The real estate market is cyclical – we all know this. Turns out, so are the types of complaints that arise depending on how the market is doing.
When times started to get tough back in 2008-2009, it was the naughty behavior that was causing us grief and needed to be corrected. As the market continued to struggle, those who had done things *ahem* inappropriately, weren’t able to maintain and found other professions. The focus then shifted to compensation disputes – selling brokerage v. listing brokerage and buyer agent v. buyer – as well as more earnest money disputes.
Now that the Treasure Valley market is really gaining steam, we are hearing a lot of complaints .. and the “crimes” tend to be realtor-to-realtor. There has been a lot of client interference and a lack of professionalism.
What do I mean by client interference? If you say to a seller with a for-sale sign in the yard, “your agent is terrible at marketing your property. I could get you more money and sell if faster,” you’ve interfered in a client relationship. Something the Code of Ethics (See Article 16) specifically addresses. If you suggest to sellers that “what they really need to do is x to the price”, you might be interfering in the relationship.
RESPECT the agreements that others have in place. By involving yourself in an existing relationship, you will burn bridges with that other agent and may find yourself at the receiving end of a complaint. Do you get the listing? Maybe. Next time you encounter that previous listing agent, are they going to work with you? Unlikely… or at least, not willingly. Is that going to help a transaction run smoothly? Not really…
What if you are a buyer’s agent? If you are talking to consumers, you have an obligation to make reasonable efforts to determine if they are working with another Realtor. Couple of reasons why: a) Article 16 says you will, b) if you assist the buyer in purchasing a home, you may receive a commission based on being procuring cause, but if that buyer was subject to a buyer’s representation agreement, the buyer may still have to pay the previous agent – depending on the contract, it could be as much as the commission you received. Is that in the client’s best interest? Did you commit them to two different “exclusive” agreements? Does that make you seem credible and reliable?
I hear a lot of stories about agents working with consumers – who are not clients – who are sweet talked away by the promises of another agent. The consumer emails usually sound something like, “We thought you were a great agent and doing a great job for us, but so-and-so told us that he could get us the house for less money because he had an in with the seller.” Customer? Happy! Agent who wooed consumers away? Happy! Agent who lost consumers? Mad… I know – there was no contractual agreement…
There are bigger consequences to actions and one thing the last five years has proved, is that karma is alive and well. More often than not, there are two agents involved in a transaction. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a collaborative relationship rather than an adversarial one during a transaction? A smoother transaction = happy clients = happy agents = closings = money. That’s a good equation!
While I’m on this… let’s take a moment to talk about behavior. Not unethical behavior like client interference, but the level of professionalism demonstrated in the field… little things, like answering phone calls and having a pleasant attitude can go a long way. Condescension, snarkiness, and obstinence can make life – and transactions – more difficult than they really need to be. It is really starting to annoy your fellow agents! Real estate is not your job, it is your career. Treat it with the professionalism it deserves. A bad attitude will result not only in more difficult transactions, but fewer ones. No one wants to deal with the person who is persistently in a bad mood/always right and not to be contradicted/has a snotty comment for everything.
While this is all just my opinion, it is based off the calls I receive from consumers, clients, and realtors. Take it for what it is worth.
As long as you are working your hardest and doing the best you can for your clients, I call that a job well done.
