This is pretty funny...sometimes you just need to look at things a little differently...life is just too short get all uptight and this is really an interesting way to start the new year...I hope you agree.

By Monika McGillicuddy

I pulled up to the house I was showing about 10 minutes early. It was a pretty mild day here in NH and I noticed a big shiny Harley boldly parked in the middle of the drive. I got out of the car to stretch and enjoy a rare warm 55 degree January day...unusual temps for us!  As I did so a woman came out of the garage and approached me. I asked her if I was blocking her in...since I wasn't expecting a co-broker to show up I assumed she was the seller and would be leaving.

"Nope" she said.

She was dressed in jeans, big heavy work type boots, tank top and denim jacket..she had on lots of big silver jewelry and a big heavy looking chain link type belt around her waist. She held a key ring in her hand full of keys...so many keys it makes my hubby Jay's key ring look petite and he easily has 10 keys or more on his...anyway she clipped the keys to her waist and came to stand near me.

I introduced myself and told her I was here to show the house.
She said she knew that and mumbled her name...which I couldn't hear.  I felt stupid for having said something as lame as I'm here to show the house...which is just as bad as saying "This is the kitchen...the bathroom"  blah...blah as if you can't tell it's a kitchen...a bathroom. Talk about dumb things to say.

Me..."I'm a few minutes early"
She.."Yeah...I figured" now I really felt stupid!
Me..."Buyer should be here any minute"
She.."Okay" and light's up a Marlboro and I admire her nose piercing....little cute tiny diamond (looked real) as the smoke comes out her nostrils and nearly goes up mine.
Me..."Sure is a Nice day for a ride"...I'm trying to make small talk as I step back a bit.
She.."Yup...sure don't get many like this... this time of year" I watch as she expertly handles the butt between her fore finger and her thumb....she smokes like my son does. As a former smoker...I notice those things. I also notice to my dismay that close up she doesn't really look any younger than me. Certainly more comfortable but no younger.

Her cell phone rings and she crushes the butt out and excuses herself to take the call....mumbling it was her husband calling and that he was out on his bike and she was joining him. 

While she's jabbering away on her cell my buyers drive up.  Now I didn't catch her name so I figured I'd just quickly wave to her and take the buyers and go inside...

She.."Hey wait up will ya" she hollers.
Me..."Oh okay.. we were just going to go ahead inside"
She.."Naw I'm done...lets go" and she extends her hand to the buyers and introduces herself as the listing agent of the house.  Me...I had all I could do to not crack up laughing.

It was a pretty hilarious showing and I never ever would of pegged her as an agent...afterwards my buyer asks me if she was new or something..or maybe this was a part time job as she just didn't look or act like a real estate agent. I didn't know how to respond.  But Yikes..I thought to myself...how true!  I wanted to ask the buyers just how did they expect a real estate agent to look and act...but I didn't.

So it got me thinking about NAR's Field Guide to The Polished Professional ...because when I first read it I laughed and thought how backwards of NAR to publish something like this...In fact I thought maybe it was a throw back from the 50's or something. I'm still not sure if its not a joke....Did NAR really need to make suggestions on how REALTORS® should dress??

Have you seen the Field Guide to The Polished Professional?? It is an interesting document and well worth the read.

  
National Association of REALTORS® field guide...Pointers for Becoming a Polished Professional.

(the bold is my added commentary)

Keep your wardrobe up to date with age-appropriate and stylish clothes in your correct size.Choose colors that flatter your skin tone and hair color....Good Grief...age appropriate...do I have to dress like my mother did?? Jeez I should even strive to make sure my clothes fit...and are stylish... what a novelty!  Flatter my skin tone and hair color...yikes I just wear what ever colors I like...plus my hair color changes often...I can't afford to buy new clothes just to match it.

 
Enlist the help of a salesperson or personal shopper at your favorite department store.Or, if your budget allows, hire an image consultant...Are they serious ...a personal shopper??? I know the code of ethics says that if I'm not competent I should engage the assistance of someone who is and who can help me  but jiminy christmas... I'm a real estate agent...not a millionaire!

Shoes should always be polished and the heels in good shape; no sneakers or flip-flops while on the job.  No Flip Flops...I have pretty feet even when I don't have a pedicure, I just can't get rid of my flip flops and sandals! They make gorgeous sandals nowadays, I'm just not getting rid of them even if that means I 'm a not professional!!!

Makeup and perfume should enhance, not mask. Get a professional makeover at your local cosmetic counter to find out what best suits you. Is this a joke...I wear make up to hide my imperfections...not enhance them LOL!

Get regular haircuts and keep facial hair well-groomed.  Well okay I agree with that...my hubby has a beard and I like him hairy but trimmed.

Make sure that your nails are clean and manicured. Ummm....I don't need NAR to tell me to do that...do you?

Jewelry and accessories should be modest, not flashy or distracting. I love my Jewelry and my motto has always been the more the better...what fun is it if I have to keep it hidden???

 
Keep your smile nice and white - don't let it betray your age or your habits.  Hmmm...promoting teeth whitening...I think! Does NAR hold stock in  teeth whitening companies too??

Always use proper grammar. Use of slang, profanity or improper grammar shows your breeding and education, or lack thereof. Breeding and Education...oh my...really breeding? I  jus dunno!

No gum chewing or smoking when you're with a client - it's just rude.  I agree 100%...BUT hey how about No answering your cell phone when you're talking with a client..."oh excuse me Mr. client while I take this call cuz he's more important than you are"

 Mind your manners - open doors, extend small courtesies, and say "please" and "thank you". Okay I like it very much when my husband does that...his mom taught him well.

