I was asked an interesting question of possible fair housing today. And, I thought it was very interesting and could see arguing both sides of the fence on it, but which is correct and which is ethical, the area is very grey and under what grounds can you say "no, I won't list your house"?
One of my agents came to me today asking what he should do about this listing opportunity he has before him. The seller has a lovely home that should under normal circumstances sell well. It's in a nice area and in good condition and in a good price range. And, you might already be wondering, so what's the problem?
The seller has a room in his home that could be construed as offensive my a large segment of our population and maybe even horrific by some.
My suggestion to the agent would be to ask Mr. Seller to prepare his home for sale and neutralize it. Which means he must make his home appeal to the vast segment of the population which would include removing valuable items that could be stolen, removing some pictures from the walls, some decorative pieces and perhaps some religious items and icons so that the home would be completely neutral. But then the question came up as to freedom of speach and freedom of worship and one's right to freedom of speach and so on. I don't know what the answer is. I can argue both sides.
Personally, I would not accept the listing if the seller would not neutralize the home. An agent does not want to waste their money on advertising and marketing a home that a large segment of the population may find offensive. I have no problem saying no to sellers (and buyers) who won't be reasonable in their approach to selling or buying a home. But, do all agents look at it this way?
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