Learn with Dr. Lee
Real (Estate) Talk: The Courage to Advocate for Change with Elaine Gross
Real (Estate) Talk: Boomers, Gen X and Millennials championing inclusion in real estate leadership
LISTEN: Prospecting According to Your Personality
LISTEN: Prospecting According to Your Personality
- As featured in the RealTrends.com Season 1 Podcast.
LISTEN: Prospecting According to Your Personality
Real (Estate) Talk: Is Getting a Home Appraised a Trick or Treat?
Real (Estate) Talk: Is Getting a Home Appraised a Trick or Treat?
Real (Estate) Talk: Is Getting a Home Appraised a Trick or Treat?
Real (Estate) Talk: What to do if your real estate team is spooked by something other than Halloween
Real (Estate) Talk: What to do if your real estate team is spooked by something other than Halloween
- As featured in Inman News.
Real (Estate) Talk: What to do if your real estate team is spooked by something other than Halloween
Fewer tricks and more treats, please! |
Autumn is my favorite time of year as someone that grew up in Michigan with vibrant fall colors and delectable donuts and apple cider.
This year, the very next day after Labor Day, I changed my Zoom backgrounds to some of my favorite scary movie scenes (like the hallway in The Shining) and grabbed a pumpkin spice latte although it was still 90-degree weather in Georgia.
In short, I enjoy the make-believe thrillers that come with the Halloween season.
But real-life terror is a whole different thing.
Interestingly, some in our industry are, at the least, alarmed and at the worst, fighting for their lives.
What's got some of us in fear like we are Jamie Lee Curtis in the never-ending Halloween saga?
There seems to be a real estate boogeyman where if we say these words too often -- like in Candyman -- our business is doomed.
The words: fair housing
Or, any word that carries the same sentiment like diversity or inclusion.
These articles (click here and here) are just two of various examples of resistance to being slapped on the hand for fair housing (and lending) violations.
Furthermore, although I have been teaching various versions of fair housing for years, since I have made it one of my main talking points in the last two years, guess what? Many of you have been transparent (thank you!) about your experiences with clients that frankly violate fair housing regularly.
From the landlord that wants only certain types "that just so happen" to fall along protected classes and will exploit or abuse their tenants.
To the home seller that will search social media accounts for the names from offer documents and eliminate prospective buyers based on sexual orientation and any other protected class that does not suit their fancy.
To investors still blockbusting like it’s pre-1968.
Interestingly, I attended a webinar that included speakers from Newsday, the DOJ and NAR. During the Newsday exposé, some of the agents that violated fair housing at some point during their meetings with the undercover testers did discuss fair housing law. In other words, those speakers stated that the main issue is not that agents are simply unfamiliar with fair housing laws. During that webinar, Attorney Steve Tomkowiak hypothesized, in essence, that it is the application and expression of the laws in real-life scenarios where there is a disconnect.
I have come across the same disconnection at the start of fair housing courses.
Here's just one such statement:
"I've had seller clients Google names on contracts, check their social profiles and cancel deals over race, sexual orientation and political posts. I never know what to do in those situations. I just took this course and I am CONFIDENT I know how to handle those situations from now on. Thanks Dr. Lee!" --Cathy, 15-year REALTOR®
Notice that she said, "I never know what to do". That is where the rubber hits the road – knowing what to do!
In sum, the quandary for some of you as you have candidly shared with me (again, thank you!) has been:
How do you uphold fair housing laws without alienating your clients, colleagues and vendor partners, who may be family, friends, and movers and shakers in your community?
Ultimately, your questions at the start of my 3- or 6-hour continuing education Fair Housing DECODER© courses suggest that you are seeking a way to advocate without alienating others.
Dr. King said it this way:
"Our aim has never been to put the bus company out of business, but rather to put justice in business.” — Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “Statement on Ending the Bus Boycott,” 1956
For those of us in the real estate industry, it is not about buses but rather equal and equitable access and opportunity in housing.
Wholeheartedly, I believe our only way forward -- to borrow from Dr. King -- is to not focus so much on putting others out of business (although there is a time and place for penalties) but rather on putting fair housing in business. In other words, to advocate and not alienate... it has been my new mantra since the end of 2021.