 
Get some exercise. You'll stand taller, and exude confidence. Gimme a break...get some exercise??? Stand Tall..that's my  mom talking..not NAR...is it? She used to tell me stand tall or you'll get grandmas hump....

 
Express your personality in how you dress, but do it subtly. There's no need to be a carbon copy of everyone else, but leave the exotic animal prints and the loud plaids at home. Express my personality...I wish I had taken a photo of that agent...she was definitely expressing herself.  Does that mean I don't have to dress appropriately and wear stylish clothes???Sounds a bit contradictory...no?

Dirty Little Secrets of Contract Confidentiality

By Monika McGillicuddy

Do you think that the purchase agreement /offer to purchase that you just wrote on your buyers behalf for their dream home is being kept confidential…   

If you answer Yes…think again because in New Hampshire it MIGHT not be.

REALTORS® have an obligation Ethically to disclose to their  buyer clients the fact that their offer may not be kept confidential and yes I am talking about the terms…i.e. offering price and or conditions…financing, deposit ,closing date all of which  MAY be released by the seller to competing buyers in hopes of getting a better /higher offer.

This is sometimes called “shopping offers” and is being done fairly routinely but secretively in New Hampshire and other states.  No one will talk about it because they feel uncomfortable about it…

I wrote about Article 1 SOP 1-13 in detail a while back in my blog  but the summary of the Code of Ethics involving this reads as follows….

 Standard of Practice 1-13

When entering into buyer/tenant agreements, Realtors^® must advise potential clients of:

5) the possibility that sellers or sellers’ representatives may not treat the existence, terms, or conditions of offers as confidential unless confidentiality is required by law, regulation, or by any confidentiality agreement between the parties.

I am curious as to how you all are handling this required disclosure if your state does not a have a law or regulation regarding contract confidentiality?  

Is it a routine procedure in your state/area to disclose the terms?  If so do the buyers you work with know this?

Does a prior (before purchase offer is released) confidentiality agreement work for you?

Every time I try to use one I get laughed at by the other REALTORS®…I mean who in their right mind would have their seller sign this type of stipulation.

Is this a problem in your area?  Many REALTORS® I’ve spoken with tell me they just ignore the whole thing because everyone knows that listing agents have an unfair advantage in a co-brokerage situation anyway.  

I think it’s interesting that our code of ethics removed the word fair a few years back and replaced it with the word honesty…

Your thoughts…

REALTOR COE Changes  

REALTOR Code of Ethics Changes for 2007.    

A number of new professional standards changes were approved at the National Association of REALTORS annual convention in New Orleans. Additions and changes were made to Articles 12, 15 and 17.  

Two new case interpretations were added for Article 6, one for Article 12, a white paper explaining why hearing panels decision do not include rationales and several forms were also revised.

While The Two most important changes were to Article 12, I have included all the changes…even the little ones that as I think all REALTORS should be aware of, especially if you like keeping track of your stats. These come directly from my committee member agenda and my copy of the BOD meeting handout. These changes become effective 1/1/07

Approved changes to Article 12:        

1.   REALTORS intending to share or sell consumer information gathered via the Internet shall disclose that possibility in a reasonable and readily apparent manner.

The rationale is "The proposed new Standard of Practice will protect consumers by giving them advance notice where information they give to REALTORS via REALTORS websites will be shared with, or sold to, third parties."

2.  REALTORS obligation to present a true picture in their
advertising and representations to the public includes the URLs and domain names they use, and prohibits REALTORS from:

 (1) Engaging in deceptive or unauthorized framing of real estate brokerage websites;

 (2) Manipulating (e.g. presenting content developed by others) listing content in any way that produces a deceptive or misleading result; or

 (3) Deceptively using metatags, keywords or other devices/methods to direct, drive or divert Internet traffic, or to otherwise mislead consumers."

The rationale is: "This new Standard of Practice is intended to clarify that Article 12's 'true picture' obligation prohibits deceptive and unauthorized framing of other real estate websites; manipulating listing content to
produce a deceptive or misleading result; and using Internet tools to deceptively direct, drive or divert consumers from their intended Internet destinations."

Article 15

The obligation to refrain from making false or misleading statements about competitors’ businesses and competitors’ business practices includes the duty to not knowingly or recklessly repeat, retransmit or republish false or misleading statements made by others. This duty applies whether false or misleading statements are repeated in person, in writing, by technological means (e.g. the Internet), or by any other means.

Rational: Article 15 prohibits REALTORS from knowingly or recklessly making false or misleading statements the new standard attempts to clarify two things.

1. The duty to refrain also includes repeating, republishing or retransmitting false or misleading statements.

2. The duty also applies these statements whether made personally, in writing or through technological means including the internet.

Article 17

Standard of Practice adopted clarifies the duty to arbitrate disputes between REALTORS in different states where no inter-association agreement exists but where complainants submit to the jurisdiction of the respondents association.

Amendments

Were made to the Code of Ethics Arbitration Manual regarding unauthorized disclosure relating to tribunal members and to parties and includes any report or publication not established in the manual.

Added as an Approved disclosure now includes:

“Where providing the decision of an arbitration panel to an association of REALTORS or  an MLS will enable that entity to correct records of sale or lease transactions or other historical records…in other words giving credit for a sale to someone prevailing in arbitration”

This last one will make people who are into keeping or tracking stats happy…I think.    

The Term REALTOR®

One of my biggest pet peeves as a REALTOR® is the way people mispronounce the word REALTOR®... real-ah-tor... instead of real-tor.   I wonder just how many people when searching for a REALTOR® type in the word realator instead REALTOR®???  Or how REALTOR®S when using the term forget to put it in all capital letters. As a new agent eons ago this was drilled into my head and I was corrected until I knew how to pronounce the word as well as write the word.

monika@monikamcgillicuddy.com