Craigslist case draws mixed reaction
By Glenn Roberts Jr., Tuesday, March 18, 2008.Bookmarking Sites
Craigslist, the online classified and community postings site that features for-sale and rental housing ads in markets around the country, is not responsible for users' posts that contain discriminatory language in violation of the federal Fair Housing Act, according to a three-judge panel that considered an appeal by a Chicago lawyers' group (see Inman News).
Inman News received some divided commentary on the topic: one real estate professional lashed out at craigslist, charging that the site is a "glorified FSBO" platform for owners to sell direct to buyers without using a licensed agent, and that "you almost never see blatant fraud, misrepresentation or racism in any Realtor advertising." There are, though, some Realtors who choose to advertise properties at craigslist. Another real estate professional condemned the lawyers who filed the lawsuit against craigslist and suggested that they should be disbarred for filing the lawsuit in the first place.
The court ruling does have implications for a range of Web sites that carry property ads. And the battle may not be over -- the Chicago lawyers' group could petition for the court's full group of judges to reconsider the latest decision.
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Submitted by Tony Spencer on March 19, 2008 - 11:09am.
This lawsuit is disgusting. Craigslist is offering a fantastic service for a fantastic price and shouldn't be required to police every single post especially since they clearly display and require agreement to their terms of service.
Submitted by Kevin Schmidtchen on March 19, 2008 - 12:33pm.
I am a Realtor here in the Santa Barbara CA area and I agree that Craigslist is a good source for all. I am all for getting information in the hands of the consumers. Static web 1.0 sites if you will and hording information is no longer what consumers want. Some agents might feel that that is risking your career with such comments....I don't think so.
If you are good at what you do and give consumers tools to use, they will appreciate this and you will build their trust and loyalty. Sure you might lose a client here and there...but through the new services you are providing, you will gain a few more clients than you would not of in the past.
Blog: www.SantaBarbaraRealEstateVoice.com
Kevin Schmidtchen
Submitted by Rob Aubrey on March 31, 2008 - 6:44pm.
On behalf of the professional Realtors I apologize for the bonehead Realtor that has said to have lashed out...
Obviously the shift in the market has taken its toll on this person. Pretty soon this agent will be back in the industry they came from and the world will be a better place for it.
Once again my sincere apologies.
Rob Aubrey
www.3PoundsOfRealEstate.com