Frequently Asked Questions

We Do Business in AccordanceWith the Federal FairHousing Law

(The FairHousingAmendmentsAct of 1988)

It is 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.

In the financing of housing.

In the provision of real estate brokerage services.

In the appraisal of housing.

Blockbusting is also illegal.

Anyone who feels he or she has been discriminated against may file a complaint of housing discrimination: 1-800-669-9777 (Toll Free) 1-800-927-9275 (TTY) www.hud.gov/fairhousing

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity Washington, D.C. 20410

Give Your Readers Enough Information - Knowing what is important to your readers is key. Make sure you include all the relevant features and qualities of the item for sale. Mention brand names, color, condition, size, etc.

Always Include a Price – Readers expect to see a price in your ad. Listing a price will increase the number of people who respond.

Avoid Abbreviations - Complete words and sentences are much easier to read. Abbreviations may save a small amount of space, but they may also hurt the ability of your ad to draw a response.

Make it Easy for Readers to Contact You - Include the hours you will be available to take calls. Also include an email address so people can contact you when you are not by the phone. You may wish to consider an auto-responder service to automatically reply with more sales information when you receive a email. You may also wish to consider including a link to a Web site to show pictures and supply more information.

Categorize Your Ad Correctly – List your ad in multiple categories if they are applicable.

Mention Related Items – If you have similar items or services for sale be sure to mention them in your ad. Often this will result in an additional sale.

Make Use of Empty Space – Classified sections are often black with ink. Including some blank space in your ad can help draw attention.

Proofread Carefully – Take a good look at your ad after it is written. Remove non-essential information, check for errors, and add any missing elements.

Finish With a Call to Action – Make sure you end on a strong note that urges you reader to act.

Contact Information - You can advertise a website or use an email address for readers to correspond with you; however, we highly recommend that you include a telephone number in the ad.