Realtor Standards

I have hesitated for a while now on what to post on first ever REW blog but today it seems clear.  I have a breakfast meeting with 3 of the top agents in my area every 3 months and we simply discuss the market, things that work for selling properties in this market, helping buyers and anything related to our business.  It's a great time and I always take away something new.

This week we are set to meet Wednesday the 18th and the topics suggested are:

What standards should our clients expect from us?

What standards should we hold ourselves accountable to?

What standards should the industry hold us accountable to?

Have we lowered our standards to meet lower expectations?

These questions are ones we should ask ourselves more often.  Unfortunately I have a closing that moved last minute so I will not be able to attend tomorrow's meeting so I sent my answers to my fellow agents I meet with via e-mail last night, here were my replies:

What standards should our clients expect from us? Accountability, availability, creditability

What standards should we hold ourselves accountable to? Knowing what the heck we are talking about, everyone may not like me - yes it's true (GRIN) - but the main difference is I know I try and I know I am being straight with them.  If you can do that than you can lay your head on your pillow and sleep sound.  Agents who "buy" listings with false hope of higher listing prices because they have nothing else to offer should take a long hard look in the mirror at what they are doing to this business.

What standards should the industry hold us accountable to? Agents should not be allowed to practice unless they sell a min of properties each year.  Agents should all have to have their own web sites, business cards, signs etc - I mean have an "investment" into the business in one way or another - no willy nilly pluck a deal here and there agents.  Too many agents in the world are cra@, they have Brokers that tell them "good job" and "way to go" because they land a deal here and there but in the end they suck, they don't know what inventory they have, their teams are worthless and they become order takers especially many of the REO agents.

Now don't get me wrong, I know many REO agents that are simply the best and great at what they do but too many of them don't know squat about the homes they have on-line and they expect us to bow to them - I say let em go and wish em luck.  I had an agent tell me this weekend per his voice mail "I return all calls within 72 hours" yeah you heard me - 72 hours.  I had buyers for his property that were in from out of town on Friday and had specific questions and he wont call me back until Monday?  Are you joking?  Banks need to step up and play a part here too.  Many banks out there cram 10's and hundreds of homes on one agents plate and expect them to do it all, with all the foreclosures banks should be setting up better systems so the agents can breathe.

Then I had another assistant tell me her boss does not like to be disturbed on weekends so call Monday, this was Friday night - come on!  She would not even get a message to him for me about his listing and suggested I call Monday morning.  I know & understand many agents are very busy with these bank type deals but if your too busy to address a question within 3 days perhaps you need a bigger team, its that simple isn't it?  And yes, I am talking about "normal practice" they were not on vacation, it was simply put "too busy to be disturbed so we will talk to you next week".

Have we lowered our standards to meet lower expectations? For me the answer is NO - I also do NOT see most agents out there doing so.  The main problem I see is the past few years and the "hot market" combined with "easy to get licensed" too many agents got in the business for the wrong reason and with little focus and care on how to conduct themselves and we ended up with an agent in every house.  Something was going to give and unfortunately it was the qualifications of many agents that cast a Shadow on other great agents who don't deserve it.  Its the one size fits all scenario.

We are in a service driven business people, there is not room for we will call you 3 days from now or return e-mails days later.  Don't let the business run your life but don't run the business away either.  Time for agents to pull there head out of there a#@ and realize why we are compared to car salesman and why we are bashed by many - too many agents out there for the pot of gold and the lure of easy money that don't take pride in what they do.

We all make mistakes, we are all human and we all have emotions that may from time to time lead us down the wrong path but the standards need to be higher in our business.  I don't know many in "real life" on this forum but I do know many on this forum through networking and social sites and you can simply feel the passion in what they are saying, thats what i am talking about!  Love what you do, change the view of what we do and lets all hold ourselves to the high standards you see from so many on this forum and the great agents we all know.

In closing please understand I love this business and I truly feel the majority of agents out there including the ones I know are AWESOME at what they do and really want to do the right thing and it shows.  The entire point is no business will be perfect but the few agents out there who dabble in and out and truly don't know the ins and outs of the real estate market and how to present themselves as "business people" ought to move out of the way for those that spend all their time & energy into it.  If your going to do a job you better know the job.  Not sure being a Realtor will ever be a highly respected job by the masses but if our standards were higher overall we may shed some of the bad press we seem to get.  Its a tough job no matter how you cut it, lets do the best we can and know we did the right thing, and don't forget the right thing is whats right for the client.

ARE YOU A REALTOR? Let us know, what type of industry standards do you think would improve our profession?

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