What do I mean?
In other words, fair housing can be more like Halloween treats and less like Halloween tricks (“gotcha” moments).
Check out this complimentary video excerpt from the course, How to Be a Fair Housing DECODER© where I explain this concept more and share some success stories of this paradigm shift.
By the way, if you missed the live version (or just want to soak it all in again), here's your chance to watch a condensed, on-demand version and get a certificate, score! As an Inman News reader, gain no-fee 1-day rental access (think of it like a movie rental) with the code: inmannews at this link.
May the force of fair housing be with you!
, YouTube Here's to your success! #LearnWithDrLee
LISTEN: Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with NAHREP past President Theresa Palacios (Interview by Manny Recinos)
LISTEN: One commercial agent's journey from being ignored to becoming an industry leader
Learning to advocate, not alienate, with fair housing
Have you figured out how to advocate for fair housing without alienating?
Fair Housing DECODER© Certificate
Market Shifts Should Mean a MarketING Shift
Market Shifts Should Mean a MarketING Shift
- Excerpt from the full feature at
RealTrends.com.
Market Shifts Should Mean a MarketING Shift
Real (Estate) Talk: Is NAR Mentorship Overzealous Charity Work Or Rightful Amends?
- inman |
- mentorship |
- NAR |
- realtors
1 Tool to Get Paid to Market Your Business in a Slowing Real Estate Market (1-Minute Coaching Toolbox)
1 Tool to Get Paid to Market Your Business in a Slowing Real Estate Market (1-Minute Coaching Toolbox)
1 Tool to Get Paid to Market Your Business in a Slowing Real Estate Market (1-Minute Coaching Toolbox)
2 Tech Tools for a Shifting Market (1-Minute Coaching Toolbox)
How to Be a Fair Housing D.E.C.O.D.E.R.© -- Real (Estate) Talk
LISTEN -- Laws May Not Stop Un-Fair Housing, But Ethical Agents Can with Leigh Brown: Real (Estate) Talk
How to Find a Coach Tip #345: Don't Settle for an "Armchair Coach"
Being a Guardian of the Real Estate Galaxy with Karen Hatcher, the Historic 2022 Atlanta REALTORS® Association President
3 key questions to determine if You're ready to take on the Upcoming market shift
3 key questions to determine if You're ready to take on the Upcoming market shift
3 key questions to determine if You're ready to take on the Upcoming market shift
"Agents are burned out and frustrated with today’s market. But the market is changing. What can agents do to prepare for a market shift to more inventory and fewer buyers?"I have 3 simple questions that we can ask ourselves to stay ahead of any market shifts. Check them out in this RealTrends post:https://www.realtrends.com/articles/ask-a-coach-dr-lee-offers-agent-strategies-for-a-changing-market/, YouTubeLearnWithDrLee.comPlan to Win less
It's National Homeownership Month. Here's how you can address un-fair housing [Real (Estate) Talk]
#WhoWeR Ethically Speaking with Leigh Brown
Homebuyer Love Letters: Banned, Then UN-Banned and What This Means for Real Estate (Video)
Homebuyer Love Letters: Banned, Then UN-Banned and What This Means for Real Estate (Video)
Homebuyer Love Letters: Banned, Then UN-Banned and What This Means for Real Estate (Video)
How Social Apps Like NextDoor May Get You in Legal Hot Water and What to Do About It
Podcast Drop: "Realtoring" in the Metaverse
Real (Estate) Talk -- Fair Housing Month and the Elephant in the Room: The Color of Professionalism
- Black pros are underrepresented: Less than 6% of real estate pros are Black, making a whopping $32,700 less in median real estate sales income
- Most historically Black colleges and universities have not had the support of the real estate industry to offer competitive real estate majors unlike neighboring predominantly white colleges and universities
- Women (who make up 65% of the REALTOR® industry) are woefully underrepresented in firm leadership (sidebar: the NAR 2021 Profile of Firms had an opportunity to track and update this needed information along with People of Color representation but did not; hopefully it will include such demographics going forward because what gets measured, gets awareness, and gets changed)
- The Law of Supply and Demand dictates that if demand remains unchanged for Black and/or women (and other underrepresented) real estate pros and supply increases, a surplus occurs, leading to a lower equilibrium price. In other words, we cannot simply add more underrepresented real estate pros without improving demand, or earning gaps will only increase!
