realtors, says the chairman of the Chamber's real estate division.

Ms Cris Valdes-Dapena said membership in the Chamber should be something the public could look on as a "seal of approval'' when choosing a realtor.

Today, many member firms do not even include the Chamber logo in their advertising, she said.

The real estate division for some time has had a handbook of guidelines and ethical standards, she said.

"What we haven't had in a long time is teeth, if you will -- a meaningful form of discipline to make sure firms which are our members are adhering to those standards.

"People don't really have anything that they can rely on, aside from their historical familiarity with a firm.'' Ms Valdes-Dapena was elected deputy chairman of the Chamber's real estate division at the annual general meeting in September of 1994. She took over as chairman from Mr. Wayne Jackson when he stepped aside for personal reasons a short time later.

She holds a Masters of Business Administration from the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania and worked in insurance and as a consultant before joining Darling & Depena Real Estate as a partner in December of 1990.

An existing resolutions committee which has dealt with disputes between member agencies will be promoted to play a greater role in that area, as well as dealing with complaints from the public, she said.

Increasing numbers of sale and lease agreements included arbitration clauses, and the committee was "a very logical choice to conduct that kind of arbitration,'' as well, she said.

"We want to promote that body as a recognised arbiter of real estate matters Island-wide,'' she said. "We want to make sure the public has a body to which it can turn.'' How firms would be disciplined, and whether they would be publicly identified, has not been decided, she said. The executive was examining measures that would not necessarily make the transgression public, but would "make it a matter for the public to digest that firms are being brought back into line''.

The "manner in which the resolutions committee conducts itself'' would have to be made a matter of public record, she said.

A sub-committee that was known as the public relations committee has been renamed the industry relations committee. It is to be much more "pro-active'' in promoting the real estate division as "a cohesive and pro-active force for effecting change for the better in our industry.'' It was true that when a real estate firm paid its fee and joined the Chamber, all the business organisation normally did was "make sure your firm is in compliance with the Real Estate Licensing Act'', she said.

But "when you sign onto the Chamber, you also sign on to the handbook, which is the set of ethical guidelines for how to conduct business. You are agreeing to abide by these rules and regulations.'' About 30 real estate firms representing about 60 percent of those on the Island belong to the Chamber. On a rotating basis, three firms are represented on the resoltions committee at any one time.

"We're actively reaching out to the non-member firms,'' Ms Valdes-Dapena said.