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Why is the word REALTOR trademarked?


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#21 spanky123

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Posted 07 August 2012 - 07:24 AM

I am with VHF. I never use a real estate agent to buy a house but often use one to sell. I have sold houses privately before and it can be a pain. Aside from the marketing effort involved, the flakes seem to come out of the woodwork every time they see a FSBO.

#22 snaptee

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Posted 07 August 2012 - 08:17 AM

It seems pherthyl was the only one who got Marko's humour. Maybe it's because he has the backstory from House Hunt Victoria. You see, before Marko became a real estate agent, he trolled housing blogs as a female nurse.

#23 MarkoJ

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Posted 07 August 2012 - 08:52 AM

In Croatia on vacation right now....regarding compensation, with my Masters in Health Admin from UBC working in management at VIHA I would be making about $95,000 per year (hypothetically, if I could get a job which would be difficult).

If I was charging 6% + 3% to sellers and not giving cash back to my buyers based on my sales volumes I would be over 500k this year....with only about 25k in expenses. I make way less (just over 1/5th) because a number of my listing sales are flat fee and I give well into the 6 figures in cash back to buyers. Mind you I do work more than 60 hours each week, not that it is hard work, just annoying - people calling on Sunday morning wanting to see places Sunday afternoon, etc. For those charging the full pop it is well worth it.

Overall, my feeling is that 6% + 3% is way over the top in this day and age.

It is about time for things to start slowly changing, it will take 5 to 10 years but it will change.

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#24 sebberry

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Posted 07 August 2012 - 09:14 AM

Enjoy your vacation Marko, while the rest of us slog it out in the slums while poking fun at your designation :P

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#25 Bernard

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Posted 07 August 2012 - 03:02 PM

What I find interesting is that in the act regulating real estate services Realtor is not the term used, it is representative.

The act makes it clear only someone licensed by the BC Real Estate Council can offer real estate services in BC.

I assume because the term Realtor is not a legal term within the act it had to be copyrighted.

#26 Baro

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Posted 07 August 2012 - 04:33 PM

It's kinda weird that it's got the silly trademark after it when any other job title doesn't. That's marketing for you, worst thing ever invented.
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#27 pherthyl

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Posted 07 August 2012 - 04:53 PM

It's kinda weird that it's got the silly trademark after it when any other job title doesn't. That's marketing for you, worst thing ever invented.


APEGBC (engineering professional association) has a similar fight with the use of the word "Engineer". They want it to only apply to someone with a professional engineer designation. however because it's a common word it has been used in all sorts of watered down contexts. I guess they should come up with their own ENGINEER® brand.

#28 Holden West

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Posted 07 August 2012 - 06:23 PM

Seems to me a Realtor is like a Microsoft Certified Engineer or a Red Seal Chef. You take a course and get to be called that. It's a way of defining a professional's skill set, so what's the big deal? I could also change the oil in my car all by myself and save money but it would be a cold day in hell before I'd waste my time on such a thing.
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#29 Matt R.

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Posted 08 August 2012 - 12:46 AM

Most Red Seal trades require a full time four year apprenticeship, not just a bunch of weekends and a 100 point multiple choice exam. ;)

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#30 Greg

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Posted 08 August 2012 - 09:53 AM

There are a fair number of certifications that are trademarked either within the designation itself or the underlying term, in a reasonable attempt to control the value of the designation.

I have two such myself:

MBTI® Certified Practitioner
Project Management Professional (PMP)®

It is less about the level of the designation, and more about not allowing unauthorized parties to use the designation in a way that dilutes its value.

#31 Greg

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Posted 08 August 2012 - 09:56 AM

APEGBC (engineering professional association) has a similar fight with the use of the word "Engineer". They want it to only apply to someone with a professional engineer designation. however because it's a common word it has been used in all sorts of watered down contexts. I guess they should come up with their own ENGINEER® brand.


