{"id":2667,"date":"2022-12-21T09:53:12","date_gmt":"2022-12-21T14:53:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/?p=2667"},"modified":"2024-04-25T23:18:11","modified_gmt":"2024-04-26T03:18:11","slug":"free-speech-the-current-status-of-buyer-to-seller-love-letters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/free-speech-the-current-status-of-buyer-to-seller-love-letters\/","title":{"rendered":"Free Speech! The Current Status of Buyer-to-Seller \u201cLove Letters\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"404\" src=\"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/buyer-to-seller-love-letters-1024x404.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2668\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/buyer-to-seller-love-letters-1024x404.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/buyer-to-seller-love-letters-300x118.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/buyer-to-seller-love-letters-768x303.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/buyer-to-seller-love-letters-1536x606.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/buyer-to-seller-love-letters.jpg 1847w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>So you really, really, want that special home. Will you be the seller\u2019s choice?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s tempting to gush over the home in a letter to the owner. That way, couldn\u2019t you bond with the owner over your love for the home? And isn\u2019t it helpful to create goodwill with the party you\u2019re hoping to deal with?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sure. But writing certain personal details in a \u201clove letter\u201d to a home seller, says the National Association of REALTORS\u00ae, could be risky. It could lead to activities that might be called out as discriminatory, NAR says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Could a buyer\u2019s words to a seller actually offend fair housing laws? Maybe so, says NAR \u2014 if a seller chooses one particular buyer while excluding others, possibly because of personal traits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is why Oregon recently banned buyer love letters. But the law was deemed unconstitutional. Buyer love letters, a federal court has said, are protected as free speech.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Happened in Oregon<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/what-happened-in-oregon.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2669\" width=\"488\" height=\"379\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/what-happened-in-oregon.jpg 650w, https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/what-happened-in-oregon-300x233.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 488px) 100vw, 488px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>As a general matter, real estate agents have to pass messages between parties to a house sale. It\u2019s part of their job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And if there is more than one bidder, a buyer might figure the homeowner will be absolutely delighted by a written tribute to the beauty of the home, and all the ways the hopeful buyer could appreciate and enjoy living in it. That could be a hopeful bidder\u2019s winning edge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some homeowners find these pleas annoying. Many sellers\u2019 agents recommend ignoring them, and focusing on the particulars of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/succeeding-with-contingent-offers-in-a-sellers-market\/\">offer and contingencies<\/a>. But some homeowners read the love letters, and really do make those hoped-for emotional connections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, here\u2019s the issue. What if the hopeful buyer\u2019s letter leads a seller to accept \u2014 or turn down \u2014 an offer because of particular social traits, like race, gender, sexual orientation, and so forth?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Last year, Oregon banned home buyer love letters. The point of the prohibition? To keep buyers, sellers, and their agents from helping home sellers pick buyers in ways that contradict federal fair housing laws. Under the Oregon ban, a seller\u2019s agent could not accept messages from buyers beyond the \u201ccustomary documents\u201d used in any normal home purchase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Oregon\u2019s law was the first one like it in the country. It went into effect on Jan. 1, 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As it turns out, not all real estate groups have agreed with NAR. Some didn\u2019t want the state involved in the issue. They decided to challenge Oregon\u2019s ban in court. It was late 2021, and an Oregon brokerage named Total Real Estate Group sued state officials. They asserted that the state ban on buyer love letters impinged upon speech rights, and could squelch useful communications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Total Real Estate Group went further. It argued that love letters could even<em> help<\/em> people in minority groups, who might lack the resources for a large down payment or all-cash offer, but could persuade the owner that they love the homes and would be the worthiest buyers. \u201cIt gives them a chance to compete because they can explain why they love the house,\u201d Total Real Estate Group\u2019s lawyer argued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The federal court concluded that the law, as written, has a free speech problem. The court\u2019s decision did note evidence suggesting love letters increase the risk of unlawful discrimination. At the same time, the federal court noted that people could use other means (which didn\u2019t clash with people\u2019s freedom to communicate) to address discrimination in housing. For one example, the real estate industry could mandate explanations of fair housing laws in standard purchase documents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Finding that a ban could chill too much protected speech, a federal district judge issued a consent decree. The consent decree essentially said the following. Because Oregon\u2019s ban was found overbroad and therefore unconstitutional, Oregon\u2019s real estate community has to allow love letters. Thus, Oregon\u2019s law is now deemed unenforceable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What\u2019s Next for the Law of Love Letters?