What Realtors Can't Tell You: What You Should Research Yourself

While we always recommend having a real estate agent guide you through the buying or selling process, they are bound by a few rules and regulations. Just because your realtor gets tight-lipped when asked certain questions does not mean they don’t know the answer. They just legally might not be allowed to tell you.  The Fair Housing Act influences most of what realtors can and cannot tell you. Implemented in 1968, this act aims to eliminate housing discrimination based on certain protected characteristics, like race, religion, sex, color, national origin, familial status, or disability. 

These things are left for you to research on your own, especially if you want members of a similar community close by. For example, let’s say you adhere to the Jewish religion. Your realtor couldn’t tell you if there were any like-minded folks around, but you could do a quick Google search for synagogues that were close by or retail stores that were closed on the Sabbath— make sense? 

Overall, real estate agents must refrain from “steering” their clients towards or away from a particular area because it could easily be seen as an illegal form of housing discrimination. For example, you may ask for “family-friendly” areas, but your realtor must disclose all potential listings that meet your three- bedroom criteria or other objective “must-haves” from your list. They can’t say, “There are lots of families with small children in this neighborhood,” even if you mentioned having small children. 

All of the above examples and plenty more from the provisions of the Fair Housing Act were intended to prevent housing discrimination and give everyone equal access to affordable housing. Agents cannot show favoritism toward a certain group of people and only disclose objective information. 

Along with the neighborhood demographics, two other big factors that many clients want to know about when searching for their house are the crime rates and the quality of schools. Like religion and race, these two factors are off-limits to discuss. There are plenty of other ways to discover the truth about a neighborhood, their schools, and their crime rates. The first step is to do your own research.  

How can you do that? Read more below to find out.

“Quality” Schools, Rankings, and More to Consider

There are plenty of local Facebook groups that exist, things like the NextDoor app, and school ranking websites. We’ve covered school rankings and the influence good schools have on home values before, and you can check those out again here, but the big thing to remember is that rankings are not everything. Sites like Niche.com are a great place to start but know that tons of rankings have taken a downhill turn since the pandemic, as test scores are held in higher esteem than they should be. This is especially true of GreatSchools.org. 

For example, one of our clients just mentioned the other day how unreliable these rankings are, especially in the DMV. Her former school in the Shenandoah Valley was deemed a National Blue Ribbon School in 2016, which is pretty much the highest honor that a school can receive, and it was recently rated a 5/10. Please do not worry if you find your dream home, but the school rankings listed on Zillow are low. At least, don’t worry without doing your own extensive research and finding good reason to worry, such as abysmal graduation rates or an unaccredited school. 

We recently helped this same client find a home and left the school search to her. A former teacher herself, she chose a certain high school triangle based on her criteria that included lots of extra-curricular activities, Advanced Placement courses, and an IB curriculum. This same client also happens to be part of a military family and discovered there are designated Purple Star schools that meet a list of criteria to earn this distinction for helping military families. Despite having “only” a 4/10 on GreatSchools, the family’s new elementary school has impressed them with everything else. Their Purple Star distinction, a responsive administrative team and staff, and offering welcome and community-partnered events all summer, all made them comfortable with their decision. The “icing on the cake” though, was the kindergarten teachers coming out to unload some school swag, a welcome sign, and, most importantly, meet their new little learner. 

Here are some other avenues they mentioned that you can use to search:

• The state’s Department of Education website: Each state has one, and you can see how your potential neighborhood’s schools compare to other schools in the same district and in the state

• Contact the school’s admin team: Ask them questions about how they can specifically support your child. If you don’t have children, you should still be aware of the schools in your area as they affect your home value, and you can still do your online research.

• Check out the school’s website and social media: Look for schools whose feeds are updated often, showing their involvement in the community, and who have student-focused posts. Are they evolving and offering more opportunities and activities each year for learners?

• Contact the PTA: Ask about their organization, how they support teachers and students, what they’ve recently accomplished, and what they think about the school. Is the PTA active and involved, and what do they have to say about the school(s) and teachers?

In addition, it is important to note that, many times, the schools listed as the “designated school” on a Zillow, Trulia, or Redfin search are wrong. Always verify the address’s assigned schools via the local school district site. Many will have a “school finder” link on their site. If they don’t, find a contact for that specific district. You can also email the specific school registrar or read through publicly posted school board notes to learn more about the schools and which issues concern them. You can discover if schools are overcrowded, if the district is planning to build new schools or re-zone, and much more. 

In addition to schools, crime is the other big question that realtors get asked ALL the time, but they cannot answer. 

Crime Rates and Safety

We’ve covered how to research the schools; now, let’s talk about crime. Plenty of resources exist to research crime in your potential new neighborhood. If you have kids, typically, many people start with Megan’s Law and the National Sex Offender Public Website, which mandate that sex offenders be registered and known to the public. You can simply Google this or start with the head honcho itself, the FBI website. Plenty of links on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s site will give you a general idea of the types of crime committed in your area, how it stacks up to national and state averages and more. 

If you can view your new neighborhood in person, nothing is better than that. Go for a drive both during the daytime and at night. Walk into local coffee shops or a gas station and pick up on the vibes. Your intuition is sometimes everything. Whether you get a good vibe or not, you should continue to do your research to substantiate your feelings. Don’t discount local resources like the local newspaper and get on the Patch Network or NextDoor app, inputting your potential new address to get updates. If they’re mostly discussing trivial things like dog poop being disposed of properly or discussing a potential drug house on the corner, you can get a feel for the type of place it will be and the issues. 

There are a bunch of other sites that you may find helpful. Some have loads of information but require a subscription; others are free. Many of these include “livability” scores, monthly newsletters and general good-to-know information, and more:

• AreaVibes: This site ranks a variety of variables, including crime, schools, affordability, and more and provides a “livability” score. 

• Family Watchdog: This site offers monthly updates for your area without a subscription and is user-friendly.

• NeighborhoodScout: This site has a wealth of information but requires a subscription to have access to it. 

• SpotCrime: This website allows you to search specific areas and addresses: 

• Local police: This one might be obvious, but it is worth mentioning. Follow them on social media and more. 

Looking up the local chamber of commerce can also help you check the overall “health” of a community. Indicators such as new businesses opening, strong school connections, and a wealth of civic activities or events indicate that citizens are involved in and care for their community. Where people care enough, where they devote their time, and whether or not they care at all are all typically good indicators of solid communities. If businesses are closing and leaving, there’s a reason, and, more often than not, crime is a factor. 

Anything Else To Know?

In addition, there are plenty of other things that realtors cannot discuss, including non-public information that they cannot disclose about the buyers or sellers, they cannot provide legal or financial advice, including which loan you should go with, cannot conceal or hide any defects about the property, and more, crime and schools just come up more than any other topics. 

If you aren’t sure what your realtor can and cannot tell you, look up the rules for your specific state or simply ask your realtor. More often than not, your realtor will simply say, “That, you should research on your own,” or something similar so that they stay in line with the ethics mandated by the Fair Housing Act and the oath they take as a realtor. 

As always, if you’re in need of a real estate agent with ethics and the acumen to get you into your dream home, look no further than the agents of East + Ivy Homes. Give us a call today, and let’s get you started with your next home search.