Experts predict that 70 percent of Americans will develop a recognized disability. DEI is essential for our future, writes Rachael Hite, and smart agents will invest in learning more.
Tool Kit is a recurring column on Inman that pulls together resources for agents who want to dive deeper on specific subjects or team leaders and brokers looking for educational content on timely topics for trainings.
The Fair Housing Act was put in place to protect people from discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status or disability when buying a home.
Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives are organizational frameworks that seek to allow everyone to participate. Currently, President Trump’s administration is working to rollback DEI, and many are wondering, will Fair Housing be next?
Fair Housing and DEI initiatives are what support the belief that the housing market is for all people and that agents and Realtors alike have a moral and ethical responsibility to their clients, a relationship of trust to represent and serve them in their highest capacity that they are able. Part of this is recognizing that DEI is not a negative strategy but rather a strategy that expands your business services to all potential prospects.
Inman’s contributors, staff, editors, and ambassadors have created a wealth of resources on how to serve all of your clients best, and we will continue to bring you cutting-edge strategies, education, and thoughtful, well-researched, expert-supported, and fact-based information to help elevate your business in any market.
Know that Fair Housing is still the law
There seems to be some confusion about DEI and what can or can’t be done now. Fair Housing is Fair Housing. Executive orders on whom the government will or will not recognize do not eliminate people and their personal needs. They are not the same thing as upholding the law and serving your customers fairly and ethically.
The current administration does not want to recognize certain groups and wants to cut funding out of critical programs that support DEI initiatives, but that does not mean that Realtors and agents alike have free rein to discriminate against these protected classes. Personal perspective does not need to undo decades of civil rights work.
Follow Fair Housing Act laws and the Realtor Code of Ethics, and not only will you be a great, rule-abiding agent, but you will be an ethical one who doesn’t end up in court.
Tools:
Get to know your clients with disabilities
Clients with disabilities represent over a quarter of your prospect base, and professional agents know that it is an essential part of their business strategy to make sure that all of their clients are served.
Agents who are focused on numbers, leads, commissions and hustle can often leave out individuals because those “old school” business practices are also inherently exclusive of folks who do not fit the “ideal” lead or prospect who agents want to work with.
America is an aging country, and 7 out of 10 of us will end up with some type of recognized disability in our lifetime. Don’t underestimate DEI or those with disabilities. Get educated, support all clients and remember that one agent making a change can be a fantastic example for others.
Last year, we did an entire series focusing on the challenges your clients with disabilities face in the housing market, in their communities and even in employment. Many agents are not familiar with these issues, and many are unconsciously biased against those with disabilities because of misinformation.
Tools:
Understand housing and infrastructure problems
Seniors and those living with disabilities depend on architecture and infrastructure, as well as transportation services to survive, let alone have a decent quality of life. Much of the world is not accessible, and this limits where they can go and what they can do independently. This robs them of agency and is unfair and truly unnecessary.
The Americans with Disabilities Act and DEI initiatives are essential to building accessible structures and pathways for all, and accessible design benefits all people because most will encounter mobility issues in their lifetimes.
Tools:
Discover business and marketing strategies
Marketing to all of your clients takes strategy and empathy. It’s not just about capturing a lead; great marketing builds lifelong relationships with humans. This means investing in education, prospecting, and digital tools to help connect with your audience, meet them where they are, and not leave them out. It also means having a physical office that they can park and meet with you in.
Tools:
Learning about how to help and include all of your clients and recognizing that society has different struggles outside your personal lens and viewpoint is essential to fixing and healing our relationship with consumers in the housing industry.
Rachael Hite is a seasoned housing counselor and thought leader in the real estate industry, known for her extensive expertise across business news journalism, retirement housing, and affordable housing initiatives. Connect with Rachael on Instagram and Linkedin.
