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Yes, let the best Realtor win.  I have been one for 25 years and I can't tell you how many times I have heard from a grateful client, "You could never pay me enough to do what you do.  The evenings, weekends, overhead, no salary, no pension must be a killer".  Well truth is, the going may be more than tough for the average agent who sells less than 6 homes a year.  I have always been committed to providing an above average service at a fair price which my clients find to be excellent value for a positive end result... so business is very good.  That having been said, I would love to see my industry drop the "bumbling part timers" who are giving us all a bad wrap.  Giving access to our MLS is a travesty of grave proportion that will only serve to prove how a lawyer's role is grossly being overstated.  Would you go to a mechanic for open heart surgery?  I think not.  Conversely, why would you tell your Endo that you didn't intend to compensate him fairly for your root canal and you'd rather skip the freezing needle which as we all know is a necessary evil? 

Full time Realtors are professionals who deserve a great deal of respect for their dedication and commitment to excellence often working long into the wee hours for deals that don't fly because the public lies and circumvents even a written agreement for a greedy buck.  Make no mistake the rules have always been skewed in favour of the pedestrian who is all-too-often rewarded for such misbehaviour.  Not one to trust Big Brother, I firmly believe that If the Competition Bureau has their way, they will be taking a perfectly sound institution which is home ownership and throwing it to the wolves US style.  I feel sorry for the appraisers who will be hard pressed to establish market value as the adverse affects on a family's (or worse Widow's) largest investment will no longer hold a pride of ownership but a bitter after taste of a negotiation gone sour.  To further make my point, there are a million things that can go wrong in a real estate transaction, using a Full-time Realtor is your best insurance.  Even if no one is perfect, we are bonded for a reason.

Your Real Estate Professionals,

Mary Caird and Dan Salhany