Fair Housing

Minority Housing is Worth Less than White People’s Housing

The Boston Globe wanted to write about housing discrimination, again. But it is not news: “The data from Zillow, which were first reported by Axios, show Black-owned homes are valued at 18 percent less than white homes in Boston, and Latino-owned homes at 14 percent less. The data for Black homes in Boston mirror nationwide disparities,

By |2024-03-20T07:40:38-04:00March 20th, 2024|Categories: Discrimination|Tags: , , , , , |

Why won’t my Realtor® tell me about whether there are children in this neighborhood?

All real estate licensees, not just Realtors®, are obligated to follow Fair Housing laws. That obligation includes not providing information that could be used to enable their clients to discriminate. Children are a protected class – protected against real estate discrimination. Children are protected under the general heading of “familial status” in National Fair Housing

By |2021-11-01T10:22:00-04:00November 3rd, 2021|Categories: buying process|Tags: , , , , |

Realtors® Getting Woke

“Are you aware that when you send me a referral, you only send me Black people?” a Black Realtor® said to a white colleague. That was a wake-up call for that white person. In 2020, the National Association of Realtors® took a hard stand against hate speech, on and off the job, for members of

Bidding Wars and Discrimination

Several times a year, my agents get feedback from the seller’s agent that our client’s offer was similar to another offer, but our clients got the house. Why? Because their letter identified them as the right people for the house. We have been able to tell the story of our clients--without demographic information that could

By |2021-04-25T13:11:46-04:00April 28th, 2021|Categories: House Hunting, Legal questions|Tags: , , , |

Tenants, Discrimination, and Fair Housing

Real estate agents are prohibited from taking any of these discriminatory actions: Refuse to rent, sell, negotiate for housing Make housing unavailable or deny a dwelling Set different terms, conditions or privileges for sale or rental Provide different housing services or facilities Falsely deny that housing is available for inspection, sale or rental Make, print,

By |2021-04-09T15:24:59-04:00April 14th, 2021|Categories: Legal questions|Tags: , , , |

Realtors® and Housing Discrimination

National Association of Realtors® Apologizes for Complicity in Discrimination Throughout the 20th Century, Realtors® opposed Fair Housing regulation and participated in discriminatory practices. Since the adoption of the Fair Housing Act (1968), the Association accepted that Fair Housing was the law of the land, required members to follow the law, provided classes to prepare members

By |2021-04-15T15:15:12-04:00April 21st, 2021|Categories: Legal questions|Tags: , , , , |

Realtors® Take Stand on Hate Speech

Is someone who participates in discriminatory speech (or hate speech) in their social settings trustworthy to practice Fair Housing Laws? The National Association of Realtors® says, “No.” There’s a new standard of practice being added to the Fair Housing Section of the Realtor Code of Ethics. It prohibits discriminatory or hate speech by Realtors®. How

By |2020-11-29T08:08:22-05:00December 2nd, 2020|Categories: Legal questions|Tags: , , , , |

Fire Safety for Deaf and Hard of Hearing People

April was Fair Housing month. Unfortunately, the Covid-19 pandemic led to cancellation of Fair Housing events throughout Massachusetts. Fair Housing laws prohibit landlords and sellers from not renting or selling housing to people based on prejudice against certain kinds of people (who have historically faced housing discrimination). Sometimes deaf people are discriminated against based on

Applying for a mortgage? What matters?

There are things about you and your finances that are going to be studied, legitimately, before a lender will give you a mortgage. That makes sense; they are lending you a large sum of money. But, there are some things that are none of their business, literally! Who you are – in terms of race,

By |2016-12-28T14:01:09-05:00October 1st, 2014|Categories: Mortgage matters|Tags: , , , , , |

Can I Come for a Visit?

My awareness of universal design and visitability went up exponentially when I broke my foot this November.   I had been attending an eight week program at a local university. With my crutches, I could get into the building using a ramp. But, to use a ramp, I had to travel farther on my crutches.