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When making the biggest financial decision of their lives, many homebuyers and homesellers understandably ask their Realtor to provide a professional opinion on a range of topics.
Listen to the audio podcast of this presentation by clicking here or on the ‘play button’ above.
Some common questions for Realtors include if adding a bathroom will boost resale value, should wallpaper be removed, if re-painting will help, how long a home has been for sale, if sellers should leave when their home is being shown, or if a home shows better when ‘staged.’ These and many other questions are typically addressed with aplomb by an experienced Realtor.
However, with other, less benign questions, agents are trained not only to be cautious, but simply refuse to answer them. Is it because the Realtor doesn’t have an opinion? Maybe, but maybe not. Often the reason is because rules don’t allow it.
Federal, State & Ethics…Oh My!
What are these rules that might gag an otherwise conversational, if not super-chatty (or at least engaging) real estate agent to go mum? They include federal laws, state regulations and the Realtor Code of Ethics. And while there are more than three topics agents are forbidden to answer, here we’ll address three examples of topics Realtors are supposed to be cautious about. It helps to first understand that some of the following forbidden conversations most often occur between a Realtor and clients. However, the specific topic of real estate commission rates can also be especially problematic if discussed between Realtors.
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When making the biggest financial decision of their lives, many homebuyers and homesellers understandably ask their Realtor to provide a professional opinion on a range of topics.
Listen to the audio podcast of this presentation by clicking here or on the ‘play button’ above.
Some common questions for Realtors include if adding a bathroom will boost resale value, should wallpaper be removed, if re-painting will help, how long a home has been for sale, if sellers should leave when their home is being shown, or if a home shows better when ‘staged.’ These and many other questions are typically addressed with aplomb by an experienced Realtor.
However, with other, less benign questions, agents are trained not only to be cautious, but simply refuse to answer them. Is it because the Realtor doesn’t have an opinion? Maybe, but maybe not. Often the reason is because rules don’t allow it.
Federal, State & Ethics…Oh My!
What are these rules that might gag an otherwise conversational, if not super-chatty (or at least engaging) real estate agent to go mum? They include federal laws, state regulations and the Realtor Code of Ethics. And while there are more than three topics agents are forbidden to answer, here we’ll address three examples of topics Realtors are supposed to be cautious about. It helps to first understand that some of the following forbidden conversations most often occur between a Realtor and clients. However, the specific topic of real estate commission rates can also be especially problematic if discussed between Realtors.