19 Feb To Live Outside The Law, You Must Be Honest.
To live outside the law, you must be honest - Bob Dylan
Of course, plenty of people, who aren't honest, live outside the law.
Plenty of estate agents, too, that end up being barred from their profession and fined by the authorities.
But the vast majority of 'law', for estate agents, isn't particularly well-written.
It's open to interpretation and subtlety.
It relies more on the morality of an agent than on ethics demanded by external sources.
Ethically, an agent has a duty "not to harass (act in a threatening, oppressive manner likely to cause alarm, annoyance and/or distress) any person in order to gain instructions. Also, must not repeatedly try to gain instructions in a way likely to cause offence." - source: N.A.E.A Code of Practice.
Well, that's door-knocking and cold-calling out, then!
How many homeowners find it annoying? How many agents continue despite unequivocal evidence that it remains so?
Ethics say an agent probably should not.
Morals of an agent, who chooses to live outside the 'law', say we don't care.
"Overkill, over time." to quote those bastions of door-knocking and telesales, Keller Williams.
Back in our caveman days, we didn't have laws.
So how did the tribes function? How did they impose order on each other?
Turns out that exclusion from the group was a 'death sentence.' No protection, no food, no friendship, not much of anything.
To be avoided at all, costs.
Members of the tribe, therefore, did what all humans do - they gossiped.
About other members. How they noticed that one was taking more than giving, etc. etc.
Telling stories of each other and noticing where social infractions occurred.
In that way, tribe members had an moral duty to fit in.
Once the laws arrived, it became a game of how far outside the law a person could live and survive.
But, it's still that tribe mentality that's prevalent today.
Homeowners gossip. Of course, they do.
They disregard the estate agency 'laws' for the simple reason that they don't understand many of them.
Gossip is the only recourse they have.
They form opinions based on small, insignificant things they see and hear.
Things they are told by other members of the community.
Whether face to face, or on social media.
Guess what?
The gossip has it that estate agents/realtors aren't trusted.
Were this the dark ages, they would likely be banished from the tribe.
Since we have become civilized, we merely tolerate those agents. Or ignore them. Even when they come knocking on our 'cave'.
When we have to deal with them, we haven't a clue what makes one different from another.
We nod in agreement when they flatter with a high valuation.
Feign a shortage of breath when exposed to the cleverness of the marketing campaign. Facebook ads, really? Rightmove Premium Listing, wow! Instagram, of course! And all that with 'professional' photos? Phew!
Express gratitude when they discount their fee before we've even asked.
What we are really looking for, though, are signs from the agent that they're welcome. Part of our tribe.
Not, living outside the law.
They claim to be honest - of course they do.
Honest valuations from honest agents. Trying to inculcate their honesty to a vendor with data and awards.
"Just look at our honest reviews from legitimate clients on those decidedly impartial review sites. And here, our award as the Silver Winner for Best Large Group in the UK."
To live outside the law you must be honest.
There should be no speculation. Beyond reasonable doubt.
Problem is, for agents, they have little in the way of supporting evidence.
If every agent claims to be honest, it kinda defeats the object.
Don't tell me you're honest. Let me be the judge of that.
If you're going to live within the 'law' as the vast majority of agents do, tell me why that matters.
Tell me why some other agents are willing to live outside.
Are those agents more creative? Blazing a trail that will soon be adopted as best practice? Or simply hucksters and con men?
One thing is for certain - to live outside the law and not be honest, in time, any agency will be found out.
To live outside the law whilst being honest is no bad thing.
Perhaps your agency knows something that other agencies haven't yet discovered?
I hope so.
Thanks, as always, for reading:)
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Chris.
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