REALTORS® must be committed to enhancing and protecting the ethical integrity of the profession and Illinois REALTORS® are taking important steps to help that happen.

In Thursday’s IAR Spring Conference session on professional standards, presenters Lynn Madison and Chris Read highlighted the various tools Illinois REALTORS® have to protect industry professionalism. In addition to mediation and arbitration, the Illinois Association of REALTORS® (IAR) in recent years has created ombudsmen and citation programs to resolve concerns at an earlier level.

It is important for every REALTOR® to be vigilant about protecting professional standards. Every time someone turns their cheek or walks away from a problem, it enables a bad habit to become policy, Read says.

Consumers and REALTORS® can learn more about IAR’s Ombudsmen and Ethics Citation programs at www.illinoisrealtor.org/disputes.