| "When you make the decision to sell your | | | | • Handicapped |
| home, you are under no obligation to hire a | | | | |
| real estate agent or broker to help you with | | | | • Integrated |
| the sale. Nonetheless, most people prefer to | | | | |
| hire a real estate agent in order to better | | | | • Married |
| protect themselves and in order to put | | | | |
| themselves in a better position to | | | | • Mature |
| successfully sell the home in a short amount | | | | |
| of time. | | | | • Mother-in-Law quarters |
| | | | |
| When you hire a real estate agent, you gain | | | | • Professional |
| access to a wealth of knowledge that will | | | | |
| help keep you out of trouble and will help | | | | • Section 8 |
| provide for a smooth transaction. Here are | | | | |
| just a few things that your real estate agent | | | | • Seniors |
| knows that you probably do not. | | | | |
| | | | • Singles only |
| The Federal Fair Housing Act | | | | |
| | | | • Sports-minded |
| According to the Federal Fair Housing Act, | | | | |
| you cannot discriminate against someone when | | | | As you can see, some of these terms seem |
| selling a home. The act defines seven | | | | perfectly innocent. Therefore, it is a good |
| different classes that are protected against | | | | idea to get the help of a real estate agent |
| discrimination, these include: | | | | so you can tap into his or her knowledge and |
| | | | experience in order to stay out of trouble. |
| • Race | | | | |
| | | | State Real Estate Laws |
| • Color | | | | |
| | | | Although there are similarities in real |
| • National origin | | | | estate laws from one state to the next, each |
| | | | state has its own set of rules that must be |
| • Sex | | | | followed. If you do not understand these |
| | | | laws or are unaware of these laws, you can |
| • Religion | | | | inadvertently break the law when selling your |
| | | | home. In addition, by not being fully aware |
| • Handicap | | | | of your seller's rights, you might actually |
| | | | lose out on money during the transaction. |
| • Familial status | | | | |
| | | | Taking Advantage of Connections |
| If you do not enlist in the help of a real | | | | |
| estate agent, you put yourself at risk of | | | | Aside from legal matters, a real estate agent |
| violating this act if you refuse to sell your | | | | simply has a vast number of connections that |
| home to an interested buyer. In addition, | | | | makes it possible to sell a home more quickly |
| you might even accidentally violate these | | | | and for a higher asking price. Similarly, |
| laws without realizing it. For example, | | | | since people come to real estate agents when |
| there are certain words that cannot be | | | | searching for homes, you are able to tap into |
| included in your advertisements for your home | | | | a much larger market of interested buyers |
| because they are in violation of the Fair | | | | when you get the help of a real estate agent. |
| Housing Laws. Some of these words include: | | | | |
| | | | Since a real estate agent has experience with |
| • Bachelor apartment | | | | selling homes, he or she can also provide you |
| | | | with tips to help increase the market value |
| • Children welcome | | | | of your home and to make the process go by |
| | | | more quickly. For example, small things such |
| • Couples | | | | as painting a room a different color can go a |
| | | | long way when it comes to increasing the |
| • Gentleman's Farm | | | | appeal of the home. By taking advantage of |
| | | | the realtor's expertise, you just might have |
| • Golden Agers | | | | a much more profitable selling experience. |
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