ActiveRain isn't just a Blog for REALTORS®, it is a platform where members (including members within the Real Estate Industry) can be challenged. This February, the Challenge is co-hosted by Kathleen Daniels, Probate & Trust Specialist and Rocky Dickerson. The February Challenge was prompted by questions in the Q&A in reference to an article written by someone from MoneyTalksNews
In my opinion the disparaging article written by Angela Colley and published on 1/17/2021 could not have been written by a Member of the National Association of REALTORS® because the Texas Real Estate License Act requires all license holders to adhere to the Rules of the Texas Real Estate Commission and licensees are trained to know and understand the meaning behind the Act and the rules that describe lawful and unlawful behavior. All REALTORS® must take the most current Legal & Ethics approved by the National Association of REALTORS® when new agents are licensed or before a renewal is approved. It should be noted that the newest approved Code of Ethics & Professional Standards policies were approved on November 13, 2020.
About NAR: "NAR's Code of Ethics, adopted in 1913, was one of the first codifications of ethical duties adopted by any business group." Anyone who takes an oath under the Code "ensures that consumers are served by requiring REALTORS® to cooperate with each other in furthering clients' best interests."
What Consumers Should Know: "When you sign an agreement with a REALTOR® (Member of the National Association of REALTORS®) your Agent will act on your behalf as a Seller's Agent or a Buyer's Agent." The agreement is presented and signed before an Agent is authorized to work with a consumer who then becomes the Agent's Client. Once an agency relationship is agreed and signed, then a "fiduciary duty" (Obedience, Loyalty, Disclosure, Confidentiality, Accountability and Reasonable Care/Diligence) begins. A REALTOR® does not throw other real estate agents under the bus.
Clearly the author of the article in dispute was not written by a Member of the National Association of REALTORS®. Only Members of the National Association of REALTORS® are authorized to use the NAR logo. In business, a licensed REALTOR® including most professionals follow the business Code of Ethics and do not speak ill or write disparaging articles about their peers.
This is my first entry for the "Share the Love," February Challenge---Patricia Feager, REALTOR®.
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