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>So far, Oregon has been the only state to say its agents can\u2019t pass these notes. And it\u2019s also been the only state told to drop its ban. But it looks like the Oregon experience is changing the way people think about a seller\u2019s duty to respect fair housing policy. In light of the debate, people across the United States are now wondering if home buyer love letters could set up federal Fair Housing Act risks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And yes, it is possible for sellers to face penalties for fair-housing law violations, as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.americanbar.org\/groups\/public_education\/resources\/law_issues_for_consumers\/homefha_refuse\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">American Bar Association<\/a> has explained. Generally, frustrated bidders are allowed to go to court if they believe they can show harmful discrimination. \u201cThe potential buyer could sue,\u201d says the ABA, \u201cfor actual monetary losses as well as attorney&#8217;s fees, court costs, and even punitive damages.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After the federal court decision in <em>Total Real Estate Group v. Strode<\/em>, we could say potential buyers have a lot of leeway in their communications with sellers. But this legal question is far from settled. Real estate professionals in California have acknowledged the unfairness potential connected with love letters. Other jurisdictions, such as Rhode Island and Washington State, are considering laws that restrict agents from passing love notes from buyers to sellers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>People wanting to ban love letters will learn how to write more narrowly tailored laws by examining the new case law in Oregon. Future bans <em>could <\/em>pass Constitutional muster. People working for bans might also look for evidence of the actual effects of love letters on various groups. (The challengers to the Oregon ban argued that love letters hadn\u2019t actually been connected to unfair discrimination and harm.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">At the End of the Day\u2026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Buyers and sellers should deal with each other by examining businesslike factors. These factors include price, appraisal and inspection reports, timing, and all the parts of the contractual agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To put it bluntly, selling a home is a financial decision. A buyer who might have been rejected for more personal reasons might believe they were unfairly treated. If a fair-housing complaint could arise, why engage? That\u2019s basically NAR\u2019s point, and it\u2019s worth some thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Free speech is a wonderful right. But a home sale is a transaction, not a romance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Supporting References<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><em>Total Real Estate Group v. Strode<\/em>, No. 3:21-cv-01677 (D. Or. Mar. 3, 2022).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Oregon State Legislature, 2021 Regular Session. H.B. 2550, Relating to the Duties of the Seller\u2019s Agent in Real Estate Transactions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Christina Hoffman for <em>REALTOR\u00ae Magazine<\/em> (published by the National Association of REALTORS\u00ae): <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nar.realtor\/magazine\/real-estate-news\/Law%20and%20Ethics%20\u2013%20First%20Amendment%20Argument%20Wins%20the%20Day\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Law and Ethics \u2013 First Amendment Argument Wins the Day<\/a> (Oct. 26, 2022).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">National Association of REALTORS\u00ae: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nar.realtor\/legal-case-summaries\/oregon-ban-on-love-letters-deemed-unconstitutional\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Legal Case Summaries \u2013 Oregon Ban on Love Letters Deemed Unconstitutional<\/a> (May 23, 2022).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Elaine S. Povich for Pew Trusts\u2019 <em>Stateline Update<\/em>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pewtrusts.org\/en\/research-and-analysis\/blogs\/stateline\/2022\/05\/13\/federal-judge-tosses-oregon-ban-on-real-estate-love-letters\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Federal Judge Tosses Oregon Ban on Real Estate \u201cLove Letters<\/a>\u201d (May 13, 2022).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">April Ehrlich for Oregon Public Broadcasting on <em>OPB.org<\/em>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.opb.org\/article\/2022\/05\/12\/judge-ends-oregon-ban-on-real-estate-love-letters\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Judge Ends Oregon Ban on Real Estate \u201cLove Letters<\/a>\u201d (May 12, 2022).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Pacific Legal Foundation: <em>Real Estate Brokers Sue to End Oregon\u2019s Unconstitutional Ban on \u201cLove Letters<\/em>\u201d (Nov. 19, 2021).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Jessica Guynn for <em>USA Today<\/em>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/money\/personalfinance\/real-estate\/2021\/11\/19\/home-buyers-love-letters-oregon-lawsuit\/8689356002\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Real Estate \u2013 Oregon Slapped With Lawsuit Over \u201cLove Letters\u201d Ban in Hot Real Estate Market<\/a> (Nov. 19, 2021; updated Nov. 21, 2021).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><em>Deeds.com<\/em>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/oregon-sued-after-banning-buyers-love-letters\/\">Oregon Sued After Banning Buyers\u2019 Love Letters<\/a> (Nov. 29, 2021).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">And as linked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Photo credits: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/photo\/brown-wooden-love-free-standing-letter-on-black-wooden-surface-713769\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jonathan Meyer<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/photo\/shallow-focus-of-letter-paper-1157151\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Suzy Hazelwood<\/a>, via Pexels.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>So you really, really, want that special home. Will you be the seller\u2019s choice? It\u2019s tempting to gush over the home in a letter to the owner. That way, couldn\u2019t you bond with the owner over your love for the home? And isn\u2019t it helpful to create goodwill with the party you\u2019re hoping to deal [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[71],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2667","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Free Speech! The Current Status of Buyer-to-Seller \u201cLove Letters\u201d - Deeds.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This is why Oregon recently banned buyer love letters. 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