Convicted of a Crime, You Can Still Be a California Real Estate Agent
In what has to be one of the more unnerving pieces of information that I have read, California has the discretion for licensing real estate agents no matter what crimes they have committed. So if you are the one out of 52 Californians that possess a real estate license, you have the ability to enter any home in the state that is for sale and has a lock box.
And homeowners are expecting a honest person to enter their home, while it could be someone who is convicted for sexual molestation or other sordid crimes. The Sacramento Association of Realtors are working to get this changed, but for now offenders are falling through the cracks of the system.
The state Department of Real Estate does require criminal background checks and reviews each case individually, but as Call 3 learned, the process is not foolproof.
Susan Miller-Reece said she thought she had the best real estate agent to sell her home until she learned that he was a registered sex offender who had been convicted of molesting his own daughter.
“It kind of all hits you. You’re letting someone into your house that you find out is a child molester. And then you start thinking of the wider implications,” Miller-Reece said. “I was afraid I had invited a predator into my neighborhood.”
Licensed real estate agents may have access to any home with a lock box. via KCRA Television
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Comment by Melissa Wirkus on 3 November 2006:
Hi-
Interesting information on some more “off the beaten path” real estate news. Frightening fact about agents who can still do business regardless if they have been convicted of a crime. This is something that every homeowner should be aware of. I am a copywriter at a financial company who is always looking for news pertaining to the industry, so good job!