Wonderful post Andrew.  One of the reasons I now refer to agents rather than employing them is because there were too many instances when I would point out that a matter or action was either a violation of the COE or license law. 

Too often, even with well meaning agents they would respond with "but. . . . .".

There is no "but". 

Now they're brokers themselves and they can say "but" to themselves when they have been careless. 

Lenn, I'm with you on this issue. And it is a significant issue in our industry. It is the 900 pound gorilla on the first tee. The "odds" are that if you buy smart in a solid area with the demographics remaining constant then a long term investment typically pans out to the plus side.

But buying smart doesn't mean buying crooked. Thanks for the comment.

Another great post Andrew! It can be tough to walk the straight and narrow sometimes. You know like not speeding on a sunny day on a empty freeway with the top down.  Your point about borrowing your name is a great point! and what we do while we are stewards of our name is something that will live on long past our time on this spinning orb.

Best,

Scott 

Scott, Stewardship of your ancestral name. I believe we all carry that mantle. It can be tough to walk the walk. But I think it is the best path to take for all involved.

Andrew ... I would have expected no less from you...

Sandra, I'm not auditoning for the halo. I'm trying to keep all the rules straight in my head, my dialogue with the general public measured but not contrived, my interactions with other agents productive but not detrimental to my clients' interests.

Come to think of it, what sane person would opt this as a job let alone a calling?

Andrew,

If I woke up one day and discovered a 'level playing field', I'd probably be lightheaded!!! :^) Unfortunately!!! Thanks,   Fran

Fran, Don't worry. If you find a level-playing field, borrow a spade and start digging...because the Holy Grail is probably buried under that anamoly. But we can strive, we can strive.

I hate to sound pessimistic, but I see an awful lot of ethical corners being cut...and unfortunately cutting corners works around here.  It works entirely too well.  Although there are many wonderfully ethical Realtor's in my area, some of the most successful have gotten their with some rather dubious practices.  That sends the wrong signal to newer agents trying to climb the ladder.  They too resort to short cuts. And so the cycle continues.....

Ruthmarie, I don't think you're going to find this phemonena a local condition. I'm sure many Realtors across the country will share the same lament. Many agents don't know what they don't know. Many brokers count money instead of sheep at night. It's the old adage -- the takers eat better and the givers sleep better.

So what are we left to do? Cross over to the dark side?

Andrew... just as your friend is a scratch golfer, you are a scratch writer...  this has to be one of the best analogies that I have read in two years. This is right next to the one that Robert Ashby wrote, comparing the mortgage industry to the airline industry. Did you read it? 

In any case, I could so relate to what you said. I have walked that poor path because I chose not to play the odds of unfair or misleading practices, leading to more business...  or basically just lying flat out to a potential client, knowing that it was 50/50 that the next several would do the same. 

Overall, this was excellent and I am sure I won't be the only one flagging this one. Great job...  especially from a golfers perspective.

PS.... an no, I don't think that you were looking for a halo while writing this. No matter how it sounds, you are just being genuine and sincere, in hopes of the average consumer knowing what is out there. And that you won't be a part of it... and, if they ever run into it, that they can come to you for help and or advice.

No, we're not to cross over to the dark side.  We have to make a choice ever day whether to follow the rules or not.  Those that don't will often find that shortcuts pay immediate dividends whereas taking the high road pays long term dividends.  I'll go for the long term any day.  Good post, Andrew.

Jeff, thanks for the props. In my first career I was actually on the front lines of an anti-trust investigation by the DOJ. Fifty five companies were caught in the dragnet. Many sleepless nights as the COO and psuedo Compliance Officer. I don't ever want to go back there again. Once your livelihood is threatened by litigation you tend to become self-aware of your role as a fiduciary.

P.S. I didn't catch Robert Ashby's blog but I'm off to find it now. Thanks for the heads up.

Jesse, I really like that phrase. The high road leads to LT dividends. The problem is when you come face-to-face with a short-termer. I am actually getting busier in this market than when sales were a GO-GO. Thanks for the comment.

Andrew, well said in the prolific way you can say it. Who wants a trophey not earned the right way? I remember the first year I made Platinum Club at REMAX, it didn't mean that much to me. Why ? Because I had a team that helped me get there. I only felt good about myself when I could make that goal on my own---my sales, my listings, then it meant something. 

