Greetings... Last year I was conned by an agent in Maine, and later cautioned on this forum about the NAR people.

This story is absolutely true...though I'm not sure whether it's drama or comedy.

"Ethics" committee

Thanks!

I'm sure I'm going to get it for asking this, but here goes.

If you had an botched medical thing happen, would you find fault with the AMA as well?

From your previous posts we all know what an ordeal you've been through. However, it is just one side of the story. We don't know the other. You can say it happened as you state, but quite honestly, we just don't know. When you've got a problem with a locally run board, that's one thing. Have you tried the State Board? And now, you're bashing an entire entity, The NAR, and I find it offensive.

Wait a minute...the only places I have ever heard anything at all about the NAR is here, and on other forums, and most of what I have heard is pretty negative

Now there's this Federal investigation going on, so one would of course assume that the organization is questionable. (As it seems so many things are these days)

But the only thing that my blog bashes is my local chapter's "Ethics Committee" who took 7 or 8 of my VERY (very) personal emails and forwarded them to all the accused realtors involved in my case, without my permission, or without even notifying me.

(And even if they did notify me, How on earth did they have the nerve to do such a sleazy thing?

(ut just when I was ready to curl up in shame, then the story got absolutely hysterical, because the accused realtor thought that the forwarded emails were from me, so he paid a lawyer to write a letter threatening me with harassment for all these emails that his own accomplices sent to him.

Now, that's a funny story, and I would think that any real estate agent would get a big kick out of it.

If you don't think that's funny, then you have no sense of humor.

(I have a much better reason for not thinking it's funny....)

L.I.M,

Have you talked to anyone at the Maine Department of Professional and Financial Regulation? Karen Bivins is the person to talk to at the Real Estate Commission. You can file a complaint on-line or contact Karen here: Maine Real Estate Commission .

Good luck, I hope you prevail.

Thank you very much. Karen Bivens is in my address book.

Mine is a mobile home on rented land, so the Commission has claimed a lack of jurisdiction. My out of state lawyer friends tell me that the laws are supposed to apply to the agents themselves, and not to the transaction.

Anyhow, after the Board of Realtors, I would NEVER trust any kind of official in this state. I'd have to be crazy. This has been incredibly traumatic.

( Hindsight is 20/20 )

The Board of Realtors took over 5 months just to call me. Perhpas they knew I had time statutes and were trying to run them out.

My time is almost up, and I can't afford a lawyer anyhow.

I was just posting to get the story out... and I thought honest realtors might get a laugh. (The best medicine)

Thanks again.

I agree with KT. Regardless of your experience, do you think every single Realtor and the NAR are to blame? I am a Realtor, member of the NAR, and I have never done anything to you to make you think you or anyone else needs to be cautioned about me (I'm one of the "NAR people").

I'm sure there are good NAR people - just as there are good people in every profession.

The people who did this to me are ---LOL - well, I can't seem to think of ANY adjective that fits.

It's hard to imagine anyone so BRAZENLY evil.

I only started with the 'anti-NAR' lead because they are being investigated and sued by the feds, and also because it was this forum where I got so much anti-NAR sentiment. I (apparently mistakingly) got the impression that it was a consensus at this forum, and a consensus among reputable realtors.

But it's pretty obvious how clueless I was about realtors in general.

All I really know about the NAR is what I know about the local board, and that adjective is unprintable.

I'll chime in here. I am an honest REALTOR, and I take pride in being a member of NAR--not all real estate salespeople are members. For the record, the term REALTOR applies only to agents who are members of NAR.

On a side note:
In many states, a mobile on rented land is considered personal property--not real estate.

Lost... you really are...!
http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/realestate/msg0408305223194.html?91

The current stuff going on with the the DOJ & NAR has nothing to do with whatever your issues are.

They are investigating possible anti-trust issues concerning the MLS, the old IDX/used to be VOW/now is called ILD, that allows brokers to opt-out of showing other brokers' listings on their websites, in a nutshell. Here's the Story .

How that translates to "questionable" is beyond me. Large groups that have a huge amount of lobbying power get investigated by The Man all the time.

That local board may be part of the NAR, but that certainly isn't how the majority, in my experience, behave.

Well...I agree that there are honest agents. I even know some around here. After that kangaroo hearing, I certainly assume they're not in the majority in this area. The locals agree with that, too.

This is a very strange area. There are factions that have been in power for so long, that they don't even know they're doing nasty things. They just do it unthinkingly - as a matter of course.

Yet there are large groups of people up here that don't even know about it. They believe the spin. And they are mostly really awesome people.

The people that do know about it all just say one thing: that I "Fell in with the wrong crowd".

No - a mobile home is not considered real estate here, athough any realtor can put his sign on it and sell it. And he does not need to disclose that when he does so, he's not acting as a licensed agent. The Commission's laws are supposed to apply to the realtors themselves, and not to the transaction. But they claim that they don't.

(The good news is that people are starting to blow whistles, and it's getting harder for the sleaze element to stay so sleazy. The world is too small.)

I wasn't looking for pity. But what those women did is just so outrageous....and the story is pretty funny, (if it happens to someone else.)

The thing is that, around here, people have to get along. So they just roll over and play dead when someone messes with them, to keep the peace. Those obviously thought that's what I would do, too.

EDIT _ it's not nice to call someone a "bim..." - One should not post in anger.

Let's just say their behavior was unconscienable.

I had to come back here and offer an apology to KT and REO.

I finally got brave (desperate) enough to speak up with my new friends. I ended up learning so much, that I wish I had opened up before. (I was too afraid to...)

I have gotten to know some incredibly honest and kind Realtors (Captital R) Apparently MOST of them on the Board in this town are honest.

There are only perhaps 2 who have a very bad rep among realtors - and GUESS which 2? The 2 whom I emailed! The head of the board was one.

(No coincidence there. - The accused work for the most powerful guy in town) I had the option to dispute their choice of Realtors, but I didn't know anyone, so I said nothing. If only I had the nerve to open up to my new friends sooner! They would have warned me.

KT and REO - I apologize for thinking all of the NAR were crooks.

(LOL- only the ones I meet!....sigh....)

It's such a shame that there are so many dishonest people in your profession, because they make all the really nice ones look bad. Too bad there was no way to "Out" the crooks, and send them all packing.

But think positive!

Appology not necessary, but appreciated. You had a yucky R.E. experience. And are understandibly upset. Unfortunately, there are always a few rotten apples in any industry. That doesn't mean we're all bad though.

True.

In some towns, the rotten apples may seem to own the whole barrel. But things will get better.

As long as agents turn their heads, dismiss legitimate ethics complaints, make comments like "people are dishonest everywhere", etc. etc. REALTORS will never have a good name. Enablers like I talked about above will never allow it to happen. I'm getting out of this business after 3.5 years because I'm tired of the lying, the cheating and the stealing, and paying money to an organization and Board who are supposed to uphold ethics and morals against such activity.