Parsippany, NJ, May 22, 2002 - A strong U.S. housing market has resulted in an increase in the number of sales professionals entering the real estate industry. To ensure that sales associates develop a foundation to begin their careers, ERA Real Estate offers its AccelERAtion course, a program for newly licensed and experience associates, to its membership.

AccelERAtion's five-day facilitated training program educates students about assisting buyers and sellers, pricing and preparing a home to sell, prospecting, hosting open houses and negotiating. Other topics include goal setting, time management and implementing ERA products and services. The course utilizes both interactive video and print materials.

Recent AccelERAtion graduate, George Dimoff of Jack Gaughen Realtor ERA in Mechanicsburg (PA), said the course helped him prepare for his new career in real estate.

"Since I was new to the industry, this training program was instrumental in teaching me everything from the fundamentals of working with sellers to relationship building," said Dimoff. "The course helped me gain the knowledge, skills and creative energy to help me begin my career as a real estate sales professional."

While the course is geared toward new ERA sales professionals, it's also popular among experienced sales associates. "Many associates enroll in the class to get new ideas to help increase productivity and spark creativity," said Kathi Mathis, director of training, ERA Real Estate. "It also helps affiliates gain a better understanding of how to effectively use ERA products and services."

The AccelERAtion course is offered through classroom instruction, online and on video. The course schedule is available to ERA affiliates at TeamERA.com, the network's Intranet site.

ERA Franchise Systems, Inc. is a global leader in the residential real estate industry with 30 years experience in developing consumer-oriented products and services. It is a subsidiary of Cendant Corporation (NYSE: CD) and part of its Real Estate Franchise Group. The ERA real estate network includes more than 28,000 brokers and sales associates throughout the United States and 26 other countries and territories. Each ERA office is independently owned and operated. ERA information is available to consumers on the Internet at www.ERA.com. ERA properties can also be viewed at www.REALTOR.com®.

Published: May 23, 2002

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.