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Standard Operating Procedures

New York requires every real estate brokerage to publish the procedures it asks prospective buyers and tenants to follow before we show them homes or work with them. The point is fairness: everyone gets asked the same questions and follows the same steps. Here are ours.

Brokerage
Fieldstone & Finch Realty
Applies to
Both offices: 212 Ferry Lantern Street, Beacon, NY 12508 and 48 Stockade Row, Kingston, NY 12401, and every agent of the brokerage
Effective date
January 15, 2025
Supersedes
Procedures dated April 18, 2022 and August 19, 2024
Approved by
Nadia Finch, Principal Broker. Signed and notarized copy on file at the Beacon office and available on request.

This page is a summary of our procedures written in plain language. It is not legal advice. If any detail differs, the signed and dated copy kept at our Beacon office controls.

Who these procedures apply to

These procedures apply to every prospective buyer and every prospective tenant who contacts Fieldstone & Finch to see homes or to work with an agent, regardless of how they find us (phone, email, website, walk-in, open house or referral) and regardless of which agent they work with. Our agents may not waive or add requirements for individual clients. If an exception is ever made for a reason required by law, such as a reasonable accommodation for a disability, it is documented in writing and approved by the principal broker.

1. Identification

Do we require identification? Yes. Before the first in-person showing of a home that is occupied or that contains personal property, we ask every prospective buyer or tenant to show a current government-issued photo ID. Any of the following is acceptable: a driver's license, a state non-driver ID, a passport from any country, a U.S. permanent resident card, a military ID, or a municipal ID card. We look at it, record your name and the type of ID, and do not make or keep a copy.

We ask for ID for the safety of our agents and of the homeowners who let us into their houses, not to check immigration status, which we never ask about. ID is not required to attend a public open house, though we ask everyone who comes in to sign in with a name.

2. Buyer and tenant agreements

Do we require a written agreement before showing homes? Yes, for buyers. Before we tour any home with a prospective buyer, in person or by live video, we require a signed written agreement. This follows the national practice changes that took effect on August 17, 2024.

  • You can choose an exclusive buyer agency agreement, under which one of our agents represents you as your buyer's agent for a set period, or a limited touring agreement covering a single property or a single day, which does not commit you to working with us beyond that.
  • Every agreement states the compensation the agent will receive as a specific amount or percentage, states that compensation is negotiable and not set by law, and states that the agent will not receive more than the agreed amount from any source.
  • We'll give you time to read it and will answer questions. You're welcome to have an attorney review it before you sign.

For prospective tenants: we don't require a separate agreement to view a rental on our rental desk. The landlord is our client. We'll explain that relationship in the agency disclosure form at our first meeting.

3. Mortgage pre-approval and proof of funds

Do we require pre-approval before showing homes? No. We do not require a mortgage pre-approval or proof of funds before showing a home.

Before we submit an offer, yes. When you're ready to make an offer, we require either a written mortgage pre-approval letter from a lender of your choice or, for a cash purchase, reasonable proof of funds (for example, a recent bank or brokerage statement with account numbers redacted). We don't require you to use any particular lender, and we receive nothing from any lender.

Some sellers ask for a pre-approval or proof of funds before a private showing of their home. If a seller makes that request, it is part of the seller's instructions for that specific property, we tell every prospective buyer about it in the same way, and we apply it to everyone who asks to see that property.

4. Rental applications

Prospective tenants for homes on our rental desk complete the same written application and are evaluated against the same written screening criteria, which are provided with the application. Application fees are limited to the actual cost of a background and credit check, not to exceed the amount allowed by New York law. Lawful source of income, including housing vouchers, is accepted and counted on the same basis as any other income.

5. Disclosures at first contact

At the first substantive contact, every prospective buyer, seller, tenant and landlord receives New York's Agency Disclosure Form and the New York State Housing and Anti-Discrimination Disclosure Form. We ask you to acknowledge that you've received them. Neither one is a contract.

Questions

If you have a question about these procedures, or believe they haven't been applied to you the same way as to others, contact Nadia Finch, Principal Broker, at (845) 555-0127 or nadia@fieldstonefinch.example. You can also read our Fair Housing Notice.