What questions can R.E. Agents legally answer? (agent, housing, most expensive)

[willbo1]

What can my agent legally tell me about guiding me on where to live? Can she answer questions as to whether a particular area is safe or if a school district is bad? What about telling me if the house is too nice for the area, that type of thing? This is the type of guidance I need but I don't want to put the agent in a bad position by asking something she legally or ethically cannot give an honest answer to. Thanks.

[Buckhead_Broker]

Keep in mind, the type of questions you are asking generally solicit a response that is opinion-oriented and rarely fact-based. Your agent should be able to get you crimes statistics, school rankings and scores, etc. Then you have to make up your own mind how you feel about the area. You should buy a house that fits your needs and budget. Obviously, most realtors wouldn't recommend buying the most expensive home in a neighborhood, but if it is the home that best fits your needs then so be it.

[willbo1]

Originally Posted by Buckhead_Broker

Keep in mind, the type of questions you are asking generally solicit a response that is opinion-oriented and rarely fact-based. Your agent should be able to get you crimes statistics, school rankings and scores, etc. Then you have to make up your own mind how you feel about the area. You should buy a house that fits your needs and budget. Obviously, most realtors wouldn't recommend buying the most expensive home in a neighborhood, but if it is the home that best fits your needs then so be it.

Thanks Buckhead. Those stats on crimes, rankings and scores (for schools)are always suspect to me. They are usually based on what the school reports to the state to be published. Of course the school is going to skew and hide as much negative as possible especially if the state funding for that district is tied to favorable scores.

My reason for asking an agent would be to get an opinion from someone that supposedly knows the community (and probably lives there) and would want to guide me and my family away from an area or school that doesn't fit our needs. They would be able to give input aside from scores or rankings. I would figure the crime/dangerous area thing would be a bit easier to figure out. Again, just want to know legally how forthcoming agents can be without violating fair housing or other codes.

[austinsmom]

Interview neighbors, too. They'll tell you about the schools and crime honestly.

[msjack]

Originally Posted by austinsmom

Interview neighbors, too. They'll tell you about the schools and crime honestly.

I second that! You will definitely get the scoop from neighbors.

[olecapt]

Sorry - But neighbors are always a crap shoot. The will often tell things about indvidual blocks that are useful...but as soon as you get to area things and such lots of luck. It is, for instance, usual for there to be strong support for some local schools even though they are not very good or crowded.

Crime is in the eye of the beholder. There was a string on CD about a local neighborhood in Vegas and its terrible burglary problem. Aside from the fact it was completely incorrect it was sworn to by those living in the area.

Use the available statistics. Ask the agent. Note that virtually all things correlate well with the median local income.

[middle-aged mom]

Fair Housing is federal law. "Testing" is very common in my area.

We have it beat into us to be the "source of the source".

[olecapt]

Originally Posted by middle-aged mom

Fair Housing is federal law. "Testing" is very common in my area.

We have it beat into us to be the "source of the source".

That is neither a legal or ethical requirement. It is Broker CYA. Good agents take liberties with it. I certainly do...

[Greatday]

Originally Posted by willbo1

What can my agent legally tell me about guiding me on where to live? Can she answer questions as to whether a particular area is safe or if a school district is bad? What about telling me if the house is too nice for the area, that type of thing? This is the type of guidance I need but I don't want to put the agent in a bad position by asking something she legally or ethically cannot give an honest answer to. Thanks.

A generally accepted "rule" is, let the customer set the limits.

A good agent will find out what a potential buyers "needs, wants and motivations" are. They will determinal locational requirements - proximity to schools, employment centers, shopping, etc.

If a customer inquires about wanting to be near a "good" school, a good agent will direct that buyer to readily available public information about the schools. A good agent should stay away from anything "subjective" - what does the word "good" mean? Let the customer decide what is good or not.

Same with neighborhoods. It certainly is a reasonable question / desire to be in a "safe" neighborhood but again, what does "safe" mean? I hear customers wanting a "crime free" neighborhood - that is impossible. Providing to the customer information on crime statistics for the area / neighborhood is fine. But again, let the customer decide what is good - the agent should not.

[middle-aged mom]

Originally Posted by olecapt

Good agents take liberties with it. I certainly do...

Taking liberties with Federal law is an ethics issue. Good agents do not make decisions for their clients.