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August 2008
Index of all
messages
from the Association President
Pledge to promote clients’ interests must withstand Internet era
By David DeElena
In this age of technology, REALTORS® have a great opportunity to provide a level of service that is rarely seen in most industries.
The advent of the Internet has allowed consumers to expand their access in ways that most people could not even fathom just a few short years ago. With all this change comes a responsibility to the clients which is supported under the REALTOR® Code of Ethics.
Article 1 speaks specifically to one of our most important obligations: “When representing a buyer, seller, landlord, tenant, or other client as an agent, REALTORS® pledge themselves to protect and promote the interests of their client.” Unfortunately, as business increases, it appears that this important basic facet of our fiduciary duty to our clients sometimes gets lost in the shuffle.
An MLS search of potential listings for a potential consumer shows what I mean. The completion of a listing sheet on the surface appears a simple process and one most sellers would expect to be fulfilled in a professional and complete manner. It would be interesting to see how our clients might react to what we as REALTORS® experience on a frequent basis when we access those listing sheets.
Incomplete or inaccurate information isn’t unusual to find. But we must remember...a seller’s exposure to potential buyers is no doubt affected by the lack of our attention to detail when inputting information.
Where is it?
Take how to get to a property, for example. With the rollout of mapping technology by Metrolist, the importance of county PIN numbers, map pages and even east/west and north/south address ranges becomes even more evident. Maybe you, like I, have experienced the frustration of trying to find a listing when the direction provided by the listing agent is “see Mapquest.”
Some agents assume that everyone knows where a given community is located. So why supply the details? But this assumption couldn’t be further from the truth, especially to newer agents or relocating buyers who rely on the accuracy and more importantly the details provided by more seasoned professionals.
Internet consumers end up relying on third-party software to identify home locations when we as a group fail to be as detail-oriented as our sellers expect us to be. Those buyers may choose to move on rather than spend more time trying to locate a property with either unclear directions or no directions at all.
Watch out for violations
Typically, a common excuse for failing in this area is the number of listings an agent is carrying. Client expectation does change based on an agent’s level of production. But every time a REALTOR®’s performance (or lack of) impacts the client’s best interests, a violation of Article 1 may have occurred.
While most agents perform their duties in a manner that exemplifies the lofty goals that we as REALTORS® aspire to, we must review our performance compared to the expectation. Just as consumers have greater access to property information, a time may come when our inconsistencies gain more attention than we as an industry would prefer.
The belief that technology can replace basic customer service should never become a mainstream idea. The need to improve our efforts will never diminish while the expectations that the consumers place upon us will continue to increase. Your efforts in aiding your fellow REALTORS® will not go unappreciated.
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