| More often then
not, the keyword in the real estate industry is "sell" rather than
"represent". Far too many brokers and agents appear to have an
undeclared mission statement that reflects "salesmanship" rather than
"representation" of Buyer or Seller. The California Department of Real
Estate unwittingly reinforces this by identifying the licensee as a
"Broker" or a "Salesperson". A "Salesperson" should be more properly
identified as a "Broker Associate" or "Broker Affiliate" to more
properly identify the responsibility inherent in this role.
First and foremost, ethically and legally,
a real estate agent should be continuously aware of his fiduciary
responsibility to the client. "Fiduciary" simply means handling funds on
behalf of another. Integral to that definition is the element of trust
which is as much a responsibility, as it is a privilege. Real estate
breeds the most litigation of any industry, a fact that could very
easily be a thing of the past if more agents would faithfully execute
their fiduciary responsibility to their clients. It would reduce
litigation significantly.
There is an adage in this industry that
says, "20% of all agents make 80% of all sales". Is this a measure of
success? Perhaps, but a better measure of success would be one that
measures character and responsible representation. |
