photo credit: utahvalley360.com

As reality TV shows have exploded in popularity, the term ‘reality’ has been grossly exaggerated. This is especially true with many popular real estate reality shows, coined as “realty reality TV” (by me, just now). 

These shows are endlessly entertaining – but they are actually shaping the way buyers and sellers think about real estate transactions. Unfortunately, some of the inaccuracies beamed from these shows into your clients' brains are actually making your job harder because you are constantly working to reset false expectations. Like what, you say? 

Oklahoma Realtor Relies on Zurple's Intelligent Automation to Cultivate Business

After going through the process of building a home with a skilled, patient real estate agent, Stormi decided she wanted to be that agent for other people, so she got her real estate license. Today, she's a top sales performer in Norman, Oklahoma.

Real estate agents have a great deal of responsibility, not just when it comes to helping buyers and sellers through their transactions - but when it comes to acting ethically. Ethical behavior includes being open and honest, protecting clients and acting in their best interest, refraining from misrepresentation and cooperating with other real estate professionals to make transactions as smooth as possible. In many cases, it's as simple as following the golden rule and treating others the way you want to be treated, but in real estate - not every situation is that simple.

In today's Agent Insights, Karen Fiddler, a Broker and Realtor in Laguna Beach, California - talks about how making mistakes in real estate actually makes you a stronger agent. 

Here's Karen:

There are tons of articles out there telling you how to optimize your MLS listings to make them stand out to potential buyers (including this one that we published a while back). While it's true that you need to be aware of things that will be a turn-on to home shoppers, you also need to be aware of avoiding things that are a major turn-off. This post provides a list of MLS listing description faux pas, as determined by agents and brokers.

What NOT to say in MLS listings (advice for real estate pros):