What Realtors CAN’T Tell You
If you are buying a home, one thing you know for sure is that you need to ask your realtor a ton of questions. While we are a wealth of information about the home-buying and selling process, there are a few things we can't tell you without risking being fined, sued, or having our license suspended:
Is this neighborhood safe?
We get it…you’re hiring us for our area expertise and guidance but your Realtor is not going to tell you their opinion on criminal activities or relative safety of an area. Why? Because providing an opinion or information on a community's crime statistics can be viewed as discriminatory, even if that was not the intent. However, if it is a legitimate concern, there are ways to find this information for yourself:
Google is a powerful tool and you can find sites that show you how many arrests were made in the last few months and what exactly for (traffic, drugs, domestic altercations, etc).
You can drive thru during various days and times to see if you feel relatively safe or not.
Take a walk around the neighborhood around the times you would yourself if you lived there. Buyers are afforded more time to make a decision in this current market…take advantage of it!
What are the best schools in the area?
Again…this is considered “steering” according to the Fair Housing Act of 1968. We can tell you that we have had a lot of clients move here specifically for the school districts (if that’s true), or that our own kids had a fabulous experience at X but we cannot tell you whether or not to select a home based on its designated school. Again…Google is your best friend during the home buying process. Facebook pages are also a great resource if you can connect to the local community and ask questions from others who are not legally bound to keep opinions to ourselves. 😊 The biggest favor you can do for yourself is arrange a tour of the local schools so you are able to make your decision based on first hand information as well as personal experience.
What kind of demographics make up this neighborhood?
Look, this is the South where biases run amuck and unfortunately we still run into a version of this question every blue moon. Demographics are characterized as race, age, and sex. We’re going to avoid those type of questions like the literal plague and it has nothing to do with our lack of knowledge. It could be considered discrimination. Even if all you are wanting to know is if your kids will have other kids nearby to play with after school. Again…do your due diligence. Check out the neighborhood…strike up a conversation with a current resident and get their experience.
Do you think this wall is load bearing?
Heck yeah…this kitchen would look AMAZING without that wall but if you are buying a home knowing the only way it can work for you is if a wall is torn down…hire a contractor to inspect it. You can do this either before you place your offer or during the inspection contingency. Your agent can make sure you win that offer, get through contingencies and to the closing table with your sanity in tact but at the end of the day, we are Realtors and not Bob the builder.