Certified REALTORS® learn important information about how to research environmental issues in their neighborhoods

February 25, 2008 - MILFORD, CT - Environmental Data Resources, Inc. (EDR), the leading provider of U.S. environmental risk information, today announced its relationship with the RealtyU® Group to provide content regarding environmental issues and their importance as part of the Certified Neighborhood Specialist designation for real estate agents.

RealtyU® offers educational services to an estimated one-in-six real estate professionals every year. In 2007 the Certified Neighborhood Specialist (CNS) program was created to help real estate agents across the U.S. become experts in their chosen areas to better serve homebuyers and sellers with community specific issues, local builder information, demographics and future building projects among other topics.

"Being a Certified Neighborhood Specialist gives credence to the phrase 'Neighborhood Expert'.  Consumers can rest assured that those select agents bearing the CNS designation live by the motto 'Don't Sell a House, Sell A Neighborhood' - which means they can find the intimate details of a neighborhood to ensure that the buyer's needs are met.  This cannot be achieved without knowing the all important environmental data available through EDR," said Allen Wright, SVP of RealtyU®.

Real estate agents enrolled in the CNS course will now learn about important environmental issues and how they can protect their buyers and sellers. By researching these issues ahead of time or obtaining an environmental report, such as the one EDR provides, agents can provide a level of liability protection for sellers as well as themselves, and they can protect a buyer from health or property value issues that may be associated with a contaminated property.  While most environmental issues that may be found on or near a property are easily resolved, it is important to know about them in order to take the appropriate steps.

"We're excited to provide this critical information to real estate agents who are enrolled in the CNS course," said Ben Cesare, EDR's Managing Director of Residential Services. "This is one more tool to help agents become experts on their neighborhood, giving them knowledge about any environmental issues and the potential impacts they may present and allowing them to effectively communicate about those issues."

Developed for homeowners, home buyers and sellers, the EDR Neighborhood Environmental ReportT identifies potential environmental risks such as leaking underground tanks, landfills and toxic waste sites that may be on or near a property.  It is generated from the largest collection of local, state, and federal hazard records by the country's most trusted source of environmental risk information.