The Massachusetts Real Estate Guy

The "Un-Christianity" of some "Christian" Real Estate Agents ...

I might get hate email or comment posts for this ... That's okay... I need to get this off my chest...

I REALLY hesitated writing out THIS post, believe me, but this bothers me...

A couple of months ago, I had a phone call from an agent in another part of the country...

Through my blogging, he found me and contacted me concerning a referral he wanted to hand over to me ...

Which I deeply appreciated, don't get me wrong. I was curious as to why he singled me out. I was hoping it was due to my blogging, my qualifications on various important topics in real estate. Maybe he liked my online "personality"... who knows? 

Whatever it was, I was a little "curious"...

So, he called. Asked me the usual. How many years, my area of service. 

Then he asked me a bizarre, really bizarre question. I NEVER imagined THIS question could be construed as a "qualification"...

If this type of question was asked by a potential employer to a job interviewee, I can only imagine the civil right violations and the potential for lawsuits it may have opened up.

"Are you a Christian" real estate agent?  Because my friends, they asked me to find them a "Christian" real estate agent."

Like I said, I was absolutely floored ...

It took me a moment to regain my thoughts. The first thing I thought was  "I'm NOT dealing with THIS jerk."... "Who need this?"
 

He kept asking that same question, "Are you a Christian" real estate agent? over and over again. If anything, I felt he was (unintentionally) sort of "taunting" me ...

I was flabbergasted.  Stunned, was more like it.  I couldn't believe it.  I immediately mentally tried to answer to myself, "what does it matter?"

I mean, we do live in America, don't we?

Plainly speaking, I was insulted.  I didn't want to deal with this narrow minded jerk.

So, I quickly collected myself, and explained I just didn't feel comfortable answering his question. He gave me a long, "drawling" kind of laugh, like he verbally exposed the devil in a lie, and then I told him someone else would be calling him.

In other words, my marketing efforts and blogging made someone else a potential commission because I didn't like the position I was put in by this "Christian"...

A Christian, mind you, who acted very "Un-Christian like".

How Christian? Eh?

What irks me is the indirect discrimination the referring agent practiced. 

I just didn't like it.

Whether or not I'm a Christian has nothing to do with the issue, and I'm not looking to get anyone in trouble. I am looking to expose a very important, very frustrating, issue at hand. The issue of how religion can be used to practice prejudice in a "commission" only, independent contractor status type of hiring. 

LOL, what's even funnier is, up until now, I pretty much have tried to keep religion out of my real estate discussions. Didn't even think of it, to be honest. I mean, really, when you think of it, who cares?

But it's wrong. You know it's wrong. It can be construed as a violation of housing laws.  I want NO part of it, on any end. BUT IT'S WRONG..

I honestly don't even go there, in terms of religion, when dealing with the public. However, I worry about agents like the guy I am writing about, because if he did THAT to me, what did he do to others?

I never considered someone's religion to be of paramount importance when I went to a Doctor, hired or recommended an accountant, a lawyer, chiropractor, or auto mechanic. 

Christian Real Estate Websites have been under fire before for similar allegations, as I found out when I did a "Google" Search.
I guess my gripes were someone else's too, a while ago...

Which begs the question; would most of these "Christian" real estate agents work with non Christians in terms of helping them buy or sell property?

I think you know the answer to that ... and that's what I don't like, the "one sidedness"....

Let me turn the tables and ask, are they saying they are more honest than everyone else?

Does that make everyone who doesn't meet "their" standards liars? Unethical? 

What was that Jesus said? "Let he without sin cast the first stone"

Yeah, right ...

How dare they?

And that, my friend, is the honest "Truth"... no matter what my religion is ... or yours, for that matter....


 

Merry Christmas !

Let me make this short & sweet, I'll be blogging about the foreclosure market in the area sometime after the 26th....

and here's my favorite Christmas Video Music; a little "eerie" but very touching too!