Every 4 years the National Association of Realtors requires that members take a 2.5 hour class on the Realtor Code of Ethics to refresh their memories on what it means to be a Realtor and the level of professionalism they are expected to maintain and to expect from others. The deadline for the current quadrennial ethics requirement was December 31, 2008.
As of 11:15pm on Monday, January 5 2009, MAAR’s web site states that 22%, or more than 1 in 5 members, have not yet completed their training. The class has been available literally dozens of times over the last 4 years and is also available FREE OF CHARGE online and yet 1500+ members have not yet completed their training.
To many Realtors this class is a burden but it is an important component of what makes our membership valuable. Anyone licensed by the state can sell real estate but to be a Realtor you have to commit to hold yourself and your peers to a higher standard. I certainly hope my peers will rise to that standard quickly… they have until March 1 to complete their class or they will lose their membership in the association, which means loss of MLS access, electronic lock boxes, etc… basically the lifeblood of any successful Realtor.
For Realtors that have procrastinated for the last 1,468 days, you have 53 days and counting… better hurry!
Update 1/21/09: With 38 days remaining, now just less than 10% of Realtors still need to complete their ethics requirements… we’ll see who’s left without a chair (and a membership) when this song ends on March 1st.
