Ethics and Moral Obligations as a Real Estate Broker who used to be a General Contractor/Custom Home Builder

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Lets play a game! I’ve posted a few photos here. Can anyone describe what you see?Foundation 03 Foundation 02 Foundation 01

One of my biggest assets as a real estate broker in my very extensive knowledge of every phase of construction. It is also one of my biggest liabilities. It all boils down to how I can best fulfill my ethical, moral responsibility as a buyers agent and how I can best guide my clients future investment decisions. In Oliver and Katherine Frascona’s (Real Estate Attorneys) book, The Digital Paper Trail, on pages 254-255, there is an exerpt from a trial where when broker went through the home with the home inspector and he was asked if the inspector missed something would he point it out? His answer was yes and he got nailed! Because he was giving information outside his scope of expertise.

I can understand why these guidelines and safegards are in place. I was out with a buyer today looking at new construction, done by “professionals”. The home is in the beginning stages. I took a few photos I put up here. If they would of had an interest in moving forward, I would not have been able to tell them directly what I see, and explain to them why it looks the way it does, how it happened and the the future potential issues I saw. I would of had to have told them, hire a Home Inspector, (Another topic I could spend some time on), who in turn would look at and might see what I see and tell them to hire an engineer who would give them a report on what they find and if they are lucky enough, to point out future potential problems/issues. Many of these issues would not be issues if there were tighter inspection guidlines and what is acceptable in terms of quality.

When I see potential issues, and believe me, I’ve seen, repaired and replaced a great deal of them in my lifetime. Having trusted people I can refer them to now that I am a Real Estate Broker and not a building professional, who I know will give them the correct and truthful answers, is a blessing and allows me to sleep at night knowing I can do this the right way and not just for the sake of a commission check.