Egotism - Does it belong in Real Estate?
by Belinda Walker, Edmonds REALTOR®
Edmonds WA Real Estate
As it has been said in a previous thread, we are all sales people in one way or another. No matter what our career choice in life, at the very least we have to sell ourselves. That is impossible to do without a healthy dose of self-esteem; i.e., a realistic respect for or favorable impression of oneself.
While some define ego and self-esteem as the same thing, others define ego as an exaggerated sense of self-importance or conceit, which is how I define it for the purpose of this post.
According to an article on Wikipedia:
"Egotism is the doctrine that individual self-interest is the appropriate motive and valid end of all conscious action. Egotism manifests itself as excessive rationalization, denial, &/or narcissism, as well as the inordinate concern for oneself or a tendency to speak or write of oneself boastfully and at great length. Egotism may also be coupled with an inflated sense of one's own importance, at the denial of others. This conceit is a character trait describing a person who acts to gain values in an amount greater than that of the values he/she gives to others. Egotism is often accomplished by exploiting the altruism, irrationality and ignorance of others, as well as utilizing coercive force and/or fraud."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egotism
Does the definition sound familiar to you or remind you of an associate or colleague; perhaps yourself? How many of us know agents who conduct their business and interact with their clients in this manner?
The Law of Real Estate Agency in the State of Washington declares that agent owes to all parties to whom they render real estate services "to deal honestly and in good faith."
Further, the REALTOR® Code of Ethics states in Article 1 that "REALTORS® remain obligated to treat all parties honestly," and in Article 12 states that "REALTORS® shall be careful at all times to present a true picture in their advertising and representations to the public."
There are some among us who are quick to accuse and threaten action against others for various violations of The Code and yet, refuse to look into their own glass house to see where they may be in violation of The Code themselves.
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