Every year in January, the National Association of Realtors publishes the Realtor Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice guide. The guide is contained in the January edition of Realtor Magazine, and can also be downloaded here.
Since 1986 the Code of Ethics has been amended every year. In the 2008 Code of Ethics article 12 has been amended and two additional paragraphs were added (12-12 and 12-13).
Article 12: ...Realtors shall ensure that their status as real estate professionals is readily apparent in their advertising, marketing and other representations, and that the recipients of all real estate communications are, or have been, notified that those communications are from a real estate professional.
12-12 Realtors shall not 1) use URLs or domain names that resent less than a true picture, or 2) register URLs or domain names which, if used, would present less than a true picture
12-13 The obligation to present a true picture in advertising, marketing and representations allows Realtors to use and display only professional designations, certifications and other credentials to which they are legitimately entitled.
With Realtor marketing gaining more and more presence on the Internet, I'm not surprised that the changes address online marketing practices. I suppose we'll see more Internet issues addressed in the future.
It's always a good idea to compare the new issue with the one from the previous year, to keep abreast of the changes. BTW 2008 is the 100 year anniversary of the National Association of Realtors.
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