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Required reading
Keep current on rules and regs.
by Mary Frances Burleson How long has it been since you reviewed the Texas Real Estate License Act? There are 24 sections, and the table of contents makes it easy to read and research.
How long since you looked at the rules of the Texas Real Estate Commission? Again, you can easily research specific subjects. Do you read the TREC Advisor? You will also find good information there, as well as a list of licensees who have violated the license act ... along with their punishments. We all live under the rules of the Texas Real Estate License Act. It is our duty to be familiar with it. If you want an update, go to www.trec.state.tx.us.
When was the last time you read the NAR Code of Ethics? We have a guide–a blueprint–for our relationships. There are sections on Duties to Clients and Customers, Duties to the Public, and Duties to REALTORS®. Of special interest are the duties to each other as REALTORS®. Ebby Halliday has a favorite expression: We are cooperators, not just competitors. When we work together, we show an example to others–to our associates and to our clients. Many brokers and managers call each other and try to solve challenges. These leaders can certainly be very effective in setting the pace and guiding associates in keeping transactions on an even keel.
The TAR REALTOR® Reference features TREC and TAR forms, the Code of Ethics, the license act, TREC rules, plus more. It is, as the cover states, "an indispensable tool for Texas REALTORS®." You can buy a copy by calling TAR, or members can download it from the Legal section of TexasRealtors.com.
I also highly recommend TAR’s REALTOR® Legal Article Book. In this collection of legal articles from Texas REALTOR® magazine and other sources, you can easily find information pertaining to your particular issue, question, or challenge. We are all in the business of risk management, and we are fortunate to have an association with a great legal department that continually seeks out authors and writes articles themselves.
We have a fiduciary obligation to our clients to keep current on contract forms, to know about events affecting our local marketplace, to be aware of changes in planning and zoning, to be knowledgeable about the tax base and the changes that occur in our marketplace.
In the midst of today’s headlines, we should be even stronger in our commitment to uphold our tenets, the Code of Ethics, and our relationships. We are strongly regulated by the license act. We are strongly regulated by the Code of Ethics. We should be even more strongly regulated by our sense of fair play, our morals, and the Golden Rule. We earn the trust of our fellow REALTORS® and our clients daily. In truth, we take a competency test every day.
Aren’t we proud to be REALTORS®? Happy days!
Photo by Jim Reisch.
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Buyers & sellers,
visit www.texasrealestate.com.
REALTORS®, visit www.texasrealtors.com.
