Is the Real Estate Business a Profession, or a Trade, or What?

I know you have thought about this, so it will be part of our featured conversations. This debate goes on to this day, especially in an era of change and new business models.

We sometimes see swarming negativity when someone legitimately asks about discounting commissions or working part-time as opposed to full-time.

So, are you a professional or a salesperson? Charles Chatham addressed this well in his 1982 classic, adopted by those in the buyer broker movement.

"I was now in the real estate business! That gave me a thrill. Just think of it! I was in the real estate business! But that was wrong, of course. I wasn't really in the real estate business at all. Not the real, real estate business. I was a salesperson attempting to make a living in what is actually a profession.
And salesmen have no place or function in a profession."