The Week In Review: September 1, 2026

The Cost of Integrity

Sometimes disclosure is difficult. Often it makes the deal harder.

Years ago, when I was working with my mentor and business partner, Marc Fleisher, a home we had under contract experienced something it never had before: the basement flooded.

New construction next door had altered the drainage around the property, and during a heavy rain, water came in.

When the Seller completed the property disclosure before going on the market, there had never been water in the basement. Technically, the Seller’s obligation was to deliver the property in substantially the same condition as it was on the date of contract.

The water could be dried. The carpet could be replaced. Perhaps the Buyer would never know.

Marc’s advice was simple: “Regardless of the legal position, honesty is the best policy.”

I’ve never forgotten it.

We disclosed the flood. The Buyer canceled the contract.

That was hard. My Seller was angry, understandably. A deal we thought was done suddenly wasn’t.

Making the disclosure forced us to address the underlying problem rather than simply repair the visible damage. I convinced the neighboring builder to correct the drainage. The Seller agreed to have the basement fully remediated, including replacing drywall and some framing and trim. Thankfully, we were able to put the property back under contract with new buyers within weeks.

Had we done otherwise, it likely would have been only a matter of time before the next owner experienced the same problem. Whatever the technical legal arguments might have been, they would have felt deceived.

Integrity isn’t especially difficult when everyone’s interests align. It’s difficult when telling the truth may cost you something.

I’ve represented clients navigating divorces, major financial setbacks and other extraordinarily difficult circumstances. My obligation is to protect their confidences, exercise discretion and advocate vigorously for their interests.

But advocacy does not mean abandoning judgment or compromising integrity.

Money has a remarkable ability to blur lines. And real estate transactions involve a lot of money.

The real test of integrity is whether the advice changes when the advisor has something to lose.

Sometimes the right recommendation costs a commission. Sometimes it costs a client. Sometimes it simply makes an already difficult conversation harder.

But in a business built almost entirely on trust and reputation, integrity compounds.

And over time, integrity may be the most valuable asset any of us owns.