We are dedicated to strengthening the Real Estate profession. 
 

At AREA, we are dedicated to strengthening the real estate profession and supporting our members in upholding the highest standards of practice. AREA Professional Development provides educational tools to help members develop technical skills and achieve professional excellence. In addition to optional training opportunities, AREA also requires its members to complete one formal course each year, which is covered within member dues. 

The 2023 mandatory course offering has been adapted to allow for choice, personal alignment with professional development and to encourage a diverse skill set amongst our members.

The courses below are available to AREA members. AREA's online course catalogue has been designed to be compatible with Apple and Android devices. Find the desktop learning computer requirements here.

To view all all courses available to members and non-members, click here.

Need guidance with your course? View the 2023 Mandatory Course Online Troubleshooting Guide.

2023 Mandatory Course

The mandatory course Back to Basics: Agency Relationships 2023 has been added to all AREA member accounts and can be found under "My Account." Should you wish to apply an outside course from a third-party institute as your AREA mandatory course, please follow the instructions below.

The deadline to complete your 2023 Mandatory Course is January 31, 2024.

Back to Basics: Agency Relationship 2023 Mandatory Course

Agency relationships is likely a term you learned while studying for your Real Estate licensing exam, and have heard many times since in your day-to-day practice. Agency relationships and fiduciary obligations are the foundation of real estate relationships and requirements between a licensee and their client. For some, this course might serve as a reminder of information learned many years ago. For others, this course might provide details not considered or provided for in past learnings. For instance, did you know that agency relationship has its foundation in law, which informs the fiduciary obligations that licensees owe to their clients?

In this course we will explore:

• The roots of the representation relationship;
• The whys and wherefores of representation agreements;
• The two brokerage model options in Alberta;
• How best to develop policies and procedures that align with a brokerage's practice.

Understanding agency relationships and your responsibilities toward your clients as a licensee is integral in a self-regulated industry, such as real estate in Alberta. When industry professionals know and deliver on the fiduciary obligations to their clients and are knowledgeable about the Real Estate Act and the Real Estate Rules which govern the profession, client satisfaction increases, peer-to-peer conflict decreases, you are able to better protect yourself, and the industry benefits overall. 

There are several Knowledge Check Questions throughout the course, which will prepare you for completing the Final Exam.

The Final Exam is 30 questions and you may complete the final exam as many times as required in order to achieve a grade of 80% or greater.

The Back to Basics: Agency Relationships 2023 Mandatory Course has been added to all AREA member accounts and can be found under "My Account."

OR

Third-Party Course Equivalent Option 

In lieu of the Back to Basics: Agency Relationships 2023 Mandatory Course, a member can choose to apply an outside course (not provided by AREA) as the 2023 Mandatory Course equivalent, as long as it meets the below required criteria:

• Provided by a recognized institution – examples include NAR, CREA, REIC, polytechnic, university, or college.
• Course must include a testing or measurement component.
• Completion of course must be verifiable.
• Must be new to you and not a previously learned course.
• Course substitution must be requested of AREA Professional Development before December 1, 2023.
• Must be completed by the end of the 2023 calendar year.
• Duration must be equal or greater to the mandatory course duration (3 hours in classroom or 90 minutes online).
• Should enhance your skills that the public expects from you as a REALTOR^®.
• Must be a course available to any member, not Brokerage specific.
• Licensing education cannot be applied.

If interested in applying this option, email pd@albertarealtor.ca before taking the course with the following information:

1. The course name
2. The course institute
3. The course date
4. Your name
5. Your brokerage

An AREA team-member will reply to your email with confirmation as to whether the course can be applied as an equivalent.

*Please note that verification of course completion will be required.*