1 Simple Yet High-Impact Technique to Interrupt UN-Fair Housing
Secrets for Converting Internet Leads from Tom Ferry, Jared James, Ken GoodFellow and Moi
Real (Estate) Talk: Making Fair Housing a Piece of (Carrot) Cake
Did you catch that part at the end, signifying the end of the party phase, which stated, "are remembered fondly by those who were there from the beginning"? It seems we have lost the celebratory party and awards aspect of Fair Housing Month, which helps to put the "I" (a sense of personal responsibility) into fair housing and lending.Let's bring back the fair housing-specific party and add specific awards that actually name fair housing and lending advocacy in the award title for our teams, firms and associations. That's a different type of accountability that likely creates hope, anticipation and enjoyment.What other fair housing and lending award categories can you think of that can become part of your culture?The Carrot Cake ApproachAward season for many is already an anticipated time of year. These additions will hopefully create a team, company or association culture that generates new excitement and voluntary engagement, putting the "I" in fair housing and lending.In this vein, some of our companies and/or teams already seek ratings and reviews for transactions (coach's sidebar: if you're not doing this, it's a great way to improve your business by turning critics into coaches as well as testimonials can become fee-free marketing). Thus, we can easily add a few lines that allow clients to weigh in on their experiences like:How fairly was I treated throughout this entire transaction? Select 1- 5, with 5 being the highest and most enjoyable experience. Please explain.From there, let's add to our systems, at the bare minimum, a substantive, personalized response (ideally within 1 business day) to all feedback with a commitment to investigate any complaints of unfair treatment and a minimum requirement for additional coursework by the offending agent/staff/vendor to continue with our team. Just ImagineJust imagine what it would mean to clients to know that they are heard and that at the minimum, the pros they have interacted with that represent your brand are at least committed to educating themselves on how to do better. I think we would see more raving fans and a lesser need for external "sticks".Sound off - I would love to hear from you! Give me a shout on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, or by visiting LearnWithDrLee.com. Download today your complimentary (aka NO FEE but for a limited time so hurry) copy of my new book, How to Be an Anti-Racist Real Estate Pro. Want more tips from fellow real estate pros (like Leigh Brown, Kim Hayden, and Sarah Johnston to name just a few) to help you become even more resilient in real estate? Grab our new book, Resilient Real Estate Women, by clicking here.Want more of the best practices of our nation's top producers? Grab your copy of the short read, Profit with Your Personality and, the classic, 5-star rated workbook, Plan to Win, to transform their real estate sales game plan. Or, get your "training on" with these on-demand classes. Here's to your success! #LearnWithDrLee less"When April 1969 arrived, HUD could not wait to celebrate the Act's 1st Anniversary. In truly festive fashion, HUD hosted a gala event in the Grand Ballroom of New York's Plaza Hotel. From across the nation, advocates and politicians shared in this marvelous evening, including one of the organizations that started it all -- the National Committee Against Discrimination In Housing. In subsequent years, the tradition of celebrating Fair Housing Month grew larger and larger. Governors began to issue proclamations that designated April as "Fair Housing Month," and schools across the country sponsored poster and essay contests that focused upon fair housing issues. Regional winners from these contests often enjoyed trips to Washington, DC for events with HUD and their Congressional representatives. Under former Secretaries James T. Lynn and Carla Hills, with the cooperation of the National Association of Homebuilders, National Association of Realtors, and the American Advertising Council these groups adopted fair housing as their theme and provided "free" billboard space throughout the nation. These large 20-foot by 14-foot billboards placed the fair housing message in neighborhoods, industrial centers, agrarian regions and urban cores. Every region also had its own celebrations, meetings, dinners, contests and radio-television shows that featured HUD, state and private fair housing experts and officials. These celebrations continue the spirit behind the original passage of the Act, and are remembered fondly by those who were there from the beginning." (Source: HUD.gov)