Real Estate Agents Aren't Just Sales People by Geraldine Santiago

According to Wikipedia, the word trustworthy is a moral value and considered to be a virtue.  It states that, ‘a trustworthy person is someone in whom you can place your trust.  A person can prove their trustworthiness by fulfilling an assigned responsibility--and as an extension of that, not to let down expectations’. In addition it states that, ‘a trustworthy person is someone that you can tell your worries and secrets to and know they won’t repeat them without your permission.’

When it comes to real estate, you would want your agent or REALTOR to be trustworthy.  Many people may not know this, but this quality is the very essence of your local REALTOR.  He or she is  someone you can trust, it is so written in the Real Estate Services Act. 

Just like any other professional, a lawyer, notary, doctor, dentist, teacher, REALTORS are bound by a strict code of ethics, covering confidentiality, privacy, competence and truth in advertising.  If you find that your REALTOR acted inappropriately or was unethical, you may want to take this up with the Real Estate Council of BC (RECBC).  It is a regulatory agency established by the provincial government in 1958.  Its mandate is to protect the public interest by enforcing the licensing and licensee conduct requirements of the Real Estate Services Act.

The public sees us real estate agents merely as "sales people", it's true, in essense, we are sales people. But, we are also more than that. We wear many hats as agents. We are a chauffer-- we drive our clients around town from house to house. We are a concierge-  we are friendly, helpful, polite, engaging and know the local area. We are a receptionist-- we take calls, make appointments and arrange tours and open houses.  We are trained to write contracts and protect the interests of our client at all times. We have all taken many real estate courses on legal updates, ethics, real estate law, real estate contract writing. Some agents have a university or college degree, are involved in the community, or church, school. Some are published writers, can speak more than one language, are tech savvy and have developed a real estate app.  Some of us area all of these and more!  

If you are looking for an agent in your area, emai me and I can refer you to someone in my RE/MAX family!

Geraldine Santiago

geraldinesantiago1@remax.net