The following letter was submitted to the Idaho Statesman on Monday, May 1, 2017.
The April 19th “Business Insider” contained a piece in which the author claims a friend told him about a real estate instructor teaching agents to “sneak” items into contracts presumably to benefit the agent.
As leaders of the largest REALTOR® associations in Idaho, we were disappointed to see an unsourced anecdote in the Statesman. This is not representative of what agents are taught, or of real estate professionals overall.
REALTORS® are guided by a Code of Ethics focused on fair dealings with clients, the public, and fellow agents. The overwhelming majority of consumers were happy with their REALTOR®, as cited in one example from the National Association of REALTORS® research: 80% of sellers surveyed would use their agent again or recommend them to others.*
Should a consumer feel something unethical occurred during a transaction, our associations can help. Consumers may file a complaint against a member of Idaho REALTORS® at idahorealtors.com or 800-621-7553. If the agent is not a REALTOR®, contact the Idaho Real Estate Commission at 208-334-3285 or realestatecommission.idaho.gov.
We are proud of the work done by our members and remind consumers a REALTOR® is their best advocate when buying or selling real estate.
— Breanna Vanstrom, CEO, Boise Regional REALTORS® and Isaac Chavez, CEO, Idaho REALTORS®
* “First-time Buyers, Single Women Gain Traction in NAR’s 2016 Buyer and Seller Survey,” from the National Association of REALTORS®; www.nar.realtor/news-releases/2016/10/first-time-buyers-single-women-gain-traction-in-nar-s-2016-buyer-and-seller-survey; published October 31, 2016.
