In the last installment we discussed an excellent article written by Pennsylvania Association of Realtors legal counsel, James Goldsmith. We have now established that one can win a procuring cause action, but be guilty of an ethics violation.
In this post we will examine the language a person may employ when upset with losing a buyer. It is the language which inspired this series, “Poaching my buyer.” There are certainly many variations which mean the same thing. We could use the word steal or take.
What is the meaning of this phrase? Stop for just a minute at this point and tell me what first comes to your mind? Take a moment to think about it.
According to dictionary.com the word poaching means:
- The illegal practice of trespassing onto another’s land, in order to hunt or steal game without the owner’s permission.
- Any encroachment on another’s property, rights or ideas.
So the term means, “to do something which is illegal or wrong.” In the context of real estate, it infers a violation of the code of ethics. It is something which is considered wrong.
Couple this with the words my buyer, it suggests this buyer is my client. An agent does not own a buyer or seller, but we often use this language to communicate our business relationship. When talking to an agent we might say, “I have a client or I have a buyer.” If we add the personal pronoun, my buyer, it does infer a business relationship. What does it take to establish a business relationship? This question will be answered later.
In the next post, we will take a quiz to test our knowledge of the Code of Ethics.
Stop Poaching My Buyers - A Series on the NAR Code of Ethics (Part One)
Stop Poaching my Buyers - A Series on the NAR Code of Ethics (Part Two)
Stop Poaching My Buyers - A Series on the NAR Code of Ethics (Part Three)
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