Mark Sanderson has been re-elected for a further term as the president of the Real Estate Institute of South Australia.
Anthony Toop was elected unopposed as the vice president. Toop has been on the Board for the past two years.
Joining the board are two new Directors – Greg Nybo (Century 21 – The Property People) and Dale Wood (Dale Wood Business Brokers). Nybo and Wood fill the vacancies created by retiring directors Paul Henry and Brett Roenfeldt.
The full REISA board comprises Mark Sanderson (President), Anthony Toop (Vice President), Robin Turner (Immediate Past President), Bill Cossey (Independent Director), Don Crouch, Greg Nybo, Malcolm Potts, Allen Smith, Valerie Walsh and Dale Wood.
Meanwhile, REISA has introduced a strict new Code of Conduct for members, which will further raise professional standards for the benefit of practitioners and consumers alike.
Sanderson said that the new Code was written in plain English and would be available for consumers on the REISA website from next week.
“In developing a new Code of Conduct we were resolute that it must be easy to understand and must be a document that agents and their clients can refer to.
“The Code deals with issues that have raised consumer concern in the past such as prices in advertisements, marketing expenses and the process of making an offer,” he added
Key elements of the Code include:
- Practitioners must advertise the expected selling price or price range of a property consistent with the estimated selling price as agreed between the vendor and agent in the Sales Agency Agreement
- When presenting appraisals to clients, practitioners must provide comparative sales data to substantiate their appraisal
- All expected expenses (including marketing costs) must be clearly disclosed to clients in writing
- All instructions and authorities to a practitioner must be made in writing.
Failure to comply with REISA’s Code may also constitute a breach of State legislation, which can carry a financial penalty, or cancellation of license.
Sanderson said that he was confident most practitioners would welcome this Code as it reflects ethical practice and raises the bar for professional conduct.
“The vast majority of agents are hard-working and ethical and this new Code will help deal with the handful of agents who give real estate practice a bad name.”
By Kathryn O’Meara
