The Publisher’s Page – I have always been fascinated by speech mannerisms and habits. I often wonder if I can detect a psychology within people’s use of phrases or the way they speak.
There are interesting phrases used only within certain regions, even cities, in Canada. For example, “car fare” is an old term unique to Toronto. It refers to a bus ticket or subway token, not a car. No other city that I know of has this term. I think that it originally came from a common phrase for streetcar money.
Some phrases used across Canada grate on me. One such speech mannerism is, “Can I Va”. This term is used mostly in fast food restaurants and donut shops. It drives me crazy when people pull up to a Tim Horton’s and say, “Can I Va” coffee or donut. I am tempted to approach these people and ask, “Why do you say that? Why don’t you just say good morning, one coffee please? What part of your growing up made you talk like that?”
I mention this because I have noticed an interesting speech reference about real estate professionals develop over the last 20 years or so. Today, more than ever before, the general public is using a possessive term when they refer to their real estate practitioner.
Here is what I mean by that. We all refer to professional people we rely on closely as “my”. That is my doctor, my teacher, my lawyer and so on. It is not an endearment so much as a reference to loyalty and closeness.
Folks in other professions, although still respected, don’t all have the closeness of that term. You don’t hear people say my firefighter or my electrician or my newspaper reporter. We might think highly of them but we call them things like “a” firefighter, “the” electrician or “that” writer. We do not feel as close to them as other professionals in our lives.
And here is my point.
Twenty years ago I never heard anybody refer to a professional real estate agent as “my”. Most people always used terms like “the” broker, or “a” Realtor.
Today, it seems whenever the real estate profession is in discussion, a lot of people, in fact most people, use terms like, “my” Realtor or “my” agent, or even “our” real estate broker.
Now for many folks this may be pretty minor or trivial but I don't think so. I am not a psychologist but I think it is a significant change of reference. It is not a matter of respect or importance to the real estate profession, but it is an indication of comfort.
There was a time that the general public did not have this level of comfort with real estate agents. I think things have changed.
Twenty years ago this industry purposely set out to change its image. Licensing courses became longer, fees went higher, the tools of the trade became far more costly and complex. At the end of those years, things changed a lot. No longer could anyone pick up a real estate license. They had to
earn it.
Within those 20 years the number of Realtors in Canada dropped by over one-third, from around 100,000 to around 63,000. I note the numbers have started rising again. There are about 73,000 today but still a far cry from what it was.
Those who stayed in this business were the ones who endured the licensing upgrades, the rising costs both financially and emotionally, and all the professional enhancements that this industry imposed on itself. In fact those who stayed in this profession throughout all the demanding times were the ones who promoted those changes.
I congratulate you all. You changed the perception of Realtors to an entire country.
Some might suggest that when a member of the public makes a reference in a conversation like, “I’m going to call my Realtor”, instead of “I’m going to call a Realtor”, it’s no big deal. But I think it is.
When you think about how much this industry has changed in terms of technology, education and everything in between, it’s pretty astounding.
It occurs to me though that when you think about all the changes that the real estate profession has gone through, you have to conclude that the level of comfort people now have with Realtors is one of the most important.
Take it from “a” publisher, people genuinely like Realtors. They like them a lot more than they did 20 years ago.
You can hear it in the way they talk.
Heino Molls is publisher of REM. Email [email protected].
By: Heino Molls
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