Lemons Ryhal

REALTORS® should adhere to the strictest of rules in order to be in alignment with all the layers of rules and regulations they must abide by, said Marki Lemons Ryhal during a break in the CE class she taught Wednesday afternoon.

Lemons Ryhal offered that tip and three others during a break in the Core B CE class, “Real Estate Compliance is Not a Game,” during the Illinois REALTORS® Conference & Expo at Gateway Center in Collinsville.

A second tip, she said, is to bridge the gap between REALTORS® and social media. For example, she says REALTORS® should be just as cautious about what they write online as they would on a printed piece of paper. For example, if they “Like” or “Share” an inappropriate Facebook post, they could lose potential business if a potential customer is offended. “Don’t say things at the expense of others’ feelings,” Lemons Ryhal said. “Never do things at expense of the buying and selling public.”

A third tip is to avoid “guilt by association” on social media by locking down groups on Facebook so that customers do not see potentially offensive viewpoints of friends or family members.

A fourth tip involves putting the needs of your customers ahead of your own. REALTORS® have to provide the minimum services and owe their clients obedience, loyalty, disclosure, confidentiality, accounting, and reasonable skill and care regardless of the compensation offered. Each company has the right to set a commission structure for their company as our industry does not have a standard, average or normal commission rate. Therefore, REALTORS® should not criticize other brokerages due to their commission structures.