"Realtor vs Realtor is the ultimate real estate challenge show, where two top notch real estate agents face-off to find desperate home buyers the house of their dreams. Each episode features two successful realtors. They may have diametrically different styles but both real estate agents share one thing in common – they’re both intensely competitive. Realtor vs Realtor follows them as they go head to head to sell houses and earn the commission that comes with it. Throughout the process we get the inside scoop on the dog eat dog business of real estate. Our agents are the shamelessly confident, warts-and-all types, who are not afraid to say it like it is. And this character-driven series uniquely shows the real estate process from their point-of-view.
At the end of the episode, it all comes down to one thing… Who will be first to close a deal for the client? Which of our realtors will bag them the home of their dreams?"
Great! THEY made a TV show for entertainment purposes. Does it Inform? Does it Educate?
Professional Realtors working with Buyers, work under a contract that is called Buyers Agency. If you are out with an agent, I hope that they are ethical enough to have a) broached this topic with you b) informed you and presented documentation c) you signed a Buyers Agency for a specified period. Lets Talk about the ACTUAL Home buying experience.
The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) responded this way
" this show is intended to appeal to the basest of viewer instincts by glorifying disreputable behavior on the part of real estate agents.
The use of the REALTOR® trademark in the show’s title is, in CREA’s view, an infringement of CREA’s intellectual property rights. However, what is even more outrageous is the fact that HGTV would associate the REALTOR® trademark with conduct that violates the spirit and likely the letter of the REALTOR® Code.
Hat tip to @Carol_Ireland for Bringing this to my attention.In real life; Here is a summary of the actual differences of being under contract or not.
2 comments:
I am not a fan of the concept of this show. I would certainly never refer a client to Realtor that goes head to head with another Realtor in this kind of competition.
Buying a home is single biggest purchase most of us will ever make and most of us would like to deal with an agent that is colaberative with other agents and not combative. For most of my clients choosing the right property in a community suited to your life style is where they spend there energy. Not pitting two Realtors against each other to see who can beat up the vendor the best.
Can you imagine moving in day and meeting your new neighbours after making their former neighbour's selling experience hell? My guess you will be the talk of the neighbourhood before you even arrive. Good luck with that.
CREA shuts down reality TV show
Front Page Nov 20, 2009 CREA has been successful in its efforts to have Realtor vs. Realtor, a Canadian real estate reality TV series, pulled from the air. CREA took issue with the unauthorized use of its Realtor trademark in the series’ title and threatened legal action if the program continued to broadcast.
In October, HGTV quietly removed Realtor vs. Realtor from its Wednesday night timeslot, as well as from its website, after only a handful of the 13 planned episodes had aired. The broadcaster and its parent company, CanWest, are now negotiating a settlement with CREA.
“The series is not currently on our schedule,” says Jaclyn Atwood, senior publicist for HGTV. Stating that “until a settlement has been reached, it’s inappropriate for us to comment on any other information regarding the series,” Atwood declined to share any further details, or to confirm if the series would return to HGTV’s schedule at a later date under a new name.
HGTV had promoted the program as “the ultimate real estate challenge show, where two top-notch real estate agents face-off to find desperate home buyers the house of their dreams…They have diametrically different styles but both real estate agents share one thing in common – they’re both intensively competitive. Realtor vs. Realtor follows them as they go head to head to sell houses and earn the commission that comes with it…”
CREA was unhappy with the way ads for the series were visually portraying Realtors – as battered combatants, complete with blackened eyes and boxing gloves.
CREA lawyer Bill Harrington, in a memo to members detailing the association’s concerns, said, “This show is intended to appeal to the basest of viewer instincts by glorifying disreputable behaviour on the part of real estate agents…conduct that violates the spirit and likely the letter of the Realtor Code.”
Harrington added, “Not only is the value of the trademark diminished by this type of broadcast, it harms the reputation and public standing, if not the livelihood, of hard-working Realtors, who pride themselves in offering professional real estate services that comply with the highest ethical and professional standards.”
CREA sent HGTV a “cease and desist” letter in September, advising the broadcaster that, if they didn’t stop airing the series, CREA intended to immediately commence legal action and seek an interim injunction. HGTV agreed to pull the program and to seek a resolution with CREA.
Two of the Realtors who were featured on Realtor vs. Realtor don’t share CREA’s concerns about the series.
Chris and Les Sohar of Re/Max Realty Enterprises in Mississauga, Ont. competed for a sale on the October 14th program. The episode began with Chris and Les making individual listing presentations to a couple who were looking to buy a home. Each of the Sohars then took the couple to a number of showings; Les ended up making the sale. Their competitive natures were the focal point of the program – in a good-natured way, they made it clear how much winning the sale meant to each of them.
When asked if the show should come back on the air if it keeps its same focus on competitiveness, they both responded positively, as long as that competitiveness is portrayed in a realistic way.
“If you’re looking for two Realtors to battle it out, to fight it out in a negative way, then I would say no; if you’re looking for good, competitive behaviour, which is really what we all do every single day, I’d say sure, absolutely,” says Les.
“I think you can certainly show the competitiveness with agents in the real world, without making it look negative,” Chris says.
The Sohars enjoyed their experience and praised the production team. “They did a really good job representing us,” says Chris. “I really have nothing bad to say about the whole process,” adding that she would go on another episode “in a heartbeat” if the series does come back on the air. – Kathy Bevan
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