Realtors Should Not Be the Obstacle to Selling Real Estate

I have spent the better part of two days responding to Realtor requests for showings that get cancelled, or rescheduled, or where the agent doesn’t even show up. Maybe I have just been in real estate too long. Maybe I just have an old fashioned sense of how to behave toward others. Yes, I really do believe that manners- treating others as you would like to be treated, and about making others feel comfortable, is important. I believe in the power of ethical and polite behavior.

Real estate veterans remember well the days when our professional relationships meant something. The pros know that we will deal with each other time and time again, and that has always nurtured camaraderie. For the most part real estate was a gentle business. It was a small community of Realtors that embraced ethics and the power of cooperation through the MLS. While there were still untrustworthy agents, we all knew who they were, and acted accordingly.

Today there are a huge number of new Realtors in the business who lack the basic fundamentals of business behavior. Market knowledge, professionalism, respect for your peers, empathy, ethical behavior and adherence to the Realtor Code of Ethics are keys, if not to success, then certainly to a respectable career that doesn’t abuse the rest of us.

The nature of the business has changed so that the traditional mentoring relationship that a broker had with a new agent doesn’t exist. How can we expect professionalism when franchise offices recruit new agents like mad in pursuit of a profit margin? I am amazed by the number of Realtors who lack respect for the value of other Realtor’s time. Please, let’s not ruin it for everyone. At the very least can you speak clearly on the phone, make appointments in advance during the business day and keep them, get familiar with a map, qualify your buyers and be on time? Is that too much to ask?