Over the last year, the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) has taken steps to reaffirm its commitment to Fair Housing. This past summer, for example, NAR launched a Fair Housing extension campaign as part of its “That’s Who We R” efforts. The association also discussed the topic at length during its 2020 REALTORS® Conference & Expo.
And now, on day one of the job for new NAR President Charlie Oppler, the association is showing it will continue to advocate for equality and inclusion in real estate, issuing an apology for NAR policies of the 20th century that contributed to discrimination and racial inequality.
Oppler spoke during the Diversity and Inclusion Summit, co-sponsored by NAR and The Hill, issuing a sobering message that sets the tone for the priorities of his presidency.
“What REALTORS® did was an outrage to our morals and our ideals. It was a betrayal of our commitment to fairness and equality,” said Oppler. “I’m here today, as the president of the National Association of REALTORS®, to say we were wrong.”
“We can’t go back to fix the mistakes of the past,” Oppler continued. “But we can look at this problem squarely in the eye. And we can finally say, on behalf of our industry, that what REALTORS® did was shameful, and we are sorry.”
Oppler recognized the fact that “words aren’t enough,” emphasizing that the association and all REALTORS® should take “positive action to remedy decades’ worth of inequality.”
Oppler was joined by Bryan Greene, NAR’s director of Fair Housing Policy, who discussed the steps NAR is taking to confront racism and inequality in real estate, starting with its Fair Housing Plan, “ACT!”.
“It underscores our commitment to greater accountability, culture change and better training,” said Greene. Accountability is really the key. We recognize we have to do more to self-test and -correct issues when we see them. We need to take a tough look at how existing patterns reinforce each other, and we need to improve the training we provide our members.”
Additionally, Greene stated NAR has partnered with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Equality of Opportunity Initiative to examine economic inequality and advance economic inclusion. The association is also working with the National Association of Real Estate Brokers and the Urban Institute to address minority homeownership.
In a call to action for all listeners, Greene stated that everyone should visit nar.realtor/fair-housing. On the website, REALTORS® can find the latest information on how NAR is tackling the issue and how they can help. The site also provides resources such as videos, articles and tools on overcoming bias.
“As leaders in our communities, REALTORS® must be active participants in promoting equality, inclusion and acceptance,” said Oppler. “It’s the right thing to do, and it’s long overdue.”
View the entire webinar below:
Liz Dominguez is RISMedia’s senior online editor. Email her your real estate news ideas to ldominguez@rismedia.com.
No examples were cited to back up such a strong apology. Please clarify!
This is outrageous! You owe every Realtor across this great nation an apology for YOUR shameful comments. I’ve always been extremely proud of our local association and the things we’ve done in our communities as Realtors. We’ve educated clients and customers what it means to be a Realtor, and with pride! For you to lump us all together as a shameful bunch with bad morals and ideals? To insinuate what we do or have done is a betrayal of our commitment to fairness and equality? You DO NOT represent us and as such should step down, immediately after you apologize. What an insult!
In 37 years of being a Realtor, I have never worked with or for anyone who showed any signs of racism to the clients that we worked with. I have actually made more friends with Black,Hispanic and people from foreign countries and still today have relationships with many of those clients.The Realtors in my office come from different ethic backgrounds and we all love each other and work together in harmony.
I think if you continue to promote this type of message you will cause more of a racial divide. This message is meant for the white race and could make them resentful rather than help the cause. It is not your job to teach what should have been taught to them when they were growing up by their parents and family.
I really don’t understand where this was necessary or coming from, As a Realtor, we have gone through many instructional hours and classes to enable us to treat everyone fairly. I for one am proud to say that I believe and practice Fair Housing in all aspects of real estate and am bothered that this was addressed to everyone in the business. If there is evidence of mal practice then those should reprimanded and not the whole body of the real estate business. As this may have happened in the past, it is time to move on and quit brining up pass issues. Thank you !!
Wow, some of these comments. You know what is truly appalling? The level of ignorance and the complete lack of understanding of what President Oppler is apologizing for. We *were* wrong, and the “mistakes of the past” were horrific.Many of you all need to read this:
Learning From Our Past: The History of the Fair Housing ActThe Home Owners Loan Corporation’s “residential security maps” defined and introduced “redlining.” The NAR actively fought passage of the Fair Housing Act.The past history is quite ugly. Deny it all you like, but it happened. There are deed covenants and restrictions in existence today that are blatantly racist. “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.“Some of y’all need to wake up, and understand the history. Bury your head in the sand and deny that racism and discrimination still exits in real estate. Then pull your head out of the dark space and read–and watch the videos–in Newsday’s investigation, Long Island Divided.
