What