Up here you need to specifically state how you arrived at that conclusion or claim in all advertising. 

One for example claims to be the #1 Realtor in the area and in small print he says "voted by the Realtor's Mom"!

"Puffing" is alive and well in our industry and interestingly enough, those that puff the loudest usual fall the hardest.

If that is so, what is unethical about it? There are always agents claiming something and I learned a long time ago to stop paying attention to it.

There are so many #1 agents in our area that I lost count...or so they say, and often from the same company.  

I don't pay much attention to that and doubt the public does. 

I like the term Top Producer too...I had twins when my son was 2 1/2 so that made me a top producer.  3 kids under 2 1/2....they thought I was #1 and I was.  

Leanne, these claims mean nothing anymore.  When you hear that so-and-so sold 3000 houses last year?  Yeah.  Right.  Maybe the brokerage company he owns did, with a total of 300 agents.  

Forget numbers.  Forget about other agents' dubious claims.  Just give seriously awesome service to your own clients.  Stress quality and competence, and the numbers will take care of themselves.

Patricia Kennedy nailed this one...

If it's your company and you know it's not true; than I'd talk to your managing broker.

These claims tend to bother the single agents and very small teams the most. The public realizes one person cannot do a transaction a day. It's not humanly possible. Just focus on what you can do and do it well.

Only if it is true, which means they may have to advertise differently each year.

I see it here too. There are several agents who have large teams but they are "#1 agents," or something similar, in the county. I imagine this means something to some buyers and sellers. Others won't care and will know 1 agent cannot sell a home every day

I don't see where it's an ethical dilemma Leanne then again I'm not a subscriber to those tactics either.

Remember Avis?  they went a very long way saying" we are number 2 so we try harder" ... the general public don't like braggart sales people..... they just want to be treated like they are number 1....

I think so many people claim number one or top 10 or best in their company etc. that nobody's taking it seriously because have you ever seen anyone ever ties their number two? I put no stock in it.

if it's honest information that can be verified, boast away.... there's nothing unethical about top ranking.... people like to do business with successful people....if those who are successful do not announce it, no one else will!!!!!

I know teams where they pick one "face" out of the Team, and give him/her all the credit for the sales, so that they can get large "sales numbers" on Zillow and elsewhere.

I like Teri Pacitto's response.   I'm sure she has photos to share.

S. Leanne Paynter ☼ Broward County, FL These claims don't really mean much. What is the company policy for this? When I first got into real estate every agent was number one in my geographic area. It will continue to happen.

Agreed... they are mini brokerages in bigger offices and should be advertised as such.  If you are a team say so!  Its that easy.

If what is been advertise is true, no problem. 

I don't like it but I actually use it in my listing presentation as to why they should use me instead of someone who will pawn you off to a team member.

Most often i see it even worse where 1 agent who has the team takes all the credit for that team under that 1 name.

Is it true? It's all puffing anyway

They are a collective of one. Even though they are a team they are an agent so to speak.

Yeah they can much to your dismay. They better be thruthful about it but if they are not - not really much you can do about it. It's a spin on numbers.

It can be misinterpreted by the public. Many agents know it's probably bs. We had an agent once who advertised that he was #1, blah, blah. Our broker received a lot of complaints from other agents and brokers who knew he wasn't #1. Agents will just claim they are #1 in certain zip codes, or #1 in certain months, etc.

I don't see it as an ethical problem if what they are advertising is a true statement of fact.  Without knowing the details, it is hard to really make a decision.  There are different types of teams, each organized to suit their members needs.

S. Leanne Paynter ☼ Broward County, FL - I know it's not apple to apple comparison - however, it is okay to market it.

Leanne,

One of oour clients has a trophy to prove it from the company, not based on his imagination or Mom's view..  If you can't prove it, it means ZERO

Ethical?  Not sure, but I do get tired of seeing these type post on facebook.  I just keep scrolling. 

Is it true?

Most people pay very little attention to these puffy claims.

S. Leanne,

Their liability not mine:)

If it is a proven statistic, than I would understand. However, that may not be the best thing to do within your own office.

I do not see an ethics problem but I rather a lack of good business sense advertising directly against agents in the same brokerage in a [FAILED] attempt to make themselves look better? Contemptuous.

I think toooooooo much bragging is not the way to go.  It is not about YOU, it is about your Client and their needs!  It seems in most offices, there are top producers, the best of the best never mntion that, people just know.  Debbie

You have to have the metrics to back it up or you would be in violation of the COE.

Comparing apples with apples I have no problem. Apples to oranges would be unethical.

Yes.  Most teams fall under one agent out here, such as the "Ryan Huggins Team" (names changed for obvious reasons).  In those teams the named team agent is on all the contracts and gets co-credit for all the sales, sometimes sole credit (depening on how the team contracts are written).

Is it ethical?  Maybe, maybe not.  Does it violate NAR's COE?  Out here, no one can be held accountable to it, so that's irrelevant.

I ignore the "top 1% of all agents" claims.  If someone brings it up well, I'm the #3 agent in the county and soon to be in the top 100 in California (on Active Rain) and the #1 agent world-wide for my brokerage (also the only one).  Once they understand that, the client usually dismisses the other agent's claims.

Puffing as they say.

Only if it's true.

If it's true, there is no problem with it. Although I am a team leader, my sales prove the numbers. Other team leaders, maybe not. Hard to say.

I do know this, agents who are not on a team probably resent it.

Donal% claims she is a jerk

Hi&&8$ claims she is the best

Who do you believe it?

There are so many claims out there, each one tries to outdo the other. Someone said to me when I opened my brokerage in Carmel-by-the-Sea: "but there is so much competition." But  that is true in all businesses. Get over it, and come up with your own strategy to stand out.

Who is going to prove them wrong?

There are many fine lines in any business. This be a Real Estate one

If there are 200 licensed agents/brokers at that exact office...and he/she is in the #1 or 2 spot...I would say it is okay.

Large brokerages own more than one location many times...and even though he/she might be in the top 1/2 of all locations thrown together...I would consider that deceptive.

But here is the kicker: His/her clients are ripe for harvest by you and others because they know they did not get stellar treatment. One licensed agent can only professionally and completely serve a limited number of clients no matter how many assistants he/she may have.

All you need to know is in Lisa Von Domek's answer!

It is done all of the time.

How bad is it affecting you? If you are upfront and honest, you will gain followers and clients because you are REAL. I used to get aggravated from going into the real estate groups on Facebook and each time a potential client even hinted that they may need some help, they were hit from every single angle possible from all of these real estate "pros" who were the best thing since 'sliced bread.' Just take a deep breath, giggle and know that these outrageous claims are just that and people see through the nonsense. At the end of the day, people looking to buy or sell properties want to work with people who have confidence and integrity; they don't want used car sales-people! It is heartbreaking to see people fall into a bad deal but you have to be there to truly help those who want YOUR help. Have a great day being awesome to and for your clients!

I love Patricia's number.

Depends - it happens and is rampant in many areas. I just ignore them and focus on our business

It can be frustrating