by Louise E. Hull   Is the term ethical REALTOR® an oxymoron? I certainly think not! So, why would I ask this question if I already know the answer? Maybe the question I should be asking myself–and others–is why so many people perceive REALTORS® to be anything less than ethical. The REALTORS® I work with and know are great people. They participate in their children’s PTAs, Rotary Clubs, Kiwanis, Lions Clubs, and chambers of commerce. They raise money and volunteer time for Habitat for Humanity, the Leukemia Society, and the American Cancer Society. And on and on and on. And the vast majority of REALTORS® I know abide by the law, abide by the Code of Ethics, and go out of their way to do the right thing for their clients and customers.

So, why would the Gallup Poll, when evaluating ethics in various professions, find real estate agents ranked 36th out of 45 professions? We did come in ahead of lawyers, gun salesmen, insurance salesmen, car salesmen, congressmen, and a few others. But, labor union leaders, senators, auto mechanics, chiropractors, and funeral directors beat us by a somewhat hefty margin.

Sure, any large group will have a few bad apples, but 36th? I don’t understand it.

Have you seen American Beauty? I’m not recommending it. In fact, I can’t remember when I felt I had so wasted my time. I only mention it because of a comment Billy Crystal made at the Academy Awards. He joked that American Beauty was so popular because it’s about something that happens to all of us–being screwed by a real estate agent! Wow, does that make me furious!

Perhaps even more distressing is a 1996 NAR poll that asked REALTORS® what we think of our colleagues’ ethics. I was shocked to see that only 6% said "very high," 19% said "high," 25% said "average," and a whopping 52% said "low." Again, I am asking myself how this could be.

Rather than let this continue to puzzle and distress me, I think it’s more important to figure out what we can do to improve the REALTOR® image. For starters, I feel we must do a better job of promoting the difference between licensees and REALTORS® to consumers. That may be part of the solution. Market research has shown that the NAR image advertising campaign has shown positive results, and I applaud NAR for their efforts. TAR has recently started to leverage the NAR campaign with a radio campaign and has plans to continue to reach out to consumers to tout the value of a REALTOR®. New education requirements in the professional standards arena may also help us improve our image.

I think the biggest part of the solution, though, lies in our day-to-day behavior–toward consumers and each other. We must each walk the walk–not just talk the talk. This is not a new idea. The preamble of the REALTOR® Code of Ethics states, "REALTORS® can take no safer guide than that which has been handed down through the centuries, embodied in the Golden Rule, ‘Whatsoever ye would that others should do to you, do ye even so to them.’" If we strive for every single customer, client, and coworker to leave every single transaction knowing they were treated in this manner, REALTOR® ethics will indeed be reality.