennial Homebuyers (September 2018)

• Smart Homes & Aging in Place (September 2018)

• Principal Broker Supervision (September 2018)

• Tips to Avoid Killing a Deal (September 2018)

• Law & Order: Office Policy (October 2018)

2017

• Real Estate Finance (January 2017)

• Understanding Red Flags in Escrow (February 2017)

• Flood Insurance 101 (March 2017)

• Foundation Issues & Solutions (March 2017)

• Listing Strategies for the Residential Specialist (March 2017)

• Technology & Advertising Regulations (April 2017)

• Business Ethics (May 2017)

• Real Estate Law & Regulation (May 2017)

• Estate Planning (July 2017)

• Advanced 1031 Exchanges for Experienced Investors (August 2017)

• Making Social Media Work (September 2017)

• Business Planning & Marketing (October 2017)

• A Photo Sells a Thousand Homes (November 2017)

• Professional Photos Through Bracketing (November 2017)

• Consumer Response to Data Breaches (December 2017)

2016

• Broker Advanced Practices (December 2016)

• Transaction & Real Estate Contracts (November 2016)

• Real Estate Law & Regulation (October 2016)

• Buyers (September 2016)

• Real Estate Negotiation (September 2016)

• Building Efficient Systems to Leverage Success (September 2016)

• Sellers (August 2016)

• Risk Management (August 2016)

• Risk Management & Business Ethics (May 2016)

2014 & Earlier

• FED: What Really Happens After Your Case Is Filed (January 2014)

• Multifamily Financial Management (March 2014)

• Human Resource Management (April 2014)

• Habitability Disputes (March 2013)

• FED First Appearances (March 2013)

• Maximize Your Apartment Income (April 2013)

• Waivers (May 2013)

• Fair Housing for Landlords (June 2013)

• Terminations & FEDs: Getting Rid of Bad Tenants (June 2013)

• Changing Ownership (September 2013)

• Dealing with Non-Tenants (October 2013)

• Fair Housing 250 (November 2013)

• Damaged Goods: Handling Tenant Damage Claims (March 2012)

• Forms & Notices (April 2012)

• Multifamily Maintenance (April 2012)

• Abandonments & Final Accounting (June 2012)

• Financial Management (February 2011)

• How to Value Commercial & Multifamily Property (April 2011)

• Bed Bugs (May 2011)

• Property Manager Advanced Practices (June 2011)

• Leadership & Supervisor Skills (August 2011)

• Fair Housing Forum (September 2011)

• Injury Claims & Allegations (November 2011)

• Landlord Tenant Training (October 2009)

• Oregon Fair Housing (February 2008)

• Drafting Commercial Real Estate Leases (November 2008)