April is Fair Housing Month

What is fair housing month?

Fair Housing Month is an important time to reflect on our progress toward equal housing opportunities for all individuals. April marks the anniversary of signing the Fair Housing Act in 1968, which aimed to end housing discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, and familial status.

Despite the progress made, housing discrimination continues to exist in various forms. This includes practices such as redlining, steering, and discriminatory lending practices that disproportionately affect marginalized communities. This continues to happen everywhere in the US.

As individuals, especially those of us in real estate, we can also do our part by being aware of our biases and ensuring that our actions do not perpetuate housing discrimination. This includes being mindful of the language we use in housing advertisements, treating all potential renters or buyers equally, and advocating for fair housing policies in our communities.

What does it mean for you?

It means I cannot advise you or give my opinion on certain things like crime rates or school quality - I have to refer you to other resources to decide this for yourself and your family. A “good” neighborhood or “good” school district can mean very different things to different people! It means I have to treat everyone in the transaction fairly and ethically. As your agent, I have to represent your best interest and as a Realtor, I am held to other standards like annual ethics classes and ethics commitments that non-Realtors are not held to.

If you are curious, you can read up on the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice for Realtors here.