FAIR HOUSING AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

True North Real Estate Advisors (TNREA) believes that all persons are entitled to equal opportunity. TNREA offices do not discriminate against their employees, applicants or independent contractor associates because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, marital status, national origin, citizenship, veteran status, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, or any other consideration made unlawful by applicable federal, state/provincial or local laws. 

It is our policy to comply with all federal, state, and provincial Human Rights Codes which protect people against unfair practices in housing by making it illegal to discriminate against any person because of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin in the sale or rental of housing or residential lots, in advertising the sale or rental of housing, and in the provision of real-estate brokerage services. Block busting or steering is also illegal.

TNREA maintains a strict policy prohibiting unlawful harassment of employees and associates both by supervisory and non-supervisory individuals. Furthermore, we prohibit harassment in any form, including verbal, physical and visual harassment. Employees and associates who violate this policy are subject to discipline or discharge for such violations.

CODE OF ETHICS

We expect all of our associates to adhere to the National Association of REALTORS®. In all business dealings with the public, outside REALTORS® and associates within this company, a general Code of Ethics will be established following the concept of the Golden Rule. We want to be living examples and to do this we must strive for high ethical standards.

RESPA COMPLIANCE

RESPA Compliance Policy: The Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, 12 U.S.C. §2601 (“RESPA”) was enacted in the United States to ensure that consumers are provided with full information on the nature and costs of the settlement process and are protected from kick-backs or referral fees that tend to unnecessarily increase the costs of certain settlement services in real estate transactions. All TNREA workplaces, their brokers, leadership, ownership and associates fully comply with RESPA guidelines.

WIRE FRAUD DISCLAIMER

Criminals use many methods to steal our money, even when we are buying or selling a home – particularly involving wire fund transfers. Scammers typically will send an email that APPEARS to be from your agent, broker, lender, or the closing attorney/ closing agency. Be on the lookout for: • Phony email addresses (e.g., a slight change in the domain name), authentic-looking fake websites, phony fax numbers, texts, calls or social media messages from scammers. • Any communication requesting information or directing you to a fake website, a criminal’s email address or a criminal’s bank account.

In preparation for closing, Buyers will often need to wire transfer funds from their personal bank to the closing attorney/closing agency. NEVER ACCEPT WIRING INSTRUCTIONS FROM YOUR AGENT OR BROKER. Rather, you should receive wiring instructions prior to closing from the closing attorney/closing agency or your lender. If the instructions are sent by email they should be in a secured manner. DO NOT TRANSFER FUNDS UNTIL you have verified the authenticity of the wiring instructions by at least one other independent means, including but not limited to the following: • Call the phone number you used on all your prior calls (if the number came from a personally recognized or known source), or • Call the closing attorney/ closing agency or lender after verifying their phone number from a known third party source, such as the entity’s official website and/or public directory assistance (do not take the phone number directly from the wiring instruction form you received), or • Make a personal visit to their office at the address you previously met with them.

If you send wiring instructions by email or any electronic means to anyone at your bank or other financial institution in preparation for closing, DO NOT TRANSFER ANY FUNDS until after you verify that the correct instructions were received by a known representative at your financial institution. Also, it is important to confirm with the financial institution that the WIRE INSTRUCTIONS ARE NOT TO BE SUBSTITUTED WITHOUT YOUR PRIOR CONSENT. Any wiring instructions sent should be sent in a secured manner. Be especially aware of any request to change any of the original wiring/money transfer information, change in the person you have been working with on the transaction, or a subtle difference in their behavior, speech, or grammar. These are some signs of a potential scam.

Wiring instructions for closing attorneys, title companies and lenders rarely if ever change, so any request to change this information should be handled with caution. If you suspect you may be a victim of wire fraud or that you may have received suspicious phone calls, emails, text messages, faxes, social media messages, emails from a fake address, a change in contact person at your bank or mortgage company, or changes to wire transfer or financing institutions: • IMMEDIATELY call your bank and/or mortgage company at the phone number you used in all prior calls. • Then, call your agent at the phone number you used in all prior calls.