"You don't need a doctor....here, take the secret combination of herbs. It's my new cure all elixir."
Similarly, that claim spins far and wide on all night TV and radio stations.
The pitch man is usually dressed in a doctor's lab coat, and does his best to pass himself off as a medical doctor.
Sometimes he makes claim to being a chiropractor or a Ph.D. in herbal medicine from some unheard of college in India.
There are a growing number of "expert" real estate pitchmen who pass off their magical investment elixir as the key to great financial rewards.("You can flip houses and get rich.")
And there are licensed real estate agents and brokers, and attorneys who send out multitudes of letters to homeowners offering to consider buying their homes.
They claim that the seller doesn't need professional representation, and will save the cost of a Realtor's commission or attorney's fee.
I recently got one of these "I wanna buy your home" letters.
Nowhere was it revealed that the sender and his wife were both attorneys and both Realtors.
I thought that was both illegal and unethical, so I filed a complaint to see what would happen. The State of Texas Real Estate Commission ruled that the content of the letter is legal. I've not heard back from the Professional Standards of the MetroTex Association of Realtors.
Last week, Patty and I got another letter. This time the writer offered to buy our home for a maximum of two-thirds of that I know its value to be.
The carrot was a quick, no commission, sale.
Nowhere did the writer suggest we obtain professional representation.
For the same reason that sick people shouldn't be led to believe that a $29.95 elixir will cure their ailment....that they don't need the examination and advice of a licensed physician... I believe those sending unsolicited letters offering to purchase homes should be required to advise those interested to engage the services of a licensed professional real estate agent or a licensed attorney.
And be required to reveal what professional licenses they, themselves, have.
Regardless of their beautifully capped teeth or their "How to Win Friends and Influence People" inference, they are not neutral in their proposed transaction.
I wonder why the state commissioners and the National Association of Realtors haven't been lobbied by brokers and agents to addressed this?
Bill Cherry Broker -
Realtor Keller Williams Dallas Premier
Since 1966
Direct: 214 503-8563
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