Did you notice that there is the symbol ®, after the word "realtor"? What exactly does that mean and why is it important?
Largely, it means that the agent bearing the designation has paid a significant sum of money to participate in the three major professional organizations associated with the practice of real estate, from a local level to a national level. Specifically, the benefit of these organziztions to you are as follows:
They provide both education and protection to the consumer, via documentation of protective practices on the part of the Broker, on behalf on their principal- that's YOU,
They establish a professional code of conduct for Real Estate agents to apply to their broker's practice as well as their own,
They fight for your rights and benefits as a home owner/investor at the political level.
The third benefit of these is perhaps the most germane service to you, even when you are not buying or selling, yet one of which few are aware! Right now as an example, there is debate in Congress over the IRS mortgage deduction. The California Association of Realtors®, aka CAR, is fighting to keep this in place, while Congress is considering taking it away. The negative effect this would have on the economy is predictable, but immeasurable! 26,000 agents just wrote in to their representatives to keep this deduction in place.
So, this blog seems to have digressed from the topic, but believe me, I could go on.
Why do you want to hire a Realtor® over a real estate agent? Personally, I have been both. When I first became an agent, the offices I worked in were small and there was no push to participate in the larger arena. Later I went on to larger agencies, where it was required.
What I would say is that the more professional the environment, the more professional the product of that environment! When there is more to protect in terms of reputation, there is more attention to the acts of the representative force. What is expected of me, and what are provided to me are at a higher level of professionalism when I have been contracted as a Realtor®, then merely as an "agent".
If I was to encounter someone who could not say they were a Realtor® who was active in our profession, and seeking my business, I would certainly want to know why they were not a Realtor®! It is the current standard for our industry. And then I would go and find a Realtor®!
