Talk:Real estate agents and brokers

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Realtor

The word 'realtor' is used as if it is pretty much a synonym for REA, yet FAR down in the article, the legal restriction of the word is indicated. This combination is unfortunate. Either postpone the introduction of the word, or move the part about the restriction up -- or even include it in some way with the first mention of the word. Separately, the article capitalizes the word. Does this mean that it should always be capitalized or that the capitalized version is what is restricted? Kdammers (talk) 03:46, 13 June 2021 (UTC)

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Semi-protected edit request on 1 January 2023

Please change "A real estate or real estate broker is a person" to "A real estate agent, referred to often as a Realtor and/or a real estate broker is a person" SavageCerebral (talk) 00:12, 1 January 2023 (UTC)

 Done Lemonaka (talk) 08:16, 1 January 2023 (UTC)

Not All Real Estate Agents are REALTORS®

A real estate agent should not be referred to as a REALTOR®. REALTOR® is not a generic term for real estate agents, brokers, licensees or sales people. A REALTOR® is someone who belongs to a local REALTOR® association, a state association and the National Association of REALTORS®. This term was trademarked in 1949. REALTORS® subsribe to and practice a Code of Ethics and are held to a higher standard than what just a typical agent, sales person, broker or licenesee are held. Use the correct language and terms. 2601:5CC:8201:1DB7:89F5:9A8C:7609:BB80 (talk) 19:08, 5 April 2023 (UTC)

I believe I have addressed this with the addition of the section The term Realtor. Toddst1 (talk) 17:44, 17 June 2023 (UTC)

This section still seems wrong, making "realtor" sound ike some exotc title from outside the world of real estate. Isn't the truth more of a square v rectangle sort of thing? A realtor is a real estate agent, but not all real estate agents are realtors, correct? And there is no chance of Wikipedia using the all caps with registered trademark symbol version of the word.--User:Khajidha (talk) (contributions) 19:30, 21 June 2023 (UTC)

It is purely a marketing / trademark enforcement thing, yes. It's like the difference between a 'Kleenex' and a disposable tissue. MrOllie (talk) 19:34, 21 June 2023 (UTC)

I tried to clarify a bit. Better? MrOllie (talk) 19:39, 21 June 2023 (UTC)

I believe the well-sourced statement that they are not synonyms should not have been removed. It's not just a marketing thing, it's a legal thing. I'm good with the rest of your edits. Toddst1 (talk) 21:30, 21 June 2023 (UTC)

 Courtesy link: Talk:Realtor § Improper use of the trademarked term REALTOR where some discussion happened also.

It's a trademark yes, but they do not own or control non-commercial use of the term. And "realtor", in the US, is commonly used as synonym for "real estate agent" even if NAR doesn't like it. And I'm not saying we shouldn't make clear that the term realtor is a trademarked term but i think the style of language in Facial tissue: Facial tissues are often referred to simply as "tissues", or (in Canada and the United States) by the generic trademark "Kleenex" is more accurate and encyclopedic (leaving out the "generic" part if there isn't sourcing that realtor has been turned into a generic trademark yet). Skynxnex (talk) 21:55, 21 June 2023 (UTC)

I agree. Without indicating that the terms are often used interchangeably, there is no context for the current statement that they aren't synonyms. We should not be making prescriptivist statements about language usage being incorrect in wikivoice, just neutrally describing usage. The section could provide more context by briefly describing the origin of the term realtor and the successful defence of it as a trademark.--Trystan (talk) 22:55, 21 June 2023 (UTC)

The meaning of "relator" differs by nationality. British-English speakers, for example, more commonly call realtors real estate agents, whereas it means the same thing in America. Do you call velcro "velcro" or do you call it "hook and loop"? Let's look at Wiktionary:

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/realtor

1. (Canada, US) A person or business that sells or leases out real estate, acting as an agent for the property owner.

Chamaemelum (talk) 06:08, 9 July 2023 (UTC)

History section recommended for this article

As the heading above say, I recommend that a section be added to this article on the history of the real estate profession. As a matter of fact, I just came to this article looking for the historical background on the concept of real estate agent, but I was surprised to see the absence of such information in this article.

There are different things that the history section could discuss. For example, on a quick Google search ("history of real estate agents"), it appears that the idea of staging an open house as a way to market a house originated in the 1930s and 1940s, but this is just that, a quick web search, and may not be a reliable source. Nevertheless, this is just an example to illustrate what the section could talk about. Legion (talk) 04:10, 25 April 2023 (UTC)

Realtor section is incorrect with respect to Canada

In Canada, the realtor trademark is controlled by the Canadian Real Estate Association, and used to identify its active members. It is owned by Realtor Canada Inc., a corporation jointly owned by NAR and CREA. The Realtor section currently states that realtor is trademarked by NAR in Canada and used to identify its members, which is incorrect. My edit to correct this was reverted.--Trystan (talk) 00:11, 3 July 2023 (UTC)

Hey @Trystan:, You removed the text that said In Canada, the trademark is used by members of the Canadian Real Estate Association which doesn't seem like it was your intent, and why I reverted. I think we're heading the same direction. Maybe we can finesse it? Toddst1 (talk) 00:20, 3 July 2023 (UTC)

That’s part of the wording I added, which you reverted.--Trystan (talk) 00:37, 3 July 2023 (UTC)

U+1F926 🤦 FACE PALM fixed. Toddst1 (talk) 16:23, 3 July 2023 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 8 March 2024

This needs to be changed; "A real estate agent, referred to often as a real estate broker" A real estate agent should NEVER be referred to as a real estate broker. They are two different licenses and a broker's license requires much more than an agent's license. Now, the reverse might be true (like you can't say that a rectangle is often referred to as a square but you can say that a square could be called a rectangle) but to refer to a broker as an agent is disrespectful of what it takes to be a broker. There's plenty of sources where you can site references. Here is one that explains it pretty well; https://www.jovio.com/blog/difference-between-agent-broker-realtor. Saying that an agent could be called a broker is untrue and that sentence needs to be removed. 2600:1700:1E0:9940:10DF:7C09:9ABB:2ABF (talk) 16:28, 8 March 2024 (UTC)

 Done The article actually describes both agents and brokers, and the rest of the lead also makes it clear that these are different professions, so it's just the first sentence that needed to be reworked. We should probably restructure the article and maybe move it to better signify these differences, but that's for another day. Liu1126 (talk) 16:43, 8 March 2024 (UTC)

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This article is currently the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 26 August 2024 and 11 December 2024. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): EnzoS907 (article contribs).

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