Standing on Ethical High Ground: Basing Your Real Estate Practice on Ethical & Moral Standards

I stand for respectful, legitimate, grounded, ethical standards in a real estate practice. Actions based in the Code of Ethics for licensed Realtors. The moral high ground, in ethical or political parlance, refers to the status of being respected for remaining moral, and adhering to and upholding a universally recognized standard of justice or goodness. Parties seeking the moral high ground simply refuse to act in ways which are not viewed as legitimate and morally defensible.

Socially responsible firms often reap unexpected benefits even in highly competitive environments, because their commitment to principle makes them more attractive as partners to do business with. Even in a highly competitive environment, with a commitment to principle, the individual Realtor or their Brokerage Firm becomes more attractive as a partner to engage with. From here trust is built and that trust can only be earned based on consistent behavior based on ethical and moral choices. So trust can only be created when actions are based on ethics.

Realtors, as a trade group, have a clearly defined basis of conduct. The standard of practice in our daily work is to be based on an accepted code of ethical behavior. What the code gives us is a foundation and clearly defined guidelines for how we treat each other, our clients, and the public at large. How many times in our working world are we faced with a decision on how to handle a situation for our clients? What is the most effective way to help my buyer or seller reach their goal? Every decision we make has a moral or ethical component and keeping that beacon of light as we navigate the pathways of our transaction is crucial for immediate as well as career success.

Standing for everyone in the transaction is essential. Yes, we advocate for our clients and we do so with passion, but the truly successful real estate transaction is a win-win for all involved. We can only find that solution if the ethical and moral high ground is the guiding principle.

From the first transaction, to the second, to the hundredth, the guiding principles, the articles of the code of ethics, do not change as they are the foundation on which we base all chosen action. Even in a highly competitive environment, with a commitment to principle, the individual Realtor, or their Brokerage Firm, becomes more attractive as a partner. And what arises in the client and agent relationship is trust. Trust that is based on ethical behavior.