All of us at Windermere Real Estate are committed to the principles of Fair Housing practices for all. Fair Housing is a matter of treating all people equally while adhering to federal, state, and local laws.

FAIR HOUSING ISSUES

Many buyers and sellers ask questions about the people who live in a neighborhood. Such questions are outside the scope of our professional practice. Some of them raise Fair Housing issues, and all of them seek subjective judgments rather than objective information.

THE LAW

Federal law prohibits discrimination in a real estate transaction based on race, color, religion, familial status, sex, handicap, and/or national origin, and state laws may prohibit discrimination on other bases, such as sexual orientation, veteran/military status, ancestry, and others.

Buyers: Once the buyer and seller have a mutually accepted offer, the earnest money is deposited into a trust account. That deposit becomes a credit to the buyer and becomes part of the purchase expense.

Sellers: If you receive a bona fide offer on a property, you cannot refuse to sell to or negotiate with the prospective buyer based on the aforementioned prohibited criteria. You may not falsely represent that the home is no longer for sale, nor can you advertise the home with an indication of preference or limitation on what type of people may purchase it.

Agents are prohibited from “steering” prospective buyers to specific neighborhoods based on the aforementioned criteria. A victim of discrimination may pursue a civil lawsuit or an administrative claim and seek a temporary restraining order, permanent injunction, actual damages, punitive damages, and attorney’s fees.

FURTHER RESOURCES

For more information, explore your local librariesʼ resources on census figures in your neighborhood(s) of interest. Local police precinct stations and school districts can also provide statistical information to aid your research. Otherwise, much information is available on the Internet to help you determine which neighborhood best suits your needs.