If You Must Hide What You’re Doing, Maybe Don’t Do That

[UPDATE: I heard from Dave Price, CEO of MARIS, about this. Please read the updates below.] Yesterday, I posted something small just to my friends on Facebook as an illustration of an issue that Sam DeBord and I discussed at length earlier in the week: how brokerages and agents were gaming Clear Cooperation Policy with … Read more

In Which I Propose an Alternative to NAR’s New Speech Code

Recently, the NAR Professional Standards Committee announced that it had forwarded a set of recommendations to the Board of Directors for a vote in November at the (virtual) NAR Annual Meetings: The NAR Professional Standards Committee met on October 5, 2020, to consider recommendations from its Interpretations and Procedures Advisory Board on the Code of … Read more

Marginal REALTORS: Five Things an Association Can Do Today

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday; I personally got some really great news the day before Thanksgiving, so I had a truly memorable one myself. I even managed to hold on to that feeling of profound gratitude as the sentiment turned from giving thanks to indulging in exercises in gluttony that would have … Read more

The Truth About OfferGen & Telephonophobia

I recently had the pleasure of talking to Andrew Flachner of RealScout, who penned this article on Inman recently: The answer to me, and to many real estate veterans, is obvious. A strategy that directly focuses on producing more transactions, while providing more value to the client, is far more rewarding, both financially and professionally. … Read more

The Truth About OfferGen & Telephonophobia

I recently had the pleasure of talking to Andrew Flachner of RealScout, who penned this article on Inman recently: The answer to me, and to many real estate veterans, is obvious. A strategy that directly focuses on producing more transactions, while providing more value to the client, is far more rewarding, both financially and professionally. … Read more

They Deserve Better

Above is the video I shared at Xplode San Antonio today, which was part of the Texas Association of REALTORS conference. This wasn’t a video we had made available to the public, but after my experience today, and a conversation with one of the attendees, we at HearItDirect decided this message needs to get out. … Read more

Do REALTORS Have A Duty to Report A Client's Fraud?

Had a most interesting discussion with a REALTOR friend last night over dinner about professional ethics, and came across an interesting question. We didn’t know the answer, so I figured I’d blog about it and ask you all. The question is whether a REALTOR has a duty to disclose bad acts by a client, or … Read more

Questions on New NAR Code of Ethics Policy

[UPDATE: The text of Standard of Practice 15-2 has been released. Please see below the fold.] According to Ben Martin of the Virginia Association of REALTORS over at VARBuzz.com, NAR has released a new Code of Ethics: Standard of Practice 15-2 was amended and a new Standard of Practice was approved to strengthen members’ obligations … Read more