May I Come In? More Complaints – More Fines The National Association of REALTORS®, Ohio Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing, and MLS Rules and Regulations all address the issue of access to listed property. And, CABR continues to receive complaints pertaining to unauthorized or non-compliant access. Below are just a few examples of… Read More »
The real estate industry is very competitive and new businesses…and business models… continue to enter the market. Make sure you don’t engage in discussions that could land you in trouble. Making statements about practices or commission rates could fall under antitrust laws and the Code of Ethics. One of the items that fall under antitrust… Read More »
With all the options for promoting listings on the internet, sometimes it’s not obvious that a property is listed, or who it is listed with. That’s no excuse for contacting a seller directly. REALTORS® have a responsibility to make a reasonable attempt to determine whether a property is subject to an exclusive listing agreement prior… Read More »
Where Can I Find This? Sometimes members play a guessing game when seeking information they need from the Cincinnati Area Board of REALTORS® (CABR) or Multiple Listing Service (MLS). And, staff sometimes has some digging to do to help the member. There is a myriad of forms and information available on the CABR and MLS… Read More »
Misuse of the term “REALTOR®” is often brought to the attention of the Cincinnati Area Board of REALTORS®. “REALTOR®” is a trademarked term that is owned by the National Association of REALTORS® and its use is regulated. The following is a BRIEF example of acceptable uses of the term. The full NAR Membership Marks Manual… Read More »
Oftentimes on social media, as well as, other written communications, REALTORS® fail to identify themselves correctly. Article 12 of the Code of Ethics addresses proper identification in real estate communications. And, the REALTOR® trademark must be used in accordance with the established rules for its use. Article 12 REALTORS® shall be honest and truthful in… Read More »
Change is Coming – NEW Purchase Contract The Cincinnati Area Board of REALTORS® and the Dayton REALTORS® Joint Contract Committee has been working on revisions to the Contract to Purchase. The Committee has been working on a complete review of the Contract and the new Contract to Purchase is targeted to be available within the… Read More »
Contracts and forms that are provided for use in real estate transactions must be completed with care. It is important that all parties who will be signing the forms read them, ask questions (to either their agent or legal counsel) pertaining to anything that isn’t completely understood and review the documents prior to signing and… Read More »
Can a REALTOR® Get Into Trouble for Not Following Covid-19 Guidelines? The answer is ….. maybe. While REALTORS® must adhere to executive, or shelter-in-place orders, violations of such orders do not automatically constitute a violation of the Code of Ethics. To determine whether a violation of an executive or shelter-in-place order also violates the Code… Read More »
Improper Handling of Earnest Money Can Result in Sanctions It seems simple enough. A contract calls for earnest money, earnest money is collected, earnest money is deposited in an escrow account, the seller is so notified and the earnest money is disbursed as addressed in the contract. But, what happens when something goes wrong? Here… Read More »