Missy, I can understand that an individual honor gained through a team effort could conflict your steeped sense of fairness and spirit of collaboration.

Awards, merits, recognition -- they are all so much sweeter when shared don't you think?

Mr. Lenza - Wow!  You articulate words & emotion & truth from the very soul we own better than I could possibly convey...EVER!  In my book, you not only make the grade...you take the freaking cake!!  I don't have many mentors, I'm picky.  I don't have many heroes, I'm cynical.  I consider you both.  I consider you both...

Andrew- It's true that the way you are remembered is reputation. It is more valuable than any name on a trophy. Great work!

Great Post.  Kind of Ironic for me to have read your post today.   I volunteered at The PGA Nationwide Tournament in our area.  Athens, Georgia hosted the tournament today at Jennings Mill and I walked 18 holes scorekeeping with a player(a hometown favorite) whos last name was Todd.  Fortuately, he was a very ethical and professional guy!  Now more than ever in our market, it is so extremely important to stick to your ethics and do the right thing.  Even good people are making bad decisions professionally due to the economy.   I would just like to add that the economy will come around eventually but your reputation will go completely and permenantly down the drain if you choose the wrong road. Keep your chin up and do the right thing!  Great post.

It was a handful of reading but very good job!  I liked the topic and the discussion :)

Tom Davis - DE Realtor - oh and lol about the 900 lb. Gorrilla part!

Jason, The respect is mutual.

Mark, Like that correlation. Your name is your reputation, especially in real estate sales. Isn't that what the Sphere of Influence is based upon? The underlying concept underneath a referral?

Even good people are making bad decisions professionally due to the economy. Gee, Amy I don't think there is a truer statement to describe the sale of real estate nowadays. Sounds like you enjoyed a glorious day on the links!

Tom, I try and try to condense my words, sentences, blogs et al. But I figure I'm not paying by the word so I just go on and on and on and on and on (phew) and on and on and on ;) Thanks for the comment.

Very well said.....   I always say  - I will not get rich off of one sale....   But one sale could ruin my reputation.    That I am not willing to do.

Nice picture .... Happy smiling face...   well done

Cheating...such a big risk for such an empty reward...not to mention the guilt!

Excellant post Andrew...I hope a lot of consumers pick up on it!  (Like the new picture)

Another excellent post and I think your new photo would look great on a dust jacket of a book...

I lose all the time to agents that cut corners.  I'm too competative to say it doesn't torque me, but I want to be 80 and look back and know that I did the right thing as much as possible. 

Dez, No, none of us are going to own the land of milk and honey on one transaction. I so dislike posing for a photo. I was on a Virtual Tour "shoot" the other day and the photog just clicked. No muss, no fuss.

Joan, Still that small risk-reward proposition does not stop many from making their own choice. In this recession I think it's imperative that the industry promote the highest ethics. Now the question is, like Amy pointed out, can the average agent afford not to close that sale by looking the other way?

Melina, It never sits well with me either. But karma, karma takes names and is always good for a return trip. I like your philosophy about aging without constantly checking the rearview mirror of Life.

Andrew - Excellent post and couldn't agree more - I had a situation where I lost a client by doing the right thing and my husband and I discussed it this weekend - that I will always to the right thing and I believe I will be blessed in the long run - and regardless I will sleep oh so well EVERY night!!

Andrew, a very good post as usual.  That is a sad story about your neighbor.  In high school I cheated on a test once and then went and told the teacher what I had done.  That was a huge life lesson.  We have to be able to live with ourself.  From that time forward I have tried not to do anything that would cause me to lose sleep because of my actions.  I know that I have lost out on business because of it but hey that is okay; I can sleep at night. 

Cyndee, One of my favorite real estate sayings to my buyers is The smaller the mortgage, the bigger the pillow. I think we can somehow rework that pillow motif to include the ethics of Realtors and mortgage brokers.  Sorry to hear you lost a client but retained your "soul."

Andrew - what a wonderful world if accomplishments were written in sand and actions cast in stone.

Great analogy Andrew. I don't cut corners because I'm afraid to get caught. I don't cut corners because I would know I cut those corners. I, like you, have personal standards I will not violate.

