Eighteen Realtors recently earned the South Tahoe Association of Realtors Area Specialist Certification.

The course and exams are necessary to earn the certification were developed to highlight the importance that all real estate professionals selling real estate in South Lake Tahoe have sufficient knowledge about the area.

The class features speakers from public agencies such as South Tahoe Public Utilities District, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, U.S. Forest Service, and South Lake Tahoe and El Dorado Count building departments. Course content focuses on what real estate agents must tell clients when buying and selling homes in South Lake Tahoe, such as Best Management Practices, and which wood burning stoves are compliant per TRPA code.

Eighty percent is considering passing.

Those completing the recent test are:

Vince Barker

Michelle Benedict

Veronique Borges

Doug Carroll

Ken Daley

Diane Dickert

Judith Hanson

Brooke Hernandez

Sylvia Leutz

Laura Lyle

Cynthia Maclean

Teri McKinney

Davey Paiva

Theresa Souers

Jill Stanton-Bricker

Russ Starkey

Jim Wire

Erin Yohnka.