RASM-Owned Certification

Buy or Sell Waterfront With Confidence

With over 70 Sarasota and Manatee waterways, REALTORS® with waterfront background and experience are in high demand. There are specific considerations and criteria that a REALTOR® must know, and knowledge they must have when dealing with buying and selling waterfront property.

Dive deep into topics that are specific to this specialty and become a RASM Certified Waterfront Specialist (CWS).

Upcoming CWS Classes Find a CWS Agent

Buy or Sell Waterfront With Confidence

About the Course

The 7-hour Certified Waterfront Specialist course will cover many of the aspects, legalities, pitfalls, and advantages of working with waterfront property. 

What You'll Learn

  • Different types of waterfront properties.
  • Knowledge of bridge heights, tides, and water depths.
  • Docks and seawalls: What you can do, can’t do, need to look into, permitting process, ability to rebuild, etc.
  • Riparian Rights and Water Use Rights: As an upland owner, what do you have the right to do? What does an upland owner mean?
  • Waterfront and Bathymetric Surveys: What you need included on your survey request (riparian lines, dune system, mean high water line, water depths, the existence of seagrasses, etc.)
  • Coastal Construction/Remodels and Variances: Adding on to existing waterfront property, tearing down and building from scratch, and building on vacant land.
  • Environmental Considerations
  • FARBAR Contract considerations for buyers and sellers (due diligence periods, disclosures, CCCL disclosure, etc.)
  • 50% Rule: We’d bring in an appraiser to get into the nitty-gritty of these appraisals and how the process works.
  • Flood Insurance: What’s covered, what’s not. How much coverage should one have?
  • FEMA Letter of Map Revision and FEMA Letters of Map Amendments: When does a property meet the criteria to apply for flood map revision and potentially bring the structure out of a flood zone or have it reduced?
  • Different types of waterfront properties.
  • Knowledge of bridge heights, tides, and water depths.
  • Docks and seawalls: What you can do, can’t do, need to look into, permitting process, ability to rebuild, etc.
  • Riparian Rights and Water Use Rights: As an upland owner, what do you have the right to do? What does an upland owner mean?
  • Waterfront and Bathymetric Surveys: What you need included on your survey request (riparian lines, dune system, mean high water line, water depths, the existence of seagrasses, etc.)
  • Coastal Construction/Remodels and Variances: Adding on to existing waterfront property, tearing down and building from scratch, and building on vacant land.
  • Environmental Considerations
  • FARBAR Contract considerations for buyers and sellers (due diligence periods, disclosures, CCCL disclosure, etc.)
  • 50% Rule: We’d bring in an appraiser to get into the nitty-gritty of these appraisals and how the process works.
  • Flood Insurance: What’s covered, what’s not. How much coverage should one have?
  • FEMA Letter of Map Revision and FEMA Letters of Map Amendments: When does a property meet the criteria to apply for flood map revision and potentially bring the structure out of a flood zone or have it reduced?

Get Certified as a RASM CWS

GETTING CERTIFIED

To obtain the certification you must:
  • Complete RASM’s 7-Hour Class and earn a score of 70 or more on the written exam.
  • Complete the CWS Application and submit the application fee ($20).
  • To qualify for the certification, an applicant must have 2 qualifying waterfront transactions.

Complete Your CWS Application

CERTIFICATION BENEFITS

Upon completion, CWS agents will receive the following benefits:
  • Use of the CWS (Certified Waterfront Specialist) acronym, name, and logo.
  • Access to RASM’s waterfront resources.
  • Name listed in the RASM’s CWS database.

Find a CWS Agent

Questions About the CWS Certification?

Have questions about becoming a Certified Waterfront Specialist? Our Professional Development team is here to help you understand the certification, course details, and next steps.

