Ethics In Real Estate Agents

Ethics guides people to act the way they do. Personally, I knew what ethics are, but I was not aware where the term came from. In the ethics workbook presented in this course, I learned the word ethics originated from Latin; “Primum non nocere” simply means, “First do no harm” (Putnam, 2006). The existence of ethics is essential in any aspect or life, whether it may be personal or professional. It is extremely important to follow ethical standards in every profession because it is their duty to do take the proper actions. More specifically, every real estate professional needs to be ethical and put it to good use. For many people, the American Dreams signifies owning a home; their biggest dream is to become homeowners. Real Estate Agents serve …show more content…
For example, an agent should never represent the buyer and the seller at the same time; this simply does not make sense at all. This should never happen because it is impossible to pursue the best interests of two opposing parties. For obvious reasons, the realtor would prefer the party who signifies the highest compensation. Another example is when the agent refuses to represent the buyer in homes sold by owners because their compensation would be adversely affected. An article mentioned, “46.8% thought this was unacceptable and 27.2% thought it was common” (Lucido, 2011). After referring to the ethics workbook, I confirmed my suspicion; greed is the main incentive agents choose to behave immorally. I found the following statement to be completely accurate, “Everyone needs money, everyone wants money and everyone can use some more” (Putnam, 2006). Personally, I could not agree with this phrase more, but I consider the best way to obtain money is by working hard instead of taking advantage of someone who needs guidance. Honestly, I would not be able to sleep at night, thinking someone’s life will be ruined thanks to my own actions simply because I wanted money. At all times, the clients’ best interest should be the primary concern for every single realtor. The Oklahoma Real Estate Commission should impose sanctions based on evidence that proves the licensee is not behaving the way they are supposed to. If agents are not following the ethical guidelines, they must be responsible for their own actions. When agents choose to follow the wrong path to ethics, suspension or revocation of their license should occur. At the same time, I consider fines and imprisonment to be appropriate for severe