Home : Blogs : Randy L. Prothero - Hawaii REALTOR® : Hawaii Randy's Blog

Bringing Out the Worst in Some

The topic of professionalism seems to bring out the worst in some folks.

It is amazing to read comments from a few defending bad behavior or a lack of professionalism in blog posts. If you want to start an argument on your blog post all I have to do is suggest we increase standards or require higher ethics. God forbid we suggest the public needs stronger protections.

Writing about the lending industry's needs for improvements is considered by some to be blasphemy. In the past I have deleted a few comments left in my posts because they were either over the top or designed to hijack my blog post.

If you write about real estate agents you may get responses about how much money they make as some type of justification for a lack of professionalism or operating under a conflict of interest.

As a real estate professional I believe that those in the real estate industry should be held to the highest standards. We are dealing with the most expensive thing most families will ever buy. The purchase of their home will have a huge impact on their financial future and deserves to be handled by professionals. The public has a right to expect nothing short of that. They deserve and need to be protected from anyone who conducts themselves in an unethical, unprofessional manner or illegal manner.

I am not shy about this subject and will continue discuss, promote and write about improving the standards in our industry for all areas of specialty.

I feel that most of the professionals already strive to raise the bar. Unfortunately there are many I would not put in the professional category. They are the reason standards need to be raised and laws tightened.

Posted by Randy L. Prothero - Hawaii REALTOR® on 11/04/2007 10:22 PM

Comments (24)

active rain, blogging, blog, professional, ethics, real estate

Originally posted at: Hawaii Randy's Real Estate Opinions: Bringing Out the Worst in Some

This post has been included in Hawaii Information

24 Comments on Bringing Out the Worst in Some

NOV

2007

bravo!

And that's why I respect you...you go above the bar...above and beyond and....hey. No wonder you're my friend too :)

"As a real estate professional I believe that those in the real estate industry should be held to the highest standards. "

I believe this is why the Code of Ethics is in place for REALTORS, too bad so many dismiss it or ignore it. Is there a COE for mortgage brokers and loan agents?

Nick - Thank you

Sally - That is really nice of you.

Lisa - They do not have one. It was pointed out that some of their designations have a COE attached but no industry wide Code of Ethics.

Randy - there is no excuse for anything less than excellence, anytime, anywhere, anyhow. You're right on as usual.

thanks

Well said. It would be nice to clean up this business, wouldn't it?

Randy, I'm sure that the strongest complaints you get are often registered by the biggest offenders. Getting the clowns out of the business would go a long way toward improving our industry's reputation...

Randy, I had this discussion with a veteran REALTOR the other day about ethics. Some take the NAR ethics code with their fingers crossed behind their backs. They think rules are to know how much wiggle room they have to get by. Say what? Didn't their Mama raise them right? There will always be bad apples in the bunch when the number of those in the business is over a million. Thank God for us good guys (and gals) who still make a positive difference.

Randy - now you see why you're one of my favorites here on AR?! We think alike when it comes to professional standards. If you take the time to earn your license, doesn't it make sense to prove that you deserved them? Kudos, Randy!

Gary - Thank you, I agree completely

Tom - I think that those of us who do this professionally should always push our industry and politicians to continue to make needed improvements.

Brian - Very true. The biggest offenders will ague why what they do is OK.

Gary - Isn't that sad. I think the Code of Ethics should only be a starting point. How much is someones name and reputation worth? I live on an island, you can not get away from your reputation.

Linda - Thank you for those kind words. The professionals all think alike on this topic, then there are those who fall in other categories.

NOV

2007

Randy- It seems like this shouldn't be an issue; you would think that people would realize that their name is their business....and behave accordingly. You for one have said it enough times :) :)

Kathy - Their clients are reading what they are writing also. I am amazed by some comments.

I wonder if the google alert was turned on last night...you haven't gotten taken to the gallows yet...maybe you should mention the word mortgage:) If you mention RE you won't get the complaints.

Good job Randy. All we can do is keep preaching it and maybe someday folks will get it. Unfortuantely most of the folks that read our blogs aren't the ones that need to hear it.

Our industry is in a desperate spot. We need to make it more difficult to get a license to do ANYTHING related to real estate. Real Estate Agent, lender, Appraiser, makes no difference, we have to find a way to ensure consistency and knowledge to the clientèle. Each and every bad apple gives the entire industry a bad name.

Randy, Anyone who argues with the need to strive for constant improvement is probably one of those we are wanting to "protect' the consumer from. None of us are perfect but a lot of us are always looking for ways to improve ourselves and the overall standards in the industry. There is lots of room for improvement and, I suspect, one of the things holding us back is the ability to actually regulate what we legislate.

Sadly, knowing what I know... if I were not an agent and needed to hire one, the bucket from which I would choose is very small!

Randy, I have told you each time that you have written on this topic that I am in agreement with you, and that is still the case.

It concerns me when I see someone objecting to clear industry wide standards and education requirements for everyone in the Mortgage Industry. I don't understand it, and I still have not seen a good explanation of why they are not needed.

Right On, Randy. I truthfully had no idea there were so many "shady" agents until I joined AR. Guess I was naive.

Excellent post, Randy.

Codes of Ethics are a start, but unfortunately they are only as good as the personal ethics of those who are supposed to observe such codes.

NOV

2007

Neal - You are too funny. What you said is on the money.

B.B. - The ones who come back with the attacks are among the ones who need to read it. Maybe one day a couple of them will get it.

Virginia - From a selfish point of view I want to see those improvements to raise the perception about our industry. For a more important reason, I feel the public should have the highest level of protection and expectations when dealing with the most expensive thing they may ever buy.

Carol - I am very selective myself when giving referrals. There are a large percentage of people in the industry who do not do this full time and do not treat this as a profession, more as a hobby.

George - I do not only pick on the mortgage side of the industry, although I think the problem is much bigger there. If I were a professional loan officer, I would want those who are causing a ton of problems out of the industry. As a REALTOR® I also want to see higher standards on our side of the industry for the very same reasons.

Eric - Very true, but at least that gives us a standard to hold them to.

Randy, Great post! I'll stand with you to hold everyone to a higher standard of professionalism. We need to change the way people think about Realtors and holding everyone to a higher standard is a step in the right direction.

Tammy - Thank you. We are across from another agent, deal with a loan officer and several other professionals in every transaction. It will definitely make our lives so much nicer.

Leave a response…

Name:

Email:
(optional)

Comment:

What does the graphic say?