When it comes to purchasing a home, buyers in the LGBTQ community want to know that they are safe and accepted, according to recent reports released by realtor.com® and the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR).
“Discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community in housing is real, but we know the fear of discrimination is even greater,” said Ryan Weyandt, CEO of the LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance, which is partnering with realtor.com® to identify and address challenges associated with housing discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation.
The latter announced the collaboration on Thurs., June 10, coinciding with the annual recognition of Pride Month, while also unveiling findings of a new survey that found that members of the LGBTQ community were less likely to become homeowners amid ongoing discrimination in real estate.
The report surveyed 1,538 LGBTQ community members living in the U.S.
More than half of the respondents didn’t own their primary residence, compared to about 66% of the general population who do.
“I think it’s apparent that we’re able to draw a solid line from how being bullied as an adolescent or teen can ultimately impair you from generational wealth creation through homeownership 15 – 20 years later,” Weyandt said in an email to RISMedia. “There is a prevalent fear that folks in the community will face discrimination in their home-buying process at some point.”
According to Weyandt, there are 27 states that don’t offer protection against housing discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. That could be subject to change if the Equality Act is passed, establishing comprehensive federal nondiscrimination laws nationwide for the LGBTQ community.
Roughly two in 10 survey respondents confirmed that they had been discriminated against when applying for a rental lease or buying a home. Of the respondents, more than half said they experienced discrimination in the past five years—most said it was because of their sexual orientation.
Discrimination was even more pronounced among transgender people, with 44% having experienced or suspected it.
According to a recent report from NAR, homeownership in the LGBTQ community has remained at roughly 4% of the overall buyer and seller pool since 2015.
Along with safety and acceptance, an affordable neighborhood is top of the list for homebuyers in the LGBTQ community, according to NAR’s 2021 Profile of LGBTQ Home Buyers and Sellers, released on Wed., June 9.
The data used for this report is a collection of 41,950 responses from participants who specified sexual orientation in annual surveys from 2015 to 2020.
The report found that homebuyers in America’s LGBTQ community ranked “Neighborhood Quality, Convenience and Affordability” as most important when they considered purchasing a home.
“Understanding how buyers navigate the housing market is essential to REALTORS®,” said Jessica Lautz, NAR’s vice president of demographics and behavioral insights, in a press release. “This report details the impact of the housing affordability challenges on LGBTQ buyers, who typically had lower household incomes and were more likely to be purchasing more affordable homes.”
Forty-two percent of LGBTQ buyers were first-time homebuyers, compared to just 32% of non-LGBTQ buyers. However, the two groups were equally likely to be first-time home sellers—at 37% and 33%, respectively.
NAR found that homebuyers from America’s LGBTQ community purchase older, smaller and less expensive homes than non-LGBTQ buyers.
The median sale price for homes purchased by LGBTQ buyers was $245,000, compared to $268,000 for non-LGBTQ buyers. The average square footage of a purchased home was 170 square feet smaller and 15 years older than those bought by non-LGBTQ buyers in the past five years.
There is still work that needs to be done to end housing discrimination against LGBTQ buyers and sellers. Still, Weyandt says collaborations with organizations willing to help the cause are moving in the right direction.
“There is a void of accurate data sampled from the LGBTQ+ community in America,” he says. “As you can imagine, without data points, theories never evolve into action, and trying to explain why the homeownership rate in the LGBTQ+ community is at 49% when mainstream America is significantly higher is virtually impossible.”
Solving the problem won’t happen overnight, but Weyandt says through The Alliance’s education platform, they hope to “drastically increase” the LGBTQ+ homeownership rate in the coming years.
The alliance will host the first national LGBTQ+ First-Time Homebuyer seminar on June 16 and first-time homebuyer guide.
Jordan Grice is RISMedia’s associate content editor. Email him your real estate news to jgrice@rismedia.com.
What were some of the specific incidents that occurred that were discriminatory? Were the Realtors involved issued disciplinary or legal actions in these cases? Or was the discrimination by the seller / property owner? A follow-up to this article could prove most enlightening.
This is ridiculous! Although I understand how they might feel when I see stuff like this because it is no longer popular for me to be in a heterosexual relationship with my wife. So maybe everyone is a little to sensitive and they need to grow up. Why does the national association of realtors focus on these kinds of things rather than helping their members make a better experience for their customers. I’m not a baby sitter.
