This is a diamond anniversary year for the Accredited Management Organization (AMO) designation. Although the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM) unveiled its then novel certification program for real estate management firms in September 1945, the first credentials to signify a company adhered to the newly defined business practice standards were conferred about six months later.
“For 75 years, IREM has recognized the commitment to ethical business practices, financial responsibility and professional management demonstrated by an elite group of real estate management companies,” observes Chip Watts, IREM president for 2021, and president of Watts Realty Company, an AMO-certified company based in Birmingham, Alabama. “Achieving AMO certification subjects a firm to intense scrutiny, but rewards them by opening doors to new business opportunities, and the recognition that comes with being the best in our business.”
From an initial 162 designations for U.S. based companies, AMO has become a globally recognized indicator of reputable real estate management practices, also proudly upheld by Canadian companies. IREM has likewise broadened its certification scope, providing professional development opportunities for real estate management practitioners and assurance to their clients through its CPM (certified property manager), ARM (residential property manager) and ACoM (commercial property manager) programs.
