Realtor Insights: Understanding Limitations and Fair Housing Laws
The Realtors Role
As a realtor, my primary goal is to support you in making informed decisions when purchasing a home. But there are certain topics on which I cannot provide personal opinions or advice. Last week, I conducted a trivia on my social media, asking two questions:
Can your realtor give advice on the safety of a neighborhood?
Can your realtor provide opinions on school districts?"
A significant number of you answered "true" when, in fact, the correct answer is "false."
I thought it would be helpful to shed some light on why realtors can't answer specific questions about neighborhoods. That way, you have a clear understanding of what I can and cannot provide when it comes to different topics. After all, transparency and open communication are essential in our journey together.
Why Realtors Can’t Give Their Opinion on Certain Topics
TLDR; Fair Housing Laws.
Fair Housing Laws prohibit realtors from steering clients toward or away from specific areas based on protected characteristics: race, color, national origin, religion, disability status, gender, or familial status. Offering subjective opinions on neighborhood safety or school quality can be a violation of those laws.
People have different criteria for safety and education. Providing personal opinions on these subjects can do more harm than good.My perspective may not align with your unique preferences and requirements.
Helpful Resources
To help you assess neighborhood safety and school quality, I can provide and help point you to helpful resources. These are all third-party sources with objective, unbiased information.
Neighborhood Safety:
NeighborhoodScout.com - Access crime statistics and reports for specific areas.
CrimeReports.com - Review crime data and trends in neighborhoods.
Schools:
GreatSchools.org - Compare schools using criteria such as test scores, student-teacher ratios, and college readiness.
SchoolDigger.com - Explore and evaluate schools based on various performance indicators.
As your realtor, my aim is to provide you thoughtful guidance within legal and ethical boundaries. This includes current trends, home values, local amenities, and any upcoming developments. I understand questions may arise that I am not able to answer. In these cases, I make sure to provide you with information from independent, third-party sources. Empowering you to determine what is most important to you and evaluate neighborhoods and schools based on your own unique standards.
Choosing where to live is a deeply personal decision. My goal is to help you find a home in an area that makes you feel comfortable and excited. And I’ll make sure you feel confident and fulfilled every step of the way.