And thus the P.Eng or Professional Engineer designation...

#32 pherthyl

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Posted 08 August 2012 - 10:05 AM

And thus the P.Eng or Professional Engineer designation...


Yes but even just play "engineer" is technically only for professional engineers according to APEGBC. For example, I could not call myself "Software Engineer" even though I have an engineering degree. APEGBC wants the title for non-PEngs to be "Engineer in Training (EIT)" for those who are in their EIT program, and something other than "engineer" for everyone else. So I can say "Software Developer - BEng, MASc" or something to that effect.

In addition, Engineers Canada, a national body that represents the provincial and territorial regulators has
registered the following words as official marks under the Trade Marks Act:
Engineer, Engineering, Consulting Engineer, Professional Engineer, P.Eng.

Use of these words and phrases has been restricted by the Registrar of Companies in any application to
register a business name.


http://www.apeg.bc.c...dwordpolicy.pdf

#33 Sparky

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Posted 08 August 2012 - 11:37 AM

The one that I always get a kick out of is the doctors that "practise" medicine.

#34 Baro

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Posted 08 August 2012 - 03:46 PM

Maybe DOCTOR should get trademarked to stop homeopaths and chiropractors from using it.
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#35 concorde

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Posted 08 August 2012 - 05:34 PM

Yes but even just play "engineer" is technically only for professional engineers according to APEGBC. For example, I could not call myself "Software Engineer" even though I have an engineering degree. APEGBC wants the title for non-PEngs to be "Engineer in Training (EIT)" for those who are in their EIT program, and something other than "engineer" for everyone else. So I can say "Software Developer - BEng, MASc" or something to that effect.



http://www.apeg.bc.c...dwordpolicy.pdf


The problem with that is by definition an engineer also runs engines such as a Power Engineer or a Locomotive Engineer. There also titles such as Sanitation Engineer. While APEGBC might want that, they will never win, its too entrenched in peoples minds and I would think it would be extremely hard to trademark the name "Engineer"

#36 UrbanRail

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Posted 08 August 2012 - 06:36 PM

Maybe DOCTOR should get trademarked to stop homeopaths and chiropractors from using it.


I disagree with that.

Did you know that the number of people that die from prescription drugs is more than the number of people that die from car crashes in the US? And those are prescribed by "Doctors" not Homeopaths or chiropractors.

#37 sdwright.vic

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Posted 08 August 2012 - 06:51 PM

Sold a house once for a friend. Took a ad in the newspaper, me taking some pics and making a tri-fold brochure (50 copies costing less then 20.00, full colour), a cleaner the day b4, (4 hours x 20.00an hour). Third person walked in offered full price, with no contingency. Then all it took was the real estate lawyers to draw up and approve the contracts on the sellers and buyers side. Was not that hard at all.
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#38 pherthyl

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Posted 08 August 2012 - 08:32 PM

I disagree with that.

Did you know that the number of people that die from prescription drugs is more than the number of people that die from car crashes in the US? And those are prescribed by "Doctors" not Homeopaths or chiropractors.


So real doctors save tens of millions and kill a couple thousand.

Homeopaths save no one and kill thousands by making their patients believe that they can get away with water instead of real medicine (case in point: Steve Jobs).

#39 pherthyl

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Posted 08 August 2012 - 08:33 PM

Sold a house once for a friend. Took a ad in the newspaper, me taking some pics and making a tri-fold brochure (50 copies costing less then 20.00, full colour), a cleaner the day b4, (4 hours x 20.00an hour). Third person walked in offered full price, with no contingency. Then all it took was the real estate lawyers to draw up and approve the contracts on the sellers and buyers side. Was not that hard at all.


And when was that? The market ain't what it used to be.

#40 G-Man

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Posted 08 August 2012 - 08:35 PM

Why does anyone really care about this stuff. I mean use one or don't. If the thread is just going to be flaming then it will get closed.

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