RealTown's RealTalk

Deede,

Thanks for the apology to the RT community at large :>  As we all acknowledge, real estate is local and and all brokers are not the same whether they are in the same franchise or not. 

As I have stated in the past, I have no issue with any business model as long as they follow the COE and appropriate state and license laws.  IMVHO, if I am doing the very best that I can do as a real estate professional, why should any business model "threaten" me and why would I feel the need to attack it?

Just my .02

Offering a rebate is similar to charging a lower listing fee; it is simply a means to lower your fee.

I'm from the OLD SCHOOL, where fee sharing was considered UNETHICAL at one time. The only person you could share a fee with was another BROKER. So if that rule hasn't changed I don't see why NOT, as long as your customer or client is a broker or under the authority of a licensed broker. But why would anybody share a fee with anybody? In the past, fee sharing with persons associated with the transaction was considered collusion or an inducement to buy or sell, but who knows in today's world? Times have changed and we live in a relative world where there are no absolutes! So I guess you can say "to each his own" right? We live in a brave new world where people believe, what may be acceptable conduct for one party may not be acceptable conduct for another, like I said, "to each his own", right? There are no absolutes in a relative world, so what's all the fuss over sharing? Shouldn't we all share? What harm would there be in sharing a fee, if it can induce the economy, right? Does it really make any difference anymore? I'm still kind of an Old School Realtor I don't think it's appropriate to share your commission with anybody connected to the transaction PERIOD! But then, that's me and who am I to say that you can't share your commission with who ever? Just think about it, if you induce enough people you may earn more than $250k adjusted gross income this year and you would be helping our President to absolutely share your patriotic contirbution with those who have not. So I don't see why sharing is a bad thing. Our President is offering a tax rebait, (that is not a misspelling) of $8,000 out of the Government Till to anybody who has not owned a home since 2006. Now that's pretty big of him don't you agree? Even though our debt is in the Trillions and Climbing at brake neck speed, he's going to re-distribute other peoples tax dollars he hasn't even collected yet. So why not follow the leader, if inducing the prospect to move forward through a tax rebait works for economy, then why not voluntarily share your hard earned fee with who ever you induce to right an offer? Who knows the seller may take it if the inducement is big enough. Besides if an inducement is what it takes to overcome the objection then why not, Right? Everybody has to make a living, right?