Over the past 13 years of selling real estate in Myrtle Beach, I have experienced all types of situations and questions from clients. Unfortunately, because of the Fair Housing Act there are certain questions that as a Real Estate Agent, I am not allowed to answer.
Here are just of the few questions I have been asked in the past. These are questions you should never ask your REALTOR®:
- Are there a bunch of kids in the neighborhood? I don’t want a bunch of children living around me! One of the classes covered under the Fair Housing Act is age. If the age of your neighbors is an issue to you, I always suggest driving through the neighborhood and look for clues to make your own conclusion. Look for basketball hoops, trampolines, swing sets and children on bicycles.
- Are there a bunch of (enter a particular race) living here? Another protected class under the Fair Housing Act is race. As a REALTOR® we cannot discriminate against race. Surprisingly though, we are asked this question probably more than any other question.
- Is this home located in a ghetto? This is the actual question that sparked me to write this post. First, I do not know what you would consider a ghetto. Secondly, even if I knew what was considered a ghetto, I would not be able to disclose that information. If someone who asked this was referring to the safety of a neighborhood, I cannot discuss that either. I would instead refer the client to the local police department who can share about the safety of the neighborhood.
- Are there a bunch of (enter any religion) living here? Just like race and age, we cannot discriminate against religion either.
- It seems there are some disabled people living next door, will that affect my property? Disabled people are also part of a protected class. I cannot comment, positive or negative about disabled people either.
While there are many other wild and crazy questions I receive daily, these are just 5 of the more regular questions I am asked that I cannot answer that relate to buying a home here in Myrtle Beach. So, while you may want answers to questions like these, use some of the suggestions I mentioned to find your answers instead of your real estate agent.
photo by:
tj scenes
