Business Ethics Through Four Lenses Friday Findings: The Third and Fourth Lenses—Company Policy and Personal Values Not every ethical decision is answered by the law or the Code of Ethics. The next lens is company policy. Brokerages establish policies to manage risk, maintain consistency, and define acceptable business practices. In many cases, company policies are more restrictive than state law.

7/31/26

For example, Maine law allows disclosed dual agency. The REALTOR® Code of Ethics permits it as well. However, a brokerage may choose to prohibit disclosed dual agency entirely. If that is the company policy, licensees must follow it.

The final lens is personal values. Sometimes a practice is legal and permitted by company policy, yet it still doesn't align with your professional standards. A licensee who feels uncomfortable serving as a disclosed dual agent may decide to refer one party to another licensee rather than risk compromising service. At the end of the day, your reputation is built on thousands of small decisions that no law, policy, or ethics committee may ever see.

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