Certified Waterfront Specialists

A–C

Sylvia Abdelsalam
Sherry C Adams
Ryan Adamson
Jomarie Alicea
Susan Alliano
Anna Allen
Dianne Altieri
Ryan Amerson
Elizabeth Anzellini
Melissa Armstrong
Lyndsey Ann Ashley
Andrew Azzarello
Pamela Bailey
Michael Baker
Ashley Battle
Beth Beckert
Miranda Blackwelder
Mark Blocker
Sheryl Bowanko
Amanda Bray
Abygael Carlin Brooks
Ryndi Brusco
Arlene Buckmaster
Robert Burks
Julianna Burns
William Burns
Nathan Butrum
Lynett Callahan
Cassidy Calman
Craig Campbell
Alicia Carroll
Cheryl Carson
Alysa Casorla
Tamara Cashi
Jordan Chancey
Patricia Chandler
Alexandra Chau
Celine Charleson
Kathleen Margaret Cintron
David P Clapp
Kimberly Clifton
Josie Cline
Mary Collandra
Denise Conrad
Kathryn Cooper
Denise Coryell
David Crawford
Edward Curry
Tamara Currey

D–F

Anita Darvai
Elizabeth DeArmond
Manuel Delgado
Nicole DeSantis
Monica DeSomma
Marla Dobbs
Sherry Dominick
Andrew Doucett
Brooke Doucett LLC
Bridgette Dougherty
Sophia Dudon
Leslie DuFresne
Jeremy Egglefield
Esther Farber
Miriam Fieber
Douglas Figgins
Colleen Finnegan
Cynthia Fischer
Marybeth Flynn
Diane Fogo Harter
Sally Fox
Kristine Francoeur
Cindy Furtado

G–I

Lisa Gaines
Lisa Garcia
Danielle Gladding
Ann Glaves
Cindy Greco
April Green
Sharla Gregrich
Sharon Gould
Marco Guadagnini
Tanya Gutsu
Scott Robert Haddow
Kristen Marie Haines
Robert Halbman
Sandra Halliday
Raffilena Hamilton
Ansley Haskins
Robyn Hawk
Thomas W Hedge SR
Paul Holbrook
Mary Beth Hudson
Jonna Humphries
Karen Iantorno

J–L

Richard Johnson
Anita Jones
Cindy Jones
Jordan Cadavid Jones
Jeff Jordan
Malihe Karimi
Meghan Keever
Hailey Kendall
Celestine Kerina
Christopher Kernan
Wendy Lu Kesslak
Mickey Kiernan
Marie Ann Kinard
Marilyn Kneafsey
Liza Knipe
Elizabeth Kollman-Bhandari
Elena Krivtsova
Myriam Kruk
Robert Kuech
Kathleen Larson
Darcy Tippett Leahy
Erin Leathem
Matthew Leicht
Shane Lewis
Rick Libro
Tayna Vy Lilly
Krystina Londeree
Randee Long
Lawrence Lonson
Gina Love PA
Antoinette Lyon

M–O

Maxwell Mann
Maria Veronica Manes
Katherine Marshall
Brandt Mathers
Lisa A Matthews
David McHugh
Faith Michael
Kimberly Mills
Kevin Milner
Tonya Miller-Turczyn
Christina Minnick
Pamela Modisett
Kelly Mooney
Linda Moore
Celinda Moore Scollo
Julia Montei
Lana Moriece
Kelli Movalson
Mary Anne Muniz
Carole Muscat
Benjamin Nathan
Kristine H Niehaus
Kathy Norman
Steve Nursey
Brian ODonnell
Sheryl O’Keefe
Xiaoqin Oram

P–S

Pamela Pileggi
Sally Piccolo
Vannesa Poole
Christine Pope
Sandra Lynn Price
Aaron Pyman
Marcia Railton
Angelica Ramos
Linda Ren
Michele Ridgeway
Kay'La Riddle
Tony Riksvold
Martha Robel
Cathleen Roberson
Cheryl Roberts
Freya Robbins
Ciro Rocco
Amy Rogers
Karianne Rose
Drew Russell
Rebecca Samler
Fred Sassen
Eileen Saunders
Rebecca Schlack
Lisa A Sebastian
Nary Setzer
Sandra Sexe
Victoria Silberbusch
Caroline Sirard
Allen Smith
Eugene Smith
Rebecca Smith
Brian Snyder
Georgia Sotiriou
Panagiota Soublis
Christa Spalding
David Stasney
Puntaree Steele
Elena Stefanoski
Tracey Stetler
Alison Stottlemyer
Lindsey Strickland
Bozena Suponic
David Swenson
Jon Marc Swift

T–Z

Edward Taaffe
Nikki Taylor
Kathy Teixeira
Debra Tocco
Guia Tomelden-Dorion
Patrizia Trammell
Daniel Treiman
Julianna Tremblay
Rachel Tritschler
Margot Leonard Vigar
Gina Zambrana
Frank Zeckel
Steve Zeris
Linda M Zuffa

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