Yes, I'm speaking about the foreclosure market. I understand it's a real and ever growing part of our industry right now, but I dont think it's in the best interest of our fraternity to go out of our way to make a buck on it. There are groups of agents that feel they are being of service to the community going out and telling the general public about who is who in the demise of there dream of owning a home. I honestly believe there is a better way and a more positive approach to this catastrophic situation.
And here it is. There is a thing called positive value and there is also a thing called negative value. And in my way of thinking, for a group of agents setting up tent and telling the world about someone's demise is not a positive value. The only one this really is a positive to is the agents themselves and there personal pocket books. They might try to hide behind a very shear set of blinds saying they are 'trying to help' the homeowner in their need of financial distress, but are they really?
Here's my take on it. When we identify a homeowner in trouble, WE should be looking out for them by assisting them in their time of need. If that means taking a listing at a less then full broker fee, or if that means working with their lender(s) and advising the lender that WE are here to help in any way shape or form. (I know this doesnt fare well with brokers as they dont want to see a reduction in broker fees, yet they complain when they dont get it. But if they were to look at the income and take away the broker fees that were done at a reduction, I wonder how much lower the income numbers would be without the lower broker fees being included. Greed is one of the deadly sins.) Maybe thats why the general public, in general, doesnt like REALTOR(R)s. We always talk about being of the American way. We always talk about wanting to be of service to our community. Wanting to give back to the community that we live in and help grow and nurture. We should be extending our hand and looking for a way to be of help. A positive value!
Well now I have to ask the question, what's the American way? What's the definition of this to you? What's your fiduciary responsibility here? NONE? I hope no one thinks that. We are all in this together and should be trying to be of service to these homeowners. What if this were you? Maybe it is some of us. And, probably it is some of us. It's bordering on privacy issues. Maybe the homeowner hasnt advised the children yet.
Where is the compassion. Understanding? I hope and pray that we can re-group and try another approach and see how we can make a positive value to our communities and be there for them in good times and in bad!
Courage for the Journey
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