Eileen Knode, a sales associate with Long & Foster Real Estate’s Tri-Cities Southpark office, has earned the Graduate Realtors Institute (GRI) designation.

Awarded by the National Association of Realtors, the GRI designation recognizes that Knode successfully completed a course of study that provided a solid base of information designed to further her expertise within the real estate industry.

Knode received the nationally recognized designation by completing 60 classroom hours of real estate instruction with emphasis on topics such as legal liabilities, professional standards, brokerage relationships, contracts and specialized areas such as appraisal, negotiations and house construction.  The designation is awarded exclusively to Realtors.

“I would like to thank my local association, Southside Virginia Association of Realtors, for offering the course work locally,” said Knode.  “The association’s forward-thinking makes us a better association.”

Knode also holds the following National Association of Realtor designations: Short Sales & Foreclosure Resource, ePro and Military Relocation Professional.  She is currently Southside Virginia Association of Realtors Budget and Finance chairperson.  She has attained her GRI certification to continue her education to better serve her clients.

Long & Foster Real Estate is the nation’s No. 1 real estate company as part of HomeServices of America. For more information, visit LongandFoster.com.