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Practice Of Real EstateFair_housingHARD

A Mississippi salesperson is working with a buyer who is a U.S. citizen of Vietnamese descent. The seller's agent tells the buyer's salesperson that the seller 'prefers not to sell to people from that part of the world' but that the seller will accept the offer if the price is right. The buyer's salesperson does not inform the buyer of this comment and proceeds to submit the offer, which is accepted. Which of the following most accurately describes the legal and ethical situation?

Correct Answer

C) The seller's agent violated the Mississippi Fair Housing Act by communicating the discriminatory preference, and the buyer's salesperson may have a duty to inform the buyer of information material to the transaction

Under the Mississippi Fair Housing Act, Miss. Code Ann. §43-141-1 et seq., national origin is a protected class. The seller's agent violated fair housing law by communicating the seller's discriminatory preference — this act of steering or signaling discrimination is itself a violation regardless of the transaction outcome. The buyer's salesperson, as a buyer's agent under Mississippi agency law (Miss. Code Ann. §73-35-21 et seq.), owes fiduciary duties to the buyer including the duty to disclose material information. A seller's expressed discriminatory intent could be material to the buyer's decision to proceed and could expose the buyer to future complications. The buyer's salesperson should have disclosed this information to the buyer.

Answer Options
A
No violation occurred because the seller ultimately accepted the offer regardless of the discriminatory preference
B
Only the seller and seller's agent violated the Mississippi Fair Housing Act; the buyer's salesperson had no duty to disclose the seller's comment
C
The seller's agent violated the Mississippi Fair Housing Act by communicating the discriminatory preference, and the buyer's salesperson may have a duty to inform the buyer of information material to the transaction
D
The buyer's salesperson violated the Mississippi Fair Housing Act by submitting the offer after learning of the discriminatory preference, which constitutes participation in discrimination

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Related Topics & Key Terms

Key Terms:

fair_housingnational_originprotected_classesbuyer_agent_dutiesdiscriminatory_preferencemississippi_fair_housing_act

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