Michael Carter

Whenever you go into another office's listing, follow the code of ethics. Respect the other broker's agency as you'd want them to respect your agency at your listings.

Whether you are viewing the home for a buyer you are already representing, or just trying to keep up with the inventory in your chosen territory, the most important thing to remember is your professional image.

You need to gear your visit with the homeowner to leave behind two things:
(1) your business card, and
(2) a powerful, positive image of your business ethics.

Sometimes you'll be sorely tempted to let the sellers know how much better off they'd be with you and your firm than with the one they listed with. But if you yield to that temptation even with nothing more than a raised eyebrow at some strategic moment -- you're not only being unethical and unprofessional, you're also being stupid. When you're in another agent's listing, keep your eyebrows straight and your thoughts pure. Let no criticism of the other firm, or praise of your own, escape your lips. Never forget that when you're there, you personify the entire profession. Anything you do that harms the other agent harms the entire profession, yourself included.

Don't take this lightly. Unethical conduct, if allowed to feed on itself, will quickly take over in an area. Only you can stop that cancerous growth. If any of this unprofessional conduct is directed at you, don't respond by lowering yourself to that level. Both in the short run and over the long haul, the way to beat the unprofessionals is to be more professional yourself.

The rules and code of ethics vary from one real estate board to another. Find out what these are in your area and follow them exactly. In many cities, you are forbidden by the rules and ethics of your local professional organization to drive over and inspect a property listed in the MLS unless you call the listing agent first and obtain his or her permission.

Michael Carter Realtor Greenville, SC

It was after the Resurrection, and Jesus had already appeared to the disciples and others. Now a group of seven disciples were by the Sea of Tiberias. The Bible records what happens next:

Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We will also come with you." They went out, and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing. But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus therefore said to them, "Children, you do not have any fish, do you?" They answered Him, "No." And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you will find a catch." They cast therefore, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved (John) said to Peter, "It is the Lord." And so when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he was stripped for work), and threw himself into the sea. (John 21:3-7)

Peter and the other six disciples were at the Sea of Tiberias, and it's obvious they were waiting for the "What's next" in their lives. Not content, however, to merely wait, Peter goes back to the skills which Christ had called him away from those few short years ago. "I am going fishing", he says.

So many times we Christians wrestle to find great things to do for God. We fail to recognize the truth that God most often comes to us while we're doing the routine things in life. This is particularly true for men and women who meet Christ during adulthood, or see our childhood belief spring to new life. Our newfound zeal presses us eagerly forward in a search to express our joy and gratitude for the work of Christ in our lives. Sometimes this causes us to abandon our commitment to the details of our lives as we seek to do big things for God. Better to imitate the disciples here at Tiberias. Joyful at the news of the Resurrected Christ, bewildered perhaps by what it meant for them individually, they waited for direction rather than rushing forward on their own. And while waiting, they went back to work doing what they were skilled at doing.

Now, wouldn't it be marvelous for our work/faith devotional here if the Bible recorded that the disciples were wildly successful at their job during this period of waiting? Wouldn't it fit neatly into our message to describe how God blessed their work while they waited? Instead, the Bible records their efforts produced nothing but net. No fish, no return on their invested effort.

Sometimes the work of our hands will not bring us success. Sometimes even in faithful service, even in the earnest desire to honor God with our labors, we may still fail. It is in those moments that it's most important to remember it isn't the actions or the results that most bring glory to God, but the condition of our hearts. A desire to serve God glorifies Him even when there's no visible evidence of results.

Even failure brings Him glory when our hearts' desire in the effort has been faithfulness to Him. Even empty nets can be used by God to reveal Himself more fully to us, or to others around us. We serve a Savior who loves us enough to reveal Himself to us in the wake of lost jobs, difficult bosses and hard-fought fruits wherever we labor.

Courage, then, must be our watchword. Courage, perseverance, and confidence in the risen Lord.

Michael Carter, Realtor Greenville, SC www.beachboyrealestate.com

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. (Psalm 91:1)

Have you ever been in the midst of a really stressful day at work and suddenly wished you could escape to a quiet, peaceful, life-giving place?

The Bible shows us that in the chaotic moments - as well as the peaceful moments - we have a shelter available to us that will shield us from fear, stress, despair and whatever else we come up against at any moment.

In the Bible, God is often described as "our strong tower" or "our covering." If we just stop, even for a few seconds, and close our eyes to consider that our God is a shelter from all adversity and a strong, protective father who is always on our side, we can relax and find a few seconds of solitude and peace.

It is important to have moments like this to focus on God, to find a secret place with Him, where the things of this world fall away. We can then move back out into the crazy flow of our lives, still sensing and knowing that we're in God's shelter, working with the peace and confidence of being covered by Him. As the psalmist writes, "He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge." (Psalm 91:4)

The music business often thrives on chaos. I tend to have a cycle of seasons of long days of chaos followed by short periods of normality. During the busy seasons, I sometimes get to a place where I can't see the end of the tunnel and feel badgered on many sides by demands from clients, family and church.

It is easy for me to succumb to frustration or despair when I have more tasks in front of me than I can handle or have tasks I don't enjoy doing. However, I can usually find a moment in the madness to excuse myself and have a moment to ask God to show me to His secret place.

Life in our productive years is often a whirlwind of commitments, responsibilities and deadlines. I believe it has been this way for thousands of years. God knows we need peace, and He offers Himself as a sanctuary. We only need to step in.

Michael Carter, Realtor Greenville, SC www.beachboyrealestate.com

We're back from the beach, but still cleaning out sand from our ears. That stuff creeps into everything and we'll be finding sand in places 6 months from now. We had a great time away getting some much needed R and R. My wife and I take this week together every year in order to relax and reconnect. We don't do much of anything except spend time on the beach, sleep, nap, eat and play games. we discovered a game called Tile Rummy this year and spent countless hours playing. A lot of fun! Neither one of us even put a pair of shoes on until we got back home and had to scoot out to WalMart. What FREEDOM!

Michael Carter, Realtor Greenville, SC www.beachboyrealestate.com