Last week I got a call from a person I did not know. She said she saw my for sale signs often and figured I 'd be a good person to call. I asked her how I could help her. She told me she was trying to buy a house through a certain Realtor and he was suggesting something that did not feel good to her. She wanted to know what was ethical in real estate. I went on to talk to her about our mandatory Code of Ethics and how every 2 years we need to take classes regarding ethics. She was surprised this was a requirement as the Realtor she was working with sure did not act like he took his class.
There is one thing about sitting through a class and another about living out what you have heard. It is much like going to church and hearing a sermon and feel like you took care of that for the week and now you can act any way you want to. Walking the talk is always tough. We can talk about doing unto others, but for some reason there are people who think this one time it is okay to act one way. Do they think they won't get caught?
Here is my take on it. Mpls and St. Paul are the smallest biggest cities I have ever known. You might think you will never see that Realtor again so you figure it is okay to work him over. But I tell you, you can bet your last nickel you will see him before you know it. If it does not feel right, then it is not right. I doubt you need to see it in writing to know it is wrong to take fruit from a fruit stand. Yet, people do it thinking the grower won't miss one pear. A Realtor who thinks he can tell a buyer at an open house,"Work with me. I can get you a better deal on this house than if you used your Realtor." is taking a pear without paying. It is wrong and unethical. As Realtors we are to treat one another the same as family. Then again ,I don't know how they treat family.
All Realtors need to be held accountable. There is never a time when it is okay for us to bend the rules. We earn the trust of the public and for that reason alone we must have standards that are beyond doubting.
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