Do Not Confuse the Public with Misleading Websites

In recent years, it has been a common practice for some real estate agents to own a generic looking website that is easily  confused with a local chamber of commerce site. The consumer, who does not readily recognize that the website actually belongs to a real estate agent or mortgage lender, mistakenly believes that the information is totally non-commercial.

Recently, the National Association of Realtors has taken a position on this new kind of site, commonly referred to as a “stealth” site in the real estate industry. These new sites, which are are now clearly against the Realtors® Code of Ethics, should not be used.

The NAR is very clear on their negative position

Article 12 revised

REALTORS® shall be honest and truthful in their real estate communications and shall present a true picture in their advertising, marketing, and other representations. REALTORS® shall ensure that their status as real estate professionals is readily apparent in their advertising, marketing, and other representations, and that the recipients of all real estate communications are, or have been, notified that those communications are from a real estate professional. (Amended 1/08)

New Standard of Practice 12-1

REALTORS^® shall not:
Use URLs or domain names that present less than a true picture, or
register URLs or domain names which, if used, would present less than a true picture. (Adopted 1/08)

Any real estate agent that is not clearly identifiable by the information on their website is certainly not an agent that most people could trust to conduct what probably is their biggest investment.

If you have any questions concerning Denver real estate, TeamCox is dedicated to giving honest, straightforward answers.

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