November 23rd - 2015

Miss Real Estate Manners: Know your limits

Don’t overstep your bounds or give advice beyond your own level of expertise. Read the fifth installment of tips from the London and St. Thomas Association of REALTORS® (LSTAR).

bad manners

Don’t overstep your bounds or give advice beyond your own level of expertise. Read the fifth installment of tips from the London and St. Thomas Association of REALTORS® (LSTAR).

bad mannersThese 10 tips about courtesy in real estate are taken from guidelines produced in the Miss Real Estate Manners document from the London and St. Thomas Association of REALTORS® (LSTAR). The following story in The REALTOR® EDGE newsletter is the fifth installment of tips, excerpted with permission from the “Common Sense” section of the guidelines, with permission from LSTAR. 

  • Undertake to provide professional services only in those areas in which you have genuine expertise. If you need assistance, ask for it.

  • Be clean and neat in your personal appearance. Keep your car clean as well, to ensure the comfort of your clients and customers. Drive carefully at all times.

  • Speaking of driving carefully, never use a cell phone or Bluetooth to return other clients’ or customers’ calls or conduct other business while driving a client or customer. You may think you’re exhibiting good time management skills, but, even if it doesn’t scare the daylights out of your passengers (which it might), it tells them just how important they are in your mind: NOT! And, for heaven’s sake, don’t text. It’s dangerous and it’s against the law.

  • Upon cancellation of an Agreement of Purchase and Sale, deposit monies must be promptly disbursed in accordance with the Act and any mutual releases. It’s nice; it’s professional; it’s also the law.

  • Provide the sellers with a well-researched and documented Comparative Market Analysis.

  • Advise the sellers of any need for repairs or improvements to make their home more saleable. Do not, however, recommend a specific contractor. That’s overstepping.

  • At the time of listing, provide a copy of all listing agreement forms and estimates of selling costs to the seller. Be sure the agreement contains complete and accurate information. The listing brokerage is responsible for the accuracy of all published MLS® data.

  • Establish security precautions for listings that have a lockbox. As the listing Realtor, you are responsible for making sure that the property is secure.

  • Be responsible for every person you allow to enter listed property.

  • Never allow buyers to enter a listed property unaccompanied.

The above tips are excerpted with permission from the London and St. Thomas Association of REALTORS®. Read LSTAR’s full Miss Manners document here.

November EDGE
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