Is your Idaho realtor keeping a dark secret from you? Maybe, and sharing it with their clients could potentially put their livelihood at risk.

Idaho realtors don't talk about deaths & murders.

At least not the deaths and murders that occurred in the homes or on the properties they're listing.

Before you judge them, keep in mind death has been a deal-breaker for many an Idaho realtor. Natural causes, accidents, to horrific, headline-making For that reason and for the sake of the real estate market, Idaho lawmakers don't require realtors to disclose the information with buyers.

Idaho has no requirement for disclosure on a stigmatized property. The state does not consider murder, suicide, or criminal activity as relevant to disclosure.

- Spaulding Decon

Spaulding Decon points out deaths and murders are considered non-material facts. Because they bare no influence on a home or property's structural and environmental standing, they're irrelevant to the transaction.

But the non-disclosures don't stop there.

Idaho realtors also don't talk about suicides & sex offenders.

No matter how gruesome the circumstances were, privacy and confidentiality laws prevent realtors from sharing the privileged information with their clients.

"So, I can't know if a pedophile owned a home I'm about to buy?"

Sorry, but if you're house hunting in Idaho (or in these states), the law expressly forbids realtors from disclosing the information.

Furthermore, the Real Estate Commission (REC) also forbids realtors from answering questions about sex offenders in the area, nor may they procure that information for a potential buyer.

- Robert A. Gleaner, P.C.

For realtors, it's not just about making or a breaking a deal. Rightfully so, the laws they're upholding account for the rights and needs of the deceased's family as well as the survivors who were victimized on the property.

Still, Idaho realtors can utilize the power of suggestion. 

While a realtor is barred from fielding questions about a home's dark history, they can advise clients to check with Idaho's index of Registered Sex Offenders that includes the offender's name, photo, current resident, and offenses.

Clients can also see if someone died in a listing they're eyeing at DiedInHouse.com, or just Google It.

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