Checking Credentials Can Keep You Out of Trouble.

By Joel Persinger
YourRealEstateDude.com

Having eaten in parts of the world where the origin of the food and the cleanliness with which it was prepared were questionable at best, I have gotten into the habit of looking for the big blue and white health department placard whenever I stop at a restaurant to eat. If that placard has anything but an “A” on it, I’m out of there! Something tells me that if you looked up and saw a “C”, you’d be gone too.

Checking credentials, whether you’re looking for that “A” at your favorite eatery or checking the licensing history of a prospective Realtor, is one step you can take to avoid giving yourself and your wallet a bellyache.

Just last week one of my agents asked me to attend a meeting with an agent from another office who had expressed a desire to work with us in our efforts to help people who are financially upside down on their mortgage payments. It was the first time any of us had ever met the agent in question or visited his office and the meeting did not go quite as planned. The agent was pleasant enough, but there was just something about the gentleman that didn’t seem right.

As we walked through the parking lot after the meeting my agents and I went over our concerns. None of us could quite put a finger on what was wrong, but one said, “I just don’t trust that guy.” Later that afternoon I received an email from one of my agents who had attended the meeting. She had followed up on the concerns and checked the fellow’s licensing history. As it turns out, his license had previously been revoked! In the strongest words possible, she suggested that we decline to work with that agent and that brokerage. The emails that followed made me very proud of my agents. It was unanimous. We would not work with that agent or that office.

But, what if we had? What if my agent hadn’t checked the licensing? What if we hadn’t followed up on our concerns when the little voices in our heads were telling us that something wasn’t right? We could have started to work with a potentially unethical or even criminal real estate agent. Worse yet, what if one of our clients was hurt as a result?

This may sound like fear-mongering to you, but let’s be honest, there are bad people out there. Fortunately, for every dishonest real estate person there are thousands of good, honest agents who care about their clients. The trick is making sure you end up with one of them and not with the bad guy. One step you should include in your vetting of Realtors is to check their licensing by visiting www.dre.cahwnet.gov. It’s not a foolproof way of weeding out the stinkers, but it sure helps.