Range of responses to call for real estate reform

Re: 'Real estate reform must come from within the industry' (April 14)

Dear Editor:

The letter to the editor submitted by Dorothy Templer worries me. Someone being in the business two years (and making) such a statement is not surprising. This business takes time and the first two years, on average, are the most difficult.

The National Association of Realtors is actively working with Realtors in finding solutions to our current short-sale contracts and finding better ways to work with the banks, who hold up the transaction through the investigation process.

(That leads to), in some cases, yearlong transactions and buyers backing out due to the very long time constraints put on them to purchase a short sale.

So when agents working in short sales do not get answers when and how they want, they blame the incompetence of the agent or Realtor, but in most cases it's (due to) the time constraints and lack of information received by the bank negotiators.

Over time, I think Dorothy will have a different opinion.

Rae Legerton
Realtor
PK Real Estate
Huntington Beach, Calif.

Dear Editor:

I concur with Dorothy Templar's aghast remarks. I was about 18 months into the industry when I started reading the announcements sheet that told who had suspended and revoked licenses.

I'm horrified that the real estate industry would continue to allow agents to have keys to people's homes when the agents had been convicted of drug charges -- be it possession or dealing, I wrote a letter to the president of (the state Realtor association).

According to the reports ... you have to (commit serious, violent crimes) before your license will be revoked. It is a very sad state of affairs. I do applaud Missouri for enacting mandatory fingerprinting, which we all just completed.

Now, if they will just force the local associations to send dues statements that (do not appear) misleading. We must clean up our act, you are absolutely right -- from the inside out -- if we expect to turn the reputation of the Realtor to one of true respect from the public.

We might start with some professionalism among agents, and make it easier to report someone. I was warned, when I wanted to report an agent, that I was risking that agent blackballing me, and that no one would ever show one of my listings.

There are all kinds of tricks -- legal and illegal, that go on every single day. Governing ourselves will be a process, it seems.

R.K. Dreier
Broker, salesperson
St. Louis, Mo.

Dear Editor:

I have been a Realtor in Arizona for about 14 years. I find our ethics code very stringent and fair. Of course, there are a few bad apples in every profession, but my experience so far has been that the vast majority of Realtors who I have encountered are hardworking, honest professionals who work in the best interest of their clients without violating any of our ethics regulations.

Should I encounter a problem with one of my colleagues, I discuss the problem with the offending Realtor first before filing ethics violation complaints. So far I have never had a reason to file any complaints and am proud to be a Realtor, and I am proud of my profession.

Karin Schwatlo
Realtor
Apache Junction, Ariz.

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