As a Broker/Owner for 40 years I object with the wording of NAR President Charlie Oppler. I and my agents have always been fair and open to all persons. The way he stated this remark does not represent us all properly. A few bad apples in the past does not make all bad Realtors in the present. That’s the way I took it. Look like I agree with most of the about comments
Thank you! There are a lot of ignorant comments here. Just because you haven’t seen or experienced discrimination; doesn’t mean it was not prevalent.
I am a Realtor in New Jersey. The town I service had in its deed that homeowners were not aloud to sell to negros. It took a lawsuit for these deed restrictions to be lifted. In addition, the first black homeowner had crosses burned in his yard and death threats sent to his family; because they wanted to be a black homeowner.
To this day, that same community faces discrimination in terms of home prices and appraisals. Since the ’90s, home prices have not increased and appraised values have remained consistent despite the town having a strong demand and low supply.
I challenge all of the people who were ignorant of these issues to study systematic oppression on black and minority homeowners. Maybe then it’ll make sense.
I have to agree with most of the other posts. So far, we have lived in a society that emphasizes individual responsibility for individual actions. Efforts at collective or, especially, racial responsibility and guilt as a norm have usually not ended well in history. Are there bad apples? Were mistakes made by some in the past? Yes” to both of these questions. Are ALL members of the Realtor group guilty of individual bad actions? Absolutely not. Now, if one goes back say 100 years, society was different in ways that few of us today would approve of. I suppose the whole human race has a lot to apologize for at any given historical moment. And I’m sure people 100 years from now will say the same thing about us. But it is always dangerous to judge previous generations by the standards of any current generation. I believe we should focus more on what people are actually doing today to authentically live our current values rather than throw stones at past generations who are not around to defend themselves. I, for one, am not willing to throw my ancestors under the bus so easily, even though I know I have different values today.
It is clear from the comments that some of you have not discriminated against people of color. Good for you. The sad story is many, many Realtors have. Policies were enacted by not such Realtors but even the government which made is impossible for Blacks to purchase a home in certain communities. It is also easy to question the President’s motives but I believe it is a small step in the right direction. Acknowledgement. It seems most of you don’t want to be bundled into the group of Realtors who have discriminated against a potential buyer/seller because of the color of their skin, or was part of red-lining or steering, the facts are still the facts. It happened and is still happening. You would not know unless you were impacted. You would not know unless your family was not impacted. You may not even know that you were/are part of the problem because it is how business is done. Acknowledging a problem is not weakness or submitting. It takes courage. I’m sure the President of NAR was provided many situations (past and present) that lead him to this revelation. He should share to make some of you feel better about yourself…..
I too am appalled at your apology for all Realtors. Maybe it is you that had a problem. This is my 44th year as a real estate professional and I have given every client the same consideration both moral and professional. I remember 25-35 years ago getting calls from “testers’ and actually showing homes to what I believe were testers wasting my time. You owe us Realtors an apology. We are being treated like police officers. One out of a thousand are bad and we’re all bad.
I agree completely with most of the previous comments. What an insult.
For those who are wondering what discrimination practices are in question, please do your research. NAR as an organization has been around for over 100 years. The housing discrimination that has taken place in this country in that time is a huge problem in our society. NAR as an organization, which is made up of individuals, has been a part of supporting housing discrimination in the past. I appreciate the acknowledgement of this instead of pretending like it has never happened. I don’t understand why people’s gut reaction is to be offended? I urge those who are upset to please take some time, a couple of breaths, and try to listen and be understanding instead of defensive. He is apologizing for the mistakes the organization has made in the past and calling on everyone to be aware of these and their own behaviors in hopes of making positive change. For those who are offended, if you are actively working to combat housing discrimination, that’s great! Thank you! Please educate others and the community on what you are doing to make positive changes in our society in regards to housing. For many years, discrimination was literally the law in so many ways, language was written into the deeds of properties, barring certain demographics of people from ever being able to own it. There is a lot of work to do to make up for the discrimination that is deeply intrenched in our systems. Saying, “well that’s not me” is not helpful. A collective of people with that attitude slows growth toward an equitable society. Existing discrimination issues may be more subtle, but this is still widespread and has a very significant effect on housing. If one referenced the information in the article you could find a study addressing this. https://www.rismedia.com/2019/12/26/steering-new-york-buyer-discrimination/
I appreciate this effort on behalf of NAR to acknowledge the wrongdoing of the past and the call to work to create positive change. For those unfamiliar with the history of housing discrimination, I encourage you to expand your knowledge on this topic. It’s been said by several notable people in various ways, those that do not learn from the past are condemned to repeat it. We must be aware of wrongs in order to make things right. Below are some references I hope are helpful in learning about past and current inequities in housing.
