Inman

Advice for the Rookie Realtor

Re: ‘Rookie Realtor finds disclosure panacea‘ (Aug. 17)

Dear Rookie:

I find it interesting that a mosque in the neighborhood should be an issue. My husband and I specifically chose to buy the house we did because there was a mosque two blocks down the street. We are Christians but felt that a place of worship in the area, regardless of the religion or denomination, indicated a community of faith and would be better than say a bar or a car repair shop (which are on surrounding streets). We live in a wonderful multi-ethnic neighborhood and we wouldn’t be there without that mosque, which incidentally was a temporary location while the much larger and very ornate local mosque was being renovated. The space is now occupied by a dollar mart!

Colleen Morris
Herbalist
Santa Monica, Calif.

Dear Rookie:

It seems to me that even your suggested “back door” is discriminatory unless the buyer is told about any churches in the area that meet on Saturday, Sunday or any other day of the week, as well as any other business or event that might affect traffic. This could prove a daunting undertaking. Therefore, the only acceptable way to handle this question is to simply advise the buyers to explore the neighborhood as you should in any neighborhood.

Dave Haydon
Weichert, Realtors
Exton, Pa.

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Got tips, ideas or advice for the Rookie Realtor? Send them to Rookie@inman.com.