Rules are set because of people that have walked on the wrong side of the line. We have rules and it is our job to know them and abide by the. If I find questionable behavior I will file the complaint with out hesitation and so should you good post  we all have to protect our business.

Marchel, I think it is our intrinsic nature to fall. Let he without sin cast the first stone. The times of my life I made the wrong decision I deeply regret. Some decisions can't be waved magically away with an apology, no matter how contrite. Or so I advise my children. The type of errant way I'm trying to describe is the pattern-and-practice, the normal way of doing business to do business -- regardless of the consequences. This must change for the betterment of society. Like you I do enjoy my sleep.

J-Mac, How about this. We'll think of a blog. Send you the loosely constructed idea. You state one of these amazing intuitive mouth-dropping truths ... what a wonderful world if accomplishments were written in sand and actions cast in stone. It would save an awful lot of work for the rest of us wise one.

Wayne, I think you're describing introspection, a higher calling, that sadly many folks rationalize behind the ends-justify-the-means. I believe the fear that tighter economic times will further 'force' industry professionals into questionable judgments is bonafide. What will become of the future of this business?

Terry, Bravo. You've touched upon a critical point. Crime and punishment. I think we are largely a self-policing, self-regulating industry and that model is woefully inadequate to counter-act the behavior most folks are describing here. Local boards receive fees yet must mete out penalties for infractions. To the brokers they just cashed checks. Many agents would describe their local boards as quite adept at monitoring the minutia but can't find the 900 pound gorilla trashing the living room. State commissions may be under-staffed and over-worked.

The question I struggle with is how much 'proof' do I need to file an effective complaint -- or is this behavior that smells like a duck, walks like a duck but flies like a goose when I get close enough to catch it really the modis operandi of craftier, slicker people than myself?

I'm not crossing to the dark side....Success is only worthwhile if you can sleep at night.  What I find worrying is how the public doesn't understand what we do enough to know the difference between an honest agent and one taking them for a ride.  We talk about transparency - but the public still doesn't seem to "get it." The fact that agents don't instruct more may be instructive in and of itself  - perhaps there is an element in the community that WANTS to leave people in the dark. 

Ruthmarie, No -- I'm walking towards the brilliant light like that little girl in The Poltergeist.

Is it perhaps that there is still a strong undercurrent of Americana that is attracted to the stereotypical Salesman ala Willie Lomain? Oh boy, getta load of Johnny here. The guy can sell the hubcaps off a Cadillac.

Does our society place a somewhat bizarre premium to the carnival barker who lures you under the big tent. You know you'll be disappointed. He knows you'll be disappointed. Heck, even the animals in there know you'll be disappointed.

Yet we gleefully hand over our hard-earned two bits, grab our caramel apple and sit like stooges on the pine benches. Then walk out cheated. I want to represent the folks smart enough to tune the barker out and avoid the big flapping canvas teasing them to come on down. 

Like the new pic Andrew. This is a great analogy. It is sad that this wonderful profession is filled with so many less than ideal agents. It gives the ones who do the right thing a bad rap. And I agree that making this a public post is a testament to how you do business. If you thought for one moment that you had not been square, I doubt you would have put it out there for your clients to challenge you on.

Thanks for sharing.

Susan

Thank you for the food for the nice read this morning.

Andrew, wonderful post!  I love your sense of right and wrong!  Thanks for sharing that, I too would rather die penniless with my name intact, than wealthy having given away my birthright!  Thank you again!

A while ago there was a post here on AR with the blogger asking "Is this an ethics violation?"  (The blogger then went on to describe what happened.)

My response was this:  If you have to ask "Is it ok to do this???" then the answer is probably no.   Perhaps the question should have been "Is this a morally wrong thing to do?".

When in doubt I always listen to my gut instinct the first time it talks to me.  Huh..perhaps that's why I don't make a million dollars.  However I do sleep well :-) 

This is a very good post and well thought out and written nicely.

Good job. AL but now your photo makes you look younger...it's time for you to bring back that beach photo for the summer!

