Shit Real Estate Agents Say To Get You To Hire Them #6: I Have a Fancy Certification that Makes Me Uber-Ethical

(Another Sweary Real Estate Post by Allison Parks)

Note: This is the sixth post in a series.  

Have you ever heard this?

You should work with me because I am a REALTOR®.

When agents provide this as a reason, they will likely explain that they are special because they have committed themselves to adhere to a code of ethics prescribed the National Association of REALTORS®.

Sigh… bullshit.

Yes, ethics are awesome. Of course, real estate agents should utilize the highest level of ethics at all times and not be self-serving assholes.

Here’s the thing… the fact that someone has sworn to adhere to a code of ethics does not necessarily mean that they will exhibit ethical behavior.

If a person is generally unethical, they will most likely continue to act unethically whether they have been sworn in to the REALTOR® code of ethics or not. Similarly, if a person is ethical, they will simply continue to act ethically whether they choose to belong to the National Association of REALTORS® or not. Seriously, this is just high school level philosophy…

Being a REALTOR® simply means that an agent belongs to a professional real estate board – the National Association of REALTORS® and likely a local real estate board. Agents must pay several hundred dollars per year to attain this status and must take the aforementioned required ethics class every 4 years, after which everyone stands and swears to remain ethical. Being a REALTOR® is not dependent on merit and no one is actually governing the agents to ensure their ethical behavior. An agent’s REALTOR® membership could be revoked for unethical behavior if they were found to be guilty of said behavior, but that would require getting caught and getting turned in.

Truth: At the end of the day, approximately 50% of all agents are REALTORS®, so it’s not something that truly sets a Fantastic Agent apart from a Problem Agent. I have been a REALTOR® for over five years and I don’t feel as though my membership has strengthened my real estate prowess.

I was ethical before I joined and if I ever cease my membership (or if they kick me out for talking smack in this blog post,) I will continue to be ethical because I’m not a self-serving asshole.

 

Want a Fantastic Agent instead of a Problem Agent?  Give us a call at 303-908-9873.  

For more on Shit Real Estate Agents Say to Get You to Hire Them, read our next post, I Have Been Doing This Forever, Which Shows What an Expert I Am.