They say brokers worry only about their wallets

I suppose we brokers have only ourselves to blame for the perception among the general public that we are out only for ourselves.

Yet I confess to feeling dismayed by what I read in a series of comments on the UrbanBaby Web site.  Consider a few of them, quoted verbatim:

• I think it has been proven that there really is no way to justify the sort of money these shysters steal from us all.
• I was privy to a realtor to realtor negotiating discussion it was such an insider discussion. One realtor telling the other what his clients would really do and what their strategy was, horrible. They are out only for themselves and screw all of us without thinking twice.
• Let’s not forget the lying about schools, neighborhood, building, etc. They are no better than a used car salesman.
• On that old post I saw not a single person justify a realtor fee. All the pro-brokers could do was complain that some sort of random service was provided and deserved payment but no one seemed able to say that the level of services deserved that sort of payment. So they open doors….and should be paid….and?

Whew!  And that’s just a small sample of the invective hurled at my kind.

“My kind.”

As regular readers know, I have little patience for those real estate agents and brokers who breach the law, tread roughshod over ethics, lack competence, act unprofessionally, provide bad advice or put their own interests over the best interests of their clients and customers.

Indeed, the threshold for entry into the real estate industry is so low and the oversight so slight that many of “my kind” deserve the murky reputation that tarnishes all of us.

But how is “my kind” so different from “you people” and other stereotypical assertions?  Broad brushes that paint everyone the same repellent hue are never deserved, never justified and never warranted.

After all, there are among “my kind” industrious, dedicated and supremely helpful real estate professionals who merit our respect and admiration.  They deserve appropriate compensation (though I have written in the past my views on the inequities of percentage-based commissions).

Rodney Dangerfield was right!

Tomorrow: Skeletons

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Malcolm Carter
Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker
Senior Vice President
Charles Rutenberg Realty
127 E. 56th Street
New York, NY 10022

M: 347-886-0248
F: 347-438-3201

Malcolm@ServiceYouCanTrust.com
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