My designation as a probation violator expires soon, glad to have that off of my record.

Yes - there comes a point where the expense cannot be justified. And semi-retirement looms!

If I was a residential agent, CRS would be the one I would retain.
I have earned many designations that I don't use and have basically abandoned. The knowledge is the value.

No I do not.

I suspect that your clients will not notice.

I just debated the same thing, back in December. I finally relented and paid my CRS. I am in agreement that they seem to tell us what we can hope for, but things rarely seem to come to fruition for me. 2018 may be the year. Not to mention the new education requirement seems like a way to get more money out of members for the classes. (I know there are some free classes, but they all seem dull and a rehash of the same old information, to me.

I don't/didn't have any "advanced designations ". At least I don't YET.

It has come where the cost and time does warrant the return. Most buyers have no clue what the letters mean. The market is flooded with new aents and time spent providing great service pays off more for me than taking any more designation training

My degrees and higher education certificates do not expire. I pay handsomely for them however it is a one-time fee. 

I worked hard for them, they are quite active. Well, actually my Winforms Trainer one did expire when we became Zipforms with C.A.R. and by then they just did webinars, not live trainings.

But all the rest are active:

• RCS-D
• CRS
• CDPE
• ePRO
• MRP
• Sales Ninja
• Peak Performer

   They may have had value back in the day, but not so much anymore.  Why throw money at them?

Yes, enjoyed the education but General Public doesn't have a clue about them

Yes I have. Not worth keeping them up.

I would have done the same as you.

Yes. Too expensive.

I will do so next year. I agree it is expensive.

I've let some expire. Not sure what you mean by "promises." I don't recall every being promised/guaranteed anything.

Hi Dennis! No, I keep them - the education is valuable to me and my clients benefit from the continued education as well. I've heard of many beginning to let them expire though, lately. 

I took only one that requires annual fee: Green. I keep paying for it.

I have one that I don't really promote and use. The others I have uses for and especially in marketing and listing appointments they often give me an additional edge. CRS is the best and I am receiving and sending referrals frequently through the network. I welcomed the new educational upkeep requirement, there's nothing wrong to stay up-to-date and it differentiates the designations from others. On the other hand, I am actively involved with the network, just like everything else, you get what you put in. 

Yes, It seemed that no one knew what they stood for, or they didn't care what they stood for, and never asked. No one ever called me based on and designations. I think they have gotten out of hand with the amount of designations being offered, and there weren't really any noticable benefits from having them. Some might be worthwhile though.

Dennis ~ I have let some of the designations I earned early in my career go, but the only one I kept is my CRS.  It has the best value and educational component, as well as some referrals along the way.  Other than that one it seems that they keep creating new ones to better drain agent bank accounts.

yes...all nine of them, when I decided to become a marketing agent and no longer a listing agent.

Every year I think about letting them lapse and then in the end I don't. However, this may be the year where I do get rid of a few. -Kasey

For me, designations were always about the knowledge.  The general public doesn't have a clue what any of them mean.  For active agents, the only one that might be worth keeping would be the CRS because CRS agents seem to like to refer to each other.  Other than that, I say spend your money on education not the right to use the designation.

I have let my CRS go for sure. but that one was just draining my account and it was not benefiting me in any way. 

I did - but since reinstated them

The 2 I have do not expire.

CRS is the only one I still pay for.

I never got them just for the reasons of having them

I did.  Felt like I was being fee'd to death.  I got the education and that was really the point for me.

The one who earned them gets to keep them if they were mastered

I let my CRISC and CISA go last year.  I'll still claim them since I was certified at one point, just say they are inactive.

Degrees do not expire while these designations do.

Did not need them in the first place.

I think about this every year in December.  I dropped SRES---I've actually seen value out of my ABR in getting buyer clients and CRS has been good for referrals (but I make the same debate every year).  I didn't really like the CRS changes for 2018.

Personally I find it ridiculous to have to continue to PAY for a designation. When I received my degrees I wasn't told that they would disappear if I didn't pay an annual ransome. As Candice A. Donofrio and others mentioned the value is in the KNOWLEDGE the majority of the public have absolutely no idea what the letters or nor do most of them care.

I never bought into the alphabet soup

I still have mine but thinking of dropping them next time around.

I let my ABR go by the wayside, have kept my CRS for now, still seeing referrals.

Dennis Swartz - oh yes. CDPE and CIAS.