My Personal Ethics: A Strong Sense Of Social Values

My parents raised me with a strong sense of social values centered around honesty and respect for others. We were far from perfect, but in our home my siblings and I practiced treating one another how we would like to be treated, and as intended that behavior later expanded outward towards all people. Seeing my parents reach out to others, many times to strangers, taught me to empathize with everyone, not only those who looked like me. For two years, I volunteered as a full-time missionary in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Six-and-a-half days a week I interacted closely with people of all ages, races, nationalities, and backgrounds, on both extremes of the economic scale. That experience instilled in me a great love and respect for all people, regardless of how they differ from me.

While a "buyer beware" attitude persists to some degree, I am grateful that our society continues to generally raise its ethical standards in business practices. As a real estate agent, I support laws that give buyers a variety of protections, and require the mandatory disclosure of many defects and potential hazards. Locally, the Utah Division of Real Estate investigates complaints about real estate agents participating in deceptive or illegal practices, and "protect[s] the public and promote[s] responsible business practices through education, licensure, and regulation of real estate, mortgage, and appraisal professionals" (Mission of the Utah Division of Real Estate, n.d.). Additionally, the Association of Realtors, through local boards, hold members accountable to a higher ethical standard of customer-oriented