Can you honestly say your are always honest in everything you do?  Probably not, sadly.  We all have times when we think a little white lie is okay to tell.  If it serves a good purpose, perhaps.

For all time, real estate agents have had the “dishonesty” stigma attached to their profession.  While it may be true for some – after all we are human – it doesn’t hold true for all.  I know how important it is to be honest with my clients as well as my customers.  It should be at the core of our being to have integrity as a foundation in everything we do.  This is the road that is paved for us.  The other road sure has it’s bumps!

Lately, with the heat-up in the market, I have witnessed a lot of dishonesty on the part of buyers.  Particularly buyers from outside the area.  This is what I have witnessed going on of late.  A buyer comes in from out of town and they dupe the listing agent into believing they do not have an agent; and then – they “write an offer with their agent” – an out of town agent that didn’t bother to show up with their client to show the property.

This is really disturbing to me on many levels.  First, that the “agent” would not have the courtesy to call and ask me to show for their client because they cannot; and second, because the buyer has shown that dishonesty is in their character.  The next step of course is negotiation and getting through a closing with people who are willing to say/do anything to gain for themselves.  We all know this as greed.

How wonderful it would be to have honesty be the one character trait people would strive for in all that they do.  It would really make the real estate transaction much better in every way.  The next time someone tells me they don’t trust real estate agents – I may have to give them a dose of reality.

In contrast, last week I had an agent from out of area call and ask me if I could show one of my properties to their client.  He was on vacation when they called him to see this property.  I gladly showed it to his client – and was rewarded with a purchase agreement – cash offer!  We are getting through the closing process and everything is going quite smooth.  How nice to deal with honest people all around!