The 27 states need to get with the here and now. Shame on them. When will everyone realize we are all just people, different colors, different beliefs in God (same God for all of us), different preferences. What you could say OUR GOD Given Right. GOD has made all of us in his likeness. I never knew what it is to be prejudice. I wen to Catholic Elementary School that was very mixed of every one different. My best friend was Peaches. We are of different colors but we had no idea about that. I had no idea what it meant to be prejudice. No one should know that including LGBTQ. Why labels?? I just don’t get that. We are all in God’s likeness. We should be proud, love, like and respect each other. I just don’t understand people. We need to be proud of ourselves and each other and Our Country. I don’t understand what has gone wrong. Our politicians need to start getting along. They are a big part of this problem. SHAME ON ALL OF THEM!!!!!
I realize this type of discrimination exists, and it shouldn’t. However, this article sounds like a headline generator to me rather than any kind of data collection to gauge progress. Here are some examples:
More than half [51%, as it turns out] of the respondents didn’t own their primary residence, compared to about 66% of the general population who do. [Maybe this community is more mobile and doesn’t want to be tied to a house for a long period of time. Is this really that significant of a difference anyway?]
Roughly two in 10 survey respondents confirmed that they had been discriminated against when applying for a rental lease or buying a home. Of the respondents, more than half said they experienced discrimination in the past five years—most said it was because of their sexual orientation. [What percentage for leasing vs. buying? Most said it was… is that like the 51% most or like 75%?]
The report found that homebuyers in America’s LGBTQ community ranked “Neighborhood Quality, Convenience and Affordability” as most important when they considered purchasing a home. [Much like non-LGBTQ community, I’m guessing]
The median sale price for homes purchased by LGBTQ buyers was $245,000, compared to $268,000 for non-LGBTQ buyers. The average square footage of a purchased home was 170 square feet smaller and 15 years older than those bought by non-LGBTQ buyers in the past five years. [Does this indicate discrimination or a fear of discrimination? Sounds like an interesting fact, although even at that, I don’t see this as a significant difference. But in an article with this headline, it must indicate discrimination.]
I think drawing attention to this issue is great. Just don’t add the drama or give half the story. We have enough division in our Country right now. How about if our industry presents facts and solutions?
This really doesn’t make sense. I’m not sure how one discriminates against a gay man when renting homes. How do you look at someone and know they are a gay man? Size of house and age? What does that have to do with discrimination? I would venture a guess that gay and lesbian folks tend to live more in urban areas that share their openness of lifestyle. Urban homes tend to be smaller. Additionally, older homes tend to be smaller. Basically, the numbers presented in the article have little to do with proving discrimination.
All 50 states fall under the federal guidelines prohibiting non-discriminatory practices now, so no need to fight that battle any longer.
I have been licensed in Oregon and Idaho since 1996 and have served all equally including LGBTQ+ over the last quarter century. I explain the laws and rights of home ownership and the differences in the ways to take title for all my clients, equally.
As far as I can see, with the agents in my area, your article is a red herring, much ado about nothing. Backup your data with facts or pipe down as we say where I come from
Kevin,
I came away with the same thought. Aside from attention grabbing headline, the #statistics mentioned are not convincing. Nothing juicy about this article whatsoever.
That’s not to say there are no #discriminations but the author is not convincing.
I’m a Real Estate Broker in California, I personally have not witnessed said discrimination. If you’ve got the money, a transaction usually occurs. Maybe this is something that happens in a particular geo location but we couldn’t know from the stats presented. This article is definitely #weaksauce. I recommend that author get his facts straight before presenting next time.
I will add that I’m responding constructively. I was looking for an article to post to social media but I try not to post things where the narrative doesn’t support the headline.
In 43 years of being a Realtor, I have NEVER seen ONE incident of housing discrimination, nor know of ANY Realtor being disciplined for such a violation. All of the hardworking professionals and brokers I have had the honor of working with, from all race, ethnic and sexual preferences, are working to earn a living for themselves and their families, without discrimination. It is really sad to see vague statistics of potential violations, without recognizing that the Realtor Profession is probably the most fair and just group of licensed professionals in our nation.
Buying a home in general all across the country is not easy. The lower the price the harder it is. Not sure how they can know that they were discriminated against and it wasn’t just the market. At the end of the day most sellers want the most money they can get! I agree with Kevin on making sure we don’t contribute to the division in our country by putting out information that is not totally factual.
I’m calling BS on this article. Completely ridiculous! Living in California we’ve served MANY folks from the LGBTQ group and have never had issues, no issues getting offers accepted, no comments/complaints from sellers or the lenders, absolutely no different treatment than any other buyer/seller. In fact, at times they tend to have better paying professional jobs, more $ to put down & are often in a better position to buy than some of our clients. We even have them “proudly” include a picture with a letter (if they choose to) along with offers, never a problem or issue.
This constant dramatic fear mongering needs to stop, if anything it will deter them from seeking the opportunities they rightfully have. People act as if being LGBTQ is a new thing or something, news flash…..we’ve all been getting along just fine & accepting of one another until the media decided to work their hardest to continue to divide us!