How to tell a housing tattletale from a fine, upstanding citizen

By Richard Mize

Published: December 23, 2006

In grade school, nobody liked a tattletale.

In junior high, nobody liked a snitch.

In high school and college, nobody liked a narc.

And in the adult world, nobody likes a whistleblower.

But tattletales, snitches, narcs and whistleblowers some of us must be to maintain the thin veil of civilization that separates us from the animals.

Surprisingly — or not, depending on the level of your cynicism — tattletales, snitches, narcs and whistleblowers have not come out of the woodwork since recent revelations of mortgage fraud involving a prominent Realtor in one of Edmond's most upscale housing additions.

The Oklahoma Real Estate Commission, which licenses brokers and their sales associates, reported no rush of complaints, no rash of investigations.

Not that the news hasn't rattled some cages. Not that it hasn't made lots of people think, and rethink, about the nuts and bolts of transactions they've been involved with and heard people brag about.

This week, a half-dozen or so people called and e-mailed me wondering about deals they thought were squirrelly, stinky, smelly, suspicious or otherwise questionable. Some were pretty involved. I directed each of them to the FBI office, the office of the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Oklahoma Real Estate Commission, all in Oklahoma City.

FBI and HUD investigations are hard to follow. The state Real Estate Commission's investigations, as are all official investigations, are too, as they should be for anyone not directly involved in them.

But the commission, partly because as a state agency it is closer to the people, is easier to keep up with. Its meetings, in Suite 18 of Shepherd Mall, are open to the public as are its official actions and the documents associated with them.

The state case against the prominent Edmond sales associate, as well as a routine investigation of her sponsoring broker, proceed. The commission probably will yank the associate's license.

Is your inner child a tattletale or snitch or narc? Does whistleblowing run in your family? Seriously, Realtors are not the problem, appraisers aren't the problem, title and escrow people aren't the problem. Most of them really are as honest as the day is long. It's the skunks that need to be chased from housing.

Call the Oklahoma Real Estate Commission: 521-3387 in the Oklahoma City area; toll-free elsewhere, (866) 521-3389.

Suspicious of a mortgage broker? Call the Oklahoma Department of Consumer Credit, which licenses them: 521-3653. In-state consumer hotline: (800) 448-4904.

Smell a rat dressed like an appraiser? Call the Oklahoma Insurance Department, which includes the state Real Estate Appraiser Board: (800) 522-0071 anywhere in the state.

Keep in mind: These agencies do not want to hear about your buyer's remorse. The Real Estate Commission puts it like this:

"A complaint should not be filed with the Commission in hopes of changing an agreement, voiding a contract, or attempting to solve a civil dispute. In those cases, you should consult with an attorney.”

Here's what you can expect if you decide to file a complaint to that commission. The others have similar procedures.

"The complaint should consist of a brief, chronological explanation of the facts which should be stated in the order in which they occurred. Copies of documents, such as contracts, closing statements, cancelled earnest money checks (front and reverse), or any other article that will assist in validating your complaint should be attached to the complaint. Avoid conclusions or opinions. The complaint should be PRINTED or TYPED.”

That's just the start. It can be work — but that's the difference between a tattletale, snitch, narc or whistleblower and an upstanding citizen.