It's difficult to watch as other agents out and out lie to become top producers but as they say it's lonely at the top.  I just can't take advantage of a situation knowing it is wrong.  Awhile back I saw a listing come up in my town that was way off....  Instead of writing up a full price offer and purchasing the property myself I called the listing agent and asked if she made a typo. She was off $100,000 and couldn't tell me which price was right!  I suggested she review her CMA but she didn't have a copy, gave it to her seller.  I said just raise it 100k and several weeks later when I showed the property I noticed the listing agreement sitting on the counter.  The one was overwritten with a two to bump the price up!

Andrew, Thank You the worst thing to me is when I thought I found another ethical agent  and it turns out I was wrong. This market seems to be bringing out the worst and there are days in which I wonder if there is another ethical agent out there. More than anything else its what sometimes make me doubt wehter or not i can continue doing this. Thank You for this post I hope someday we get to meet we're not that far apart.

Hi Andrew,

What a great discussion! Being able to sleep at night....priceless! :)

I loved this analogy.  I spend a lot of my time having to fight the public's perception that we as realtors are only out to make a buck the quick and easy way.  I try to tell them that if I do all of the right things and they find a home they love, the money will follow.  We are all painted with the same brush when someone in our profession takes a shortcut.  Thanks for the public reminder that there are some realtors out there that are willing to not make money if the choices is to do the wrong thing.  I always enjoy your posts.  Thank you for always raising the bar.

Hello Andrew...Another magnificent post, well thought out and deserving of yet another star....That being said, the playing field is usually leveled by time, with personal relationships that endure due to past performance. Referrals are the perfect tool for leveling the field, people deal with me, and I with them not due to fancy ad campaigns or glossy fliers, but because of what we have proven as professionals in the past.

Our reputations are mostly well deserved. Hopefully, People deal with me because of my commitment to getting a deal done properly. I'd like to think that people I deal with can get more done with a phone call and a handshake than reams of paper signed in triplicate. So, for all those who feel they can miss a few steps, break a few rules when "no one" is looking, just remember that time will bear out all.

STAND FOR SOMETHING OR YOU WILL FALL FOR ANYTHING. Our strength is in knowing what to stand for!

Our name is EVERYTHING! In the end, after the commissions are collected and long spent, it is my name that I'm left with. I trade on this name like the currency it is. My good name precedes me in every doorway I walk through and it follows me long after I'm gone. My name stands for something and I will never behave in a manner that will tarnish it. It's much too precious. 

This is a great post, personally I always state that I will not deliberately take unfair advantage of another person, either professionally or personally. This harkens back to the Golden Rule, and although I am not a religious person, I believe in it.  I will use all information available to me for my client's best advantage, that is my job, but I will not seek UNFAIR advantage. Of course with two Realtors involved each is charged with protecting their client's negotiating position, thus I think that any information that the other Realtor divulges is fair game.

Andrew, Great post.  I take my job seriously, and i won't go "outside* the box.  However, I WILL always keep pushing the walls of the box until they expand.

Andrew- There is a difference between cutting edge and bleeding edge.  I am with you, I will not jeopordize my integrity for a few extra dollars.

I've never seen anyone get bounced out of this business for being honest or hard working. On the other hand their are plenty of folks who have been part of the dark side that aren't around anymore. I think most professionals prefer to remain professionals. The folks I worry about are the ones that seemed to have been absent when God passed out the common sense.

Andrew - As one who is familiar with "snowmen" on the golf cards as well as during my 11-year real estate career sometimes, I could not agree more with your take on this.  Well done -

Great post with a great story. That's why Robert Frost said in his poem "The Road Not Taken"....

I like how you say your name is borrowed for a time, than passed along.  I have never thought about it in that light, but I like the analogy.  I have walked away from organizations before because they didn't mesh with my ethics, and I would do it again.

At night, I have to look my children in the eyes.  In the morning, I have to look at myself in the mirror.  It would be hard to do if I felt I was selling someone out by not being upfront. 

Andrew - Indeed, all realtors SHOULD be ethical and follow the code of ethics, but you are right - as in ANY profession, there are those who should move on because they do their own illegal thing. Most eventually get caught - they get greedy and mess up - and they should get caught! Great post!

Andrew, thanks for sharing and this is a GREAT post!

WHat going on here?? I thought this is where you signed up for the Smores of the month club

Mike, Smores or snores? I never know with you.