So the laws only pushed the ethical law-abiding citizens out.

One more thought - if you do go to auction you do not need a realtor, although you may be obligated contractually (or ethically) to that realtor for showing you that particular house.

A bit of ethics here folks, no stealing a deal, no contact with the owner/seller unless asked to do so and only to the instructions of the requestor.

Real Estate Agents and Realtors are technically the same thing and perform the same tasks regarding Real Estate, the only difference is that Realtors are members of the National Association of REALTORS and they adhere to a strict code of ethics.

I think the only thing is ethics.

These people usually straddle the boundaries of whats legal and ethical.

Legally, I think (know) I can, just don't know if there is some specific rule or ethical problem I don't know about or what the preferred strategy is.

These are professionals with additional training and a stricter code of ethics.

Work hard, make mistakes, learn, and then apply the same work ethic.

I think the time has come where people who sell investment advise on real estate should be bound by a code of ethics and be subject to significant disclosures of their own investments.