Shortly after launching our Really Rotten Realty website last month, we were reminded of the difference between Realtors and real estate agents.  That reminder came in the form of a friendly request from the National Association of Realtors’ legal department about the correct use of their trademark.  Without thinking, we interchanged the word Realtor for real estate agent in a couple of sentences scattered throughout our site that described AgentHarvest’s real estate agent finder services.  Even though the term Realtor was used positively to describe quality agents, it’s still a trademark violation nonetheless.  It was an oversight on my part that was promptly corrected and I want to thank The National Association of Realtors for bringing that oversight to my attention in the kind manner in which it was relayed.  The Trademark Administrator for NAR, Mary Newill also provided me with lots of information regarding the correct usage of the word Realtor.  Apparently she said that this misuse is quite common, even for Realtors.  Case in point since I misused the term and I’m also a Realtor.  Seeing as this is such a common problem, I decided to share the information she relayed to me.
Continue reading » »

Does the Realtor’s Code of Ethics and the Texas Real Estate Commission’s Canons of Professional Ethics and Conduct Conflict with a Realtor’s Fiduciary Duties to their Buyer Clients?  This discussion focuses on an agent’s participation in a buyer client’s potentially discriminatory request, and how strictly observing the Code of Ethics and TREC Canons may conflict with an agent’s fiduciary duties to that buyer client.  None of this discussion pertains to the selling client, which I consider to be a different situation entirely.

Continue reading » »