A Vacant house, a Stranger, an Urgent request to Meet there
Immediately . . . Absurd? It happens all the time to Realtors. In the
hyper-competitive real estate profession you know if you don't jump, the buyer
will find another Realtor who will. You know this kind of call is unlikely to
be fruitful . . . but the eternally hopeful optimistic adrenaline junkie inside
you starts cheering from the back of your mind, "What if this is the
exception? Go! Go help Buyer...Go get it sold..." As Realtors, closings
feed our families.
63 Dead in 2013: 38 Accidental . . . 25 Homicides. The Bureau of Labor
and Statistics reports an occupational average since 2003 of 75 fatalities per
year industry-wide (real estate for sale, rent, lease).
As an industry, perhaps it's time Realtors re-educate the
the buying public on the home buying process and implement professional
courtesy standards requiring buyers to meet Realtors at their real estate
offices for a Buyer Consultation prior to showing appointments and obtain from
buyers a written pre-qualification/pre-approval for financing or proof of
available funds for purchase prior to scheduling property showings. Perhaps the
National Association of REALTORS® can amend the Realtor Code of Ethics to include
a professional courtesy Article like this to promote Realtor safety,
professionalism and productivity, buyer education and preparedness, and
increased seller satisfaction by limiting showings to only buyers who have
provided Realtor with a written verification of their ability to buy.
Is expecting buyers to verify their ability to purchase what
a seller has prepared for them, Realtor has researched and will devote their
workday to showing them . . . too inconvenient for real estate buyers . . . or
too radical to implement? Or would
serious buyers, sellers, local real estate boards/associations, state
organizations like the Wisconsin REALTORS Association and Realtors across
America benefit if such an Article is added to the National Association of
Realtors' Code of Ethics?
Until we take a stand together as Realtors and make such a
pledge to each other, there will always sellers preparing their properties for
"buyers" who cannot buy and Realtors who will feel the need to sacrifice professionalism, jumping to the urgent call and placing their personal safety at risk so they don't lose the potential sale to another Realtor.
Certainly there are occupations far more dangerous than "Realtor." Aside from cases where clumsiness and slippery walkways are involved, we shouldn't see any fatalities in this industry. Homicides resulting from stranger-danger in our workplace can be avoided.
This is an industry of professionals dedicated to helping people find and acquire "Home" -- a place of safety and security, where treasured memories are made, dreams come true and love abounds. Can't we keep fear of occupational fatalities out of real estate by implementing a simple safety rule into the Realtor Code of Ethics?
Maybe if the job description demanded we climb columns and peek in windows to avoid soiling sellers' carpets and save fuel by leaving the car at the office and hopping rooftop to rooftop to rooftop to show properties . . . then it might be difficult to avoid occupational fatalities. Opening a door . . . Homicide?
Let's stand beside each other and our seller-clients and take an oath to protect our professionalism, our safety, and our selling clients from the horrors and heart-ache that we create when bringing buyer prospects with unknown purchasing capabilities, unknown motives, and unknown histories into neighborhood properties.
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