I was recently challenged about a blog article I wrote. I was told that the references to the “bozo agent” along with the accompanying visual graphic of Bozo the Clown was over the line and damaging to the real estate industry and the reputation of all Realtors. It was suggested that unflattering stories about the real estate industry erode confidence in Realtors, as evidenced by the first reader comment under the article that stated, “This is why we always represent ourselves. We have had bad luck with agents and find them to have the biggest ego’s.”
Given that the content of the article was a factual retelling of actual events that I experienced as a listing agent dealing with a buyer’s agent, and that the agent was indisputably incompetent, I didn’t at first understand what the problem was with the article. In other words, it really happened exactly as I told it. I thought there was a lesson to be shared by telling the story. I thought readers would appreciate having a glimpse into the real life happenings of a deal gone bad. Coloring it up a bit with a nice photo of Bozo and some harsh, opinionated commentary about the agent seemed appropriate to me. Nobody will ever know who that agent is, but you’ll know there are agents like him out there. And you should know that. You deserve to know that. Why should I keep it a secret?
Nevertheless, I edited the post, removed the photo of bozo, and toned down the writing a bit, though the message of the article remains unchanged. I did this out of respect for the wishes of the person who shared their concerns with me. I always appreciate when others respect my concerns, so I try to do the same. It’s only a blog article after all.
This is the second complaint I’ve received in 2+ years of writing 300+ blog articles. It’s the second time I’ve respected the wishes of someone with concerns. The other instance was an article about an MLS photo that was so crappy (the photo that is) I just had to share it. It was a photo of a house with an SUV parked smack in the front yard (in the grass) and a trash can sitting in front of the garage door. I wondered why the agent couldn’t have had the SUV moved and pulled the trashcan out of the way before taking the photo. Someone saw the blog article, recognized the house, sent a link to the Seller who in turn informed his agent, who in turn demanded that I remove the photo, which I did.
Again, in that instance, I didn’t understand why the agent was upset. It was in fact the actual photo he took and placed in the MLS. Every agent and buyer who saw the listing would see the same photo.
Where should real estate bloggers draw the line in writing about our everyday experiences, observations and viewpoints about the real estate industry and the people in it? Some of the best material pokes fun at the stupid things agents do. It’s hard to ignore all that material. But is this unprofessional? Is it mean? Is it arrogant? Is this sort of brutal honestly damaging to the real estate industry and demeaning to other Realtors? I don’t think so.