https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/economy/reports/2019/07/15/469838/racial-disparities-home-appreciation/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/rakeenmabud/2019/12/04/history-and-housing-discrimination-why-neighborhoods-in-the-united-states-are-still-so-segregated/?sh=7cfc1719501d
https://www.nar.realtor/on-common-ground/learning-from-our-past-the-history-of-the-fair-housing-act
https://www.npr.org/2017/05/03/526655831/a-forgotten-history-of-how-the-u-s-government-segregated-america
Hello People, Did you know that my father served in WWII and could not purchase a home after being discharged as a disabled vet? This was due to his color and redlining? When he was finally able to purchase, the interest rate was higher than many others due to the color of his skin. In real estate school, we have all learned about racial inequities such as racial steering which still exist today. Unfair treatment in real estate as well as many other industries my be difficult to recognize, because it may not be directed towards you because of the color of your skin. I think Mr Oppler’s statement should be modified to say “What some REALTORS did was shameful.” I don’t believe he was referring to every realtor, because it is not all realtors. However, the Fair Housing Act was put into place due to the fact is that housing inequality existed in the past and exist today. I read many of your comments wanting to know what the President of NAR was referring to. If you click on the link in the article, it directs you to a site that explains the history so that you can get a better understanding. For those of you who missed it, please go to https://www.nar.realtor/fair-housing, it read it to get a better understanding, so that you can explain it to others. If this article does not apply to you, you should not be offended by it. Nevertheless, we should all self assess and question if we are treating people differently because of their race, color, religion, gender and other protected classes. I applaud the Mr. Oppler for writing this article and I do accept his apology.
Great to see actual action. It would be educational to talk more of examples of past rules and actions that are cause for these changes which clarify what we are looking in the mirror to show reality for all this. Let’s all know what you are referring to to help us stay in the lines. Thanks.
I understand there were, and are still existing strange deed restrictions from long ago. I understand there was no racial equality in the past. I do NOT understand scolding today’s Realtors for it. We have all had Fair Housing training, Ethics training, etc. I have helped people of every color, gender, sexual orientation, and nationality purchase homes. I also do NOT believe it is my job or our NAR President’s job to apologize to the world about these things that happened in the past. It is only “Politically correct” to do so.
You do not speak for me. I have nothing to apologize for. This is a political statement-pure & simple- and creates victims when few exist. Stop playing the blame game!
To have the President of our NAR apologize for the discriminatory practices “we” (as an industry) have done in the past is beyond insulting to all Realtors. There are “bad apples” in every industry who do unethical, racist things and they should be called out for it. Apologize for THEIR actions, but, please don’t include me or my colleagues in your “politically correct” apology.
I would like to thank the new National Association of Realtors President, Charlie Oppler for taking such a bold step that will eventually play a part in healing America.
#NationalAssociationofRealtors #CharlieOppler #inequality #realestatenews #FairHousing #realtors #change #ACT!
Haven’t we already corrected the past practices? So why are we now apologizing for things that have been changed and corrected? This does not “heal” but further divides as it makes it look like Realtors are somehow bad or racist. ACTION speaks louder than shallow words. Our ACTION shows those past practices have changed and to apologize now for the past seems like all NAR is trying to do is virtual signal once again. They can claim they are doing it to “heal” but in fact it does just the opposite. They may want to actually listen to those that pay their dues. I am so SICK of this political correctness that does nothing but DIVIDE.
I thank this new President for his stance, he is well deserved of his new position. Of course it does not relate to all realtors, there had to be facts for him to come forward. Some of these realtors comments are so stink, I wonder about the profession on a whole. For Mr. Gonzales and Mr. Buccarella I am jut wondering how much of your clients are BLACK. I could spend 10 days going over incidents of blatant racism 95 percent of my clients are black. They are discrimnated against not only in the housing market but in the mortgage as well. They are given higher interest rate and when a white realtor go to take a listing from a black owner they give them a much lower value on the property in the same community compared to their white counter part. I just now have a realtor owner on a rental for $4150. I called him 4 days prior he asked me about my client I said she has 4 children has the income and can also pay 2 extra security deposit, he then asked me if she has a dog, I told him no.. he told me to come at 3.30 pm last Sunday. I text him to tell him my client will reach before me as she lives closer to him. He let her through the gate and when he saw her outside he came out and told her he did not speak to me. I have his text replies…She is not an idiot she told me right away what this was all about…It is what it is, I wish everyone luck but it is sickening to see so many realtors in denial..