Public Service Announcement for people employed the real estate field:
Whether you like it or not, the general public uses the term “Realtor” in much the same way that we use the terms Kleenex, Q-Tip, Band-Aid, Jell-O, Styrofoam, and many others. Despite the fact that “Realtor” is a registered trademark that refers to a specific product, in practice the majority of people use the term “realtor” to refer to anyone that sells real estate.
I know this really bothers some of you, Realtors or not, but it’s just a fact of life, and not likely to change any time soon. Also, you should know that it really gets old when you constantly correct people on the use of the term. Imagine how annoying it would be if every time you asked someone for a kleenex you were told “Kleenex is a registered trademark of the Kimberly-Clark Corporation, and I don’t have any. However, I do have two-ply facial tissue; would you like one of those?” It gets old really quickly.
I just wanted to throw this one out there, because I have occasionally seen it become a point of contention on this and other real estate blogs in discussions between real estate “professionals” and the public. I am but a messenger. This is just the way things are. Get used to it.