New This Month
Print Article Archives
Reprints / Subscriptions
Editorial Calendar
Media Kit
Popular Features
Architecture Guide
Cost vs. Value Report
Good Neighbor Awards
Handouts for Customers
Top 100 Companies
Take a Quiz
30 under 30
Young Professionals
REALTOR® Emeritus
Architecture Guide
Cost vs. Value Report
Good Neighbor Awards
Handouts for Customers
Top 100 Companies
Take a Quiz
30 under 30
Young Professionals
REALTOR® Emeritus |  | PREPACKAGED SALES MEETING: FAIR ADVERTISING PRACTICES | |
|  Fair Advertising Practices, Introduction Component 1: Facilitator Talking Points Component 2: Agenda Component 3: Handout 1, Who is protected by Fair Housing? Component 4: Suggestions for a Company Fair Housing Policy Component 5: Activity 1, Say It Fairly Quiz Component 6: Activity 1, Quiz Answers Component 7: Handout 3, What's in A Word? Component 8: Activity 2, Advertising Critique Component 9: Activity 2, Suggested Ad Changes Component 10: Handout 4, Avoiding Selectivity Trap Component 11: Activity 3, Let's Play Ad Agency Component 12: Activity 3, Ad Creation Tips Component 13: Other Resources | Component 1: Facilitator Talking Points These notes will guide you and your salespeople through the ways the provisions of the Fair Housing Act affect real estate advertising practices. Pre-meeting preparation:
Print the following: 1. These facilitator notes (Component 1) 2. The Fair Advertising Practices Agenda (Component 2) 3. Handout 1: Who is Protected by Fair Housing? (Component 3) 4. Handout 2: Your Company’s Fair Housing Policy? (Component 4) 5. Activity 1: Quiz: Say It Fairly (Component 5) 6. Activity 1: Answer Sheet to Say It Fairly (Component 6) 7. Handout 2: What’s in a Word (Component 7) 8. Activity 2: Advertising Critique—Sample Ads (Component 8) 9. Activity 2: Suggested Ad Changes (Component 9) 10. Handout 3: Avoiding the Selectivity Trap (Component 10) 11. Activity 3: Let’s Play Ad Agency (Component 11) 12. Activity 3: Ad Creation Tips (Component 12) Welcome (1 minute) True stories (2 min.) 1. Ask the group about whether any of them have been sued or threatened with suit for a fair housing violation by a past client. Ask if they would be comfortable sharing their experiences. To segue from the true stories to the discussion, tell participants that the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® Code of Ethics prohibits REALTORS® from printing, displaying, or circulating any statement or advertisement with respect to the selling or renting of a property that indicates any preference, limitations, or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin. Background and goals (2 min.) Developing targeted advertising that will highlight the features of a property and speak specifically to buyers is a key component of successful real estate sales. But it is also essential to guard against inadvertent exclusionary wording or graphics in developing property advertising. In this meeting, I’ll
Handout 1: Who is Protected by Fair Housing? (5 min.) Read this summary of Section 804 of the Fair Housing Act that pertains to advertising (Component 3). Ask the group for examples of persons who might fall under each of the protected classes, as well as any other groups protected in your area. Next review the exceptions to the Fair Housing Act. Point out that even though private owners may not be bound by the provisions of the Fair Housing Act in sales or rentals, they may not publish discriminatory advertising. Handout 2: Your Company’s Fair Housing Policy (5 min.) Distribute copies of your company’s fair housing policy and briefly review the portions of the policy that pertain to advertising. If your company does not have such a policy, use Component 4 to assist you in developing a written policy. Activity 1: Quiz, Say It Fairly (10 min.) Have participants complete this short quiz (Component 5) to see if they can pinpoint some common causes of discrimination violations in advertising. Call on different participants to read the correct answer to each question and why they chose it. Use the Answer Sheet to Say It Fairly (Component 6) to lead the discussion. Handout 3: What’s in a Word? (5 min.) Review this list of generally acceptable and non-acceptable words for property advertising (Component 7). Ask participants if they can suggest words or phrases to add to either list. Suggest to participants that a good way to determine if a particular word might be discriminatory is to imagine that the ideal buyer for this property is disabled or a member of a minority. Then ask yourself if a word would in any way suggest that this house is not for this ideal buyer. Remind participants that a good basic guidelines is: Describe the property, not the potential buyer or tenant. Activity 2: Advertising Critique (10 min.) Ask participants to pass around copies of their recent ads or use the Sample Ads (Component 8). Select two or three depending on the time available), and ask participants to point out any words or phrases that might be interpreted as discriminatory. Ask participants to suggest alternative language that would not seem discriminatory. Use Component 7 as a basis for determining if language might be discriminatory. Use the Suggested Ad Changes (Component 9) to discuss changes in the sample ads that will bring them into compliance with fair housing regulations. Handout 4: Avoiding the Targeting Trap (5 min.) Ask participants to review this list of selective advertising placement practices (Component 10) that can result in inadvertent discrimination. Ask participants for suggestions on ways to focus property advertising without falling into the targeting trap. Activity 3: Let’s Play Ad Agency (10-15 min.) Give participants the opportunity to develop a property ad based on fair housing compliance principles they have learned. Depending on time available, either have participants create ads for the Let’s Play Ad Agency property descriptions (Component 11) as a group, or divide participants into three groups. Use the Ad Creation Tips (Component 12) to give examples of acceptable and unacceptable word choices based on these descriptions. Adjourn, and thank participants for their time. Total: 55 min Component 2: Agenda > |