Let's go further than required to help build trust back into the minds of the consumer

In today's newspaper the Charlotte Observer, an article caught my eye concerning agents taking bonuses without disclosing that fact to the clients involved. While there is only a verbal requirement to disclose agent bonuses, we as agents DO have a form called the "Confirmation of Agency" which gives us two lines to disclose both our commission as well as any bonuses that are a part of the transaction. Personally, I use this form with every sale. As in any industry, there are good agents and bad ones. There will always be someone who tries to get away with all they can. Those folks usually get caught, but unfortunately they drag our profession through the muck in the process. I think the clients and customers involved in a transaction have a right to know what their respective agents are making. A professional business person in real estate offers their client much more value than the money earned. The biggest thing most people forget is that we as agents take on a lot of risk. Once we are hired to help a client, there is no guarantee that we will be reimbursed for our time (which can amount to anywhere from 20 hours to 100 hours on any given transaction) or expenses. There could be two to three attempts at purchasing a house before one actually goes through, through no fault of our own. Reasons for a fall through can range from inspection issues to seller's change in plans to a pre-approval letter that is not as accurate as it should be. I just spoke to an agent yesterday who tried four times before getting to within a week of closing. Then it turned out the lender couldn't give the buyer the loan as the pre approval letter stated. So that agent spent enough time to have sold four houses and now won't be paid anything. Regardless, as a consumer I'd want to know whether or not my agent was receiving money from another source. Unfortunately, some agents will try to sell houses where they are earning extra commission or bonuses first. I've never subscribed to this method as it seems to me to undermine my credibility with my client. I want my clients to know that I'm out to sell them the home that works best for them regardless of whether or not I get a few more dollars. That way they trust me enough to recommend their family and friends to me. Being a family's "go to" Realtor should be the the goal of every agent and would go a long way toward helping agents behave and make the right decisions in their business.