Jim, I'm also an e-PRO, tutored by your very own program. I call myself an e-PRO, and so do you. Chances are, you're better on the Internet than I am, but that doesn't mean I don't do my very best for my clients. And it doesn't mean that I'm better on the Internet than some other agent who doesn't have the e-PRO designation.

What it does say is, I care enough to try to live up to that standard I mentioned. I go the extra mile to stay on top of my game. Selecting a Realtor who also claims to be a Christian (whether they actually are or not), gives the buyer/seller a pool of agents so they are more likely to find one whose motives match their expectations.

No discriminating here. I am just a person who puts her faith in God and Christian Real Estate Network is not the only referral group I belong to.


I am surprised at all the attention this topic brought. But I guess that is what we are here for.


I might not agree with all of you, but I do respect your opinions.


Hope you all are having a wonderful weekend.

Does anyone else but me think it's weird that apparently many Christian members of the public think that the Bible or their life experience has told them that they should transact their real estate business only with Christian agents and exclude doing business with non-Christian agents? This doesn't sound "Christian" to me but I'm no expert. Is this one of the beliefs of Christianity? Did this start with Jesus? Is this something Jesus would do? Are other religions preaching intra-religious economics only?

Who said that?

It's not unusual at all for people of a particular faith, creed, or lifestyle to seek out others of a similar lifestyle when wanting to do business. But I didn't see anything in this thread talking about doing business ONLY with Christians to the exclusion of all others.

Sheesh!

Niche marketing , nothing more.

Seems like everyone is making a big deal about this. Their policies don't seem any different than Cendant's policies concerning refferals.

I know a agent that is involved with that network , according to them its pretty good. Having said that , I know around here we have a few agents that pull the whole "I'm the only honest agent in town" thing. Its just thier ploy/niche and if it works for them , so be it , I'll sell more houses on my work of doing my best to be the best.

Jerry W,
You really seem to have no clue about this topic.

First I am not a member of the Christian Referral network.

Second there is NO difference from any other referral network.

This network simply targets Christian buyers and sellers that prefer doing business with someone that at least on the surface shares the same values that they do.

This is not a religion that is "preaching" this it is simply 1 or 2 Christian business men doing this. I would bet if you searched hard enough you could find a Muslim, Jewish or other religious based referral network.

That attitude is what's going to cause the ol' slippery slope right down into Fair Housing Land. Walk around with that 'tude and people who don't meet your high standards of religious belief are going to be treated as less than those who do. Oh you can say you won't, but working with the godless heathens has GOT to have an effect on your attitude towards them as opposed to how you feel towards your group.

Hey Deb, do you have gaydar? Tell us how many of these gay-hating preachers from Haggard's church have something to hide:

Artiste, have you read the Bible at all?

Jesus Himself fraternized with tax collectors, who were despised for their greed and dishonesty; adulterers, lepers, self-righteous politicians, and all sorts of perceived undesirables.

Picture it: you are on floor duty and a call comes in. The caller is obviously, by the pitch of her voice, a young girl. She has a Southern drawl to her speech. There are a couple of screaming kids in the background, and the TV is on, loud. The caller asks you about a pricey home that is listed with your office. Do you take the time to discuss her wants/needs in a home and attempt to help her? Or do you blow her off as a clueless dumb kid? Be honest. I had such a call, and the young lady turned out to be the wife of a surgeon who was relocating to our area.

As for working with "godless heathens," Christians are notorious for that. And what it does is give them an even deeper love for the people they are ministering to. I don't judge my clients on the basis of any outward criteria. I look at their needs and their ability to meet their financial obligations in purchasing a home. And I encourage them to make sound decisions, not act on emotions. I don't push them to overextend their resources or rush into a decision before they're ready. That's what a Christian viewpoint is all about.

Read it, altargirl, baptized by the Holy Spirit, summers at a church camp, AWANA, and uuummmm...I think that's everything so far. Going to church tomorrow too, as usual.

I've been dealing with Fair Housing law for nearly 5 years and I treat everyone the same and that includes NOT having a "deeper love" for the non-Christians.

Cute how you assumed I didn't know that Jesus was a Progressive Revolutionary Liberal Long-haired Hippie Jew. He probably wore organic clothes too.

Glad you told me, Artiste. I never would have guessed.

Hey Paul, thanks for letting us know that you're not a member of the CREN. For the record, a network like this which has a website which implies that non-Christian agents are mostly concerned about earning a commission and not the welfare of the client is not something I would categorize as typical of any other referral network.

If you know of Jewish or gay or Muslim or atheist or Taoist or Native American or any other referral networks that imply that only their members provide honest service and that non-member agents are only interested in commissions, please share them with us. I find all "holier than thou" organizations equally despicable.

I think we all just need to agree to disagree about this topic; no minds are going to be changed.

The original post was does anyone know about the Christian Realtor referral network and everyone's opinions about that topic are crystal clear.

If the owners of hismove.com are realtors, then the statement on their website which reads: “Wouldn’t you rather have a Christian agent that is more interested in YOU than in a commission???” violates the NAR code of ethics because it implies that non-Christian agents are more interested in getting a commission than in serving their client.

Quoting from the NAR Code of Ethics:

“They [REALTORS®] identify and take steps, through enforcement of this Code of Ethics and by assisting appropriate regulatory bodies, to eliminate practices which may damage the public or which might discredit or bring dishonor to the real estate profession.” Implying that non-Christian agents are more interested in getting a commission than in serving their client discredits and dishonors the real estate profession.

“They [REALTORS®] refrain from making unsolicited comments about other practitioners” Implying that non-Christian agents are more interested in getting a commission than in serving their client constitutes making unsolicited comments about other practitioners.

“REALTORS® shall not knowingly or recklessly make false or misleading statements about competitors, their businesses, or their business practices.” Implying that non-Christian agents are more interested in getting a commission than in serving their client is false, reckless and misleading.

^^Jerry wins the thread!

[quote}Glad you told me, Artiste. I never would have guessed.[/quote]
That's because I'm an Episcopalian!

I'm not sure if all the principals in www.HisMove.com are current or past Realtors. Being an NAR member doesn't seem to be a criteria for 'membership' although several of the members appear to be Realtors.

File a grievance and see where it goes.

I filed one several years against a local operation of a national franchise that was using some misleading information in their ads.

I would also bet you 10 dollars to a doughnut (Christians bet too ;-)), that their 'members' are not routinely dislcosing to their buyers and sellers referred from the HisMove.com that HisMove is getting a 25% rebate fromt their commissions. Non disclosure of that fact would be an ethics violation.