The professional standard that sets REALTORS® apart from other real estate practitioners is their acceptance and adherence to the Code of Ethics of the National Association of REALTORS®.
The Code has been revised many times through the years to reflect current developments in professional real estate practice. The term REALTOR® has come to represent competency, honesty, and high integrity. These qualities stem from voluntary adherence to an ideal of moral conduct in real estate business practices.
But even with the best of intentions, planning, and preparation, occasional disagreements arise between REALTORS® and/or REALTORS® and their clients or customers. As civil litigation becomes increasingly costly, time-consuming, and burdensome, there has been a trend among private parties to settle disputes and conflicting claims through alternative means.
Williamson County Association of REALTORS® (WCAR) is a local trade association, chartered by the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR), charged with the responsibility of enforcing standards for professional conduct, or the Code of Ethics, within the association's membership.
Though not a governmental or licensing agency, upon receiving a formal complaint WCAR may through its Grievance and Professional Standards Committees conduct investigations and hearings involving members to enforce those professional standards.
WCAR offers our members and their clients a vehicle to economically expedite ethics complaints without going to court. Ethics complaints brought before WCAR give the parties involved an opportunity to be educated about the Code. In addition, REALTORS® are judged by their peers as opposed to others who may be far less familiar with the practices and customs of the real estate industry.
Through our professional standards practices, WCAR helps our members maintain their relationships with other practitioners as well as offer a quick and cost-effective way to handle disputes outside of the court system.
