Being interviewed can be daunting. You never know if you are going to be quoted accurately, or if your words will be taken out of context for an unintended meaning, or if the journalist has an agenda - like making the real estate industry look bad.

That's why, even though I am a journalist, I'm wary when I'm asked for interviews. Too often, other journalists consider Realtors easy targets, a tendency I'm all too aware of, and try to deflect when I can.

When journalist Linda Moore called me for an interview, I could tell that the story she wanted to do could be potentially damaging to Realtors. A seller had some items missing while her home was listed in the MLS. Linda said that what was known was that a door to the home didn't lock properly and that the listing agent has notified other members of the MLS that thefts had occurred at his listing. Of course, no one 'fessed up to leaving a window open or a door unlocked.

I answered her questions honestly, and forgot about it - until I got an angry phone call from a Memphis Realtor who told me that not only had I not won any friends there, that I as much as said that working with a Realtor was unsafe.

Oh, no, I thought. I've been misquoted. I never said any such thing.

So I looked up the article on the Internet, and read it from headline to byline.

What I found surprised and delighted me. Moore didn't misquote me, and the story was fair and balanced. She did what all reporters are supposed to do - present all sides, even if all sides aren't necessarily flattering to all parties.

Editor's note: Due to The Commercial Appeal's policy, this story may not be available for download, so if the link doesn't work, it has gone into archives where there is a fee to access it.

The article, "When selling house, take precautions," was about sellers named Kay and Curtis McPherson who lost some personal items during the time when their home was listed for sale with a Memphis agent. The couple had moved out of the home, but left some items, including a "mink coat, an upright vacuum cleaner, a large mirror, drapes, four pool cues and the hurricane globes from a chandelier," all of which vanished. Other items including a "stereo, lawn mower, edger, grass trimmer, other garden tools and a photograph with a valuable frame" were left alone.

Apparently the thief (thieves?) doesn't have a yard.

The story was about the danger of theft when listing a home. It wasn't about pounding on Realtors, which was why I agreed to do the interview.

There was a keybox on the home and no signs of forced entry, and the McPhersons say their Realtor should have looked out for their house. The listing agent maintains that a back door wasn't locking properly, and that the listing agreement that authorizes use of the lockbox states that the homeowner is responsible for personal belongings. The sellers claimed that had that been brought to their attention, they would have cleared all their things out. An insurance agent chimed in that insurance claims for thefts while houses are on the market aren't uncommon.

While the article didn't include every question that could have been asked (like did the sellers sign the listing agreement without reading it? and how does the seller know that the theft was lockbox-related, and not done by a sticky-fingered relative, neighbor or friend?) the journalist concluded logically that because houses are open to Realtors and countless potential buyers, it's difficult to "pinpoint how or under what circumstances items go astray."

"I think prudent Realtors will tell sellers to remove valuables from the home," I said in the article. The theft of large items is out of the ordinary (how did the thief slip that vacuum cleaner by the seller's agent, anyway?) but it's not uncommon for prescription drugs or small things like money, jewelry or collectibles to get stolen, I said. And thefts are more likely to occur during an open house rather than a private showing. And even with safety protocols in place, things can happen. Yep. I said that, too. Sellers should pack away valuable, fragile or personally precious collectibles and decor items, I advised. And clean out their closets, I added.

The article concluded that the McPhersons "now know that the safety of the contents of their home was their responsibility" and that what they've learned will help others.

Well done, Linda Moore. You did a public service. You let sellers know that things can happen to their belongings while their home is listed - without placing blame on Realtors, mentioning their commissions, or otherwise enflaming the public against them.

Now I'm wondering if the Memphis Realtor who was so upset read the same article as I. Or has so much negative press about the industry made one of its members a little sensitive?

All I can say is, folks, this story is a blessing compared to what it could have been in the hands of a lesser or unscrupulous journalist.

Published: July 1, 2003

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