The Atlanta Report

Fair Housing. Don’t Ask me What I Can’t Tell You

As a real estate agent, I need to make sure I don’t discriminate against anyone or else I can get into big trouble. The Fair Housing Act is very clear about things.  When advertising or selling a home, an agent or business can show no preference towards seven protected statuses.  They are familial, race, color, sex, religion, national origin, handicap.  Pretty much every person fits into one of these categories.  So it comes down to treating everyone the same when it comes to housing.

If you call me up, don’t ask me for the demographics of neighborhoods.  I can’t give you that sort of information.  I can give you sources where you might be able to get the information yourself.  Usually the make up of the public schools can tell you a lot.  You can go to my school web page to do all the research you want. You can also go to the US census site and do some research.  They have information down to very small census blocks.

If you are really interested about a specific neighborhood, I would recommend driving around at various times of the day.  If they have a community playground, spend some time there and talk to the neighbors.

I have worked with all kinds of people.  It’s the part of my job that I really like.  I get to learn about different cultures and customs.  What I have found is that we are all pretty much alike. We are looking to get a good home, in a safe neighborhood, with good schools at a reasonable price. 

But no matter how much diversity is promoted, many people still want to live around people who are like themselves.  I have no problem with that but as a licensed REALTOR®, I can’t advise you on those matters.  So do your homework and then call me and I’ll show you everything that is available in any neighborhoods that you would like.

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I Earned my Broker’s License!!!

I just passed the Georgia real estate broker’s test!!! This allows me the opportunity to open my  own office if I ever chose to.  I now have the training to be able to handle any broker related issues.  I took it more for the continuing education than the thought of going off on my own.

These tests were all very challenging.   They make them so 50% fail on the first go around.  They seemed to have achieved that goal from what I observed. There were a lot of disappointed folks coming out of the room.

The test consisted of 12 computer simulated case studies of real broker situations.  A scenario was described  with limited information.  From a list of about 10 choices, one had to select various pieces of information that  one needed to obtain in order to come closer to a final decision.  If irrelevant information was selected, points were taken away.

Depending on your selections, the computer would take you to the next step in the decision tree.  A little more information was then given on how the situation changed according to your previous selections.  At the end, you were given  a choice on what the best solution would be.

All of the memorization of details was tested for in the end of the class tests that we had to pass before being allowed to sit for the state test.

The class itself was a lot of fun.  It was 60 class room hours of mostly open discussion and group exercises.  Topics were brought up and the class of over 50 would ask questions and share their experiences.  It was a great learning experience. 

It opened my eyes to all the liability that brokers take on when they open their doors for business.  Many brokers fail due to poor planning and unrealistic expectations. There are a lot of costs to be aware of.

I took the class so I could be better informed about real estate.  I really enjoy being a sales agent and want to leave all those broker responsibilities to my broker.  It’s much more fun working with buyers and sellers than working on recruiting agents.

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