Orange is Not SEXY!

Sex, lifestyle, marriage, children, family...Real estate marketing is venturing off into new and some would say "creative, exciting and edgy" arenas.

This morning Roger D. Mucci posted "Does Sex Sell?" and it created a ripple effect in my little brain.

Marketing excites many real estate agents, it speaks to our creative sides.  We look for an edge, a way to stand out and to make our LISTINGS POP!

Thinking outside the box is great.  It's fun.  I'm a BIG FAN!

We must remember, however, that the BOX WAS CREATED FOR A REASON.

That reason is to prevent discrimination, or the appearance of discrimination, against the legally protected classes.

The BOX is so important that they gave it a name all it's own. 
THE FAIR HOUSING ACT.

Under the Fair Housing Act, there are federally protected classes that include race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability and familial status.

Using SEX TO SELL real estate is what lawyers love.  Ever hear the term SLIPPERY SLOPE?

The slippery slope of using images of people to sell real estate could be very dangerous.

Think about it this way, you have 10 listings, you make 10 videos using actors/models to showcase those listings.  You use attractive models as married couples, throw in a few children playing in a well landscaped back yard...maybe you have a condo listing that you market by using images of a briefcase toting male professional sans children...

In setting up your video marketing in this way, you hope to show a LIFESTYLE.

Now, think back to the 7 federally protected classes.  Did you include or exclude anyone?  Were you cognizant of using different races and colors of people?  Did you inadvertently include Christmas dinner but not Hanukkah?  Did your "family-centric" video include same sex couples with and without children?  Were all of the actors/models bounding around tennis courts and running the neighborhood pathways to the exclusion of highlighting handicap accessible features?

I'm no lawyer, I'm just a real estate broker who has been drilled for the past 12 years to avoid flirting with disaster AKA The Fair Housing Act.

I'm a real estate broker. 

I sell homes. 

I'll leave it up to the people who live there to determine their own lifestyle choices.