Our organized real estate associations have been doing a pretty good job trying to enlighten the public that we “real estate agents” are a group of well educated professionals, but isn’t it time our profession moved with the times and elevated our image still a little further by getting rid of the redundant terms “salesperson”, “sales representative”, etc.?

Agency rules now clearly dictate we must strictly outline who we represent in a transaction — a client or customer — buyer or seller. As professionals in real estate we do not sell anything (like a retailer); we present, promote, and market real estate for our seller clients to find the best possible qualified buyer, and then negotiate the terms of sale/lease or rent with the principals involved.

Or often, as you know, we are acting under Buyer Agency instructions to search out a particular type of property, and then negotiate the terms of the agreement on behalf of our clients. So how could we be considered a salesperson by any description? Perhaps if we were to follow the current method of description of representation, we should be called “buyspersons” – duh!

Surely we can all recognize that the term “salesperson” is outdated and inaccurate. In my opinion it lowers the profession’s image in the eyes of the general public. We all shudder when we hear “commissioned salesperson” no matter what we are buying. It just conjures up the wrong image in the publics’ mind – don’t you think?

So what is it that we do if we do not sell? Well, as I said, we advise, we market; we promote and represent the seller in a sales transaction. We do not sell the property, as it is the seller’s to sell truly, not ours! So how can we be called the salesperson when we are acting for a buyer, when all perhaps we did was to negotiate a purchase or lease?

I believe current real estate board salespeople should insist that our profession and associations as a whole stop misrepresenting us, and abandon the outdated and inaccurate terms for a more professional term that reflects our role as Realtors in the real estate marketing process. Perhaps simply replace the label with something like “negotiator”, “consultant”, “advisor”, “property agent” — anything but “salesman”.

Please lobby CREA for a change or tear out this article and send it to your association and ask them to work on an amendment!

Alister MacLean CCIM.

Royal LePage Landco Realty

Ingersoll, Ont.