Fair Housing for Real Estate Agents

Avoid Steering Your Buyers

If you have a real estate license, you know the definition of steering: the illegal funneling of home buyers to a particular area based on the desire to keep the makeup of that neighborhood the same or intentionally change it. Racial steering receives the most consumer complaints, but the practice is not acceptable for any reason, and it goes against Fair Housing laws.

Your job is to match your buyers to the features of available properties, not to the racial (or other) makeup of the area. If someone asks you to eliminate certain areas based on any of the protected classes, you cannot legally follow their instructions, even if you are a Buyer's Agent.

Protected Classes

• race
• color
• national origin
• religious preference
• sex
• familial status
• handicaps

Download the parts of the Fair Housing Act that affect you, and read the material until you understand it. Pay attention to your state laws, too, since they might contain additional guidelines specific for you area.

If you manage rental properties, you are involved with many more aspects of Fair Housing Laws. Have an expert answer you questions, and follow the advice given.

Learn how Fair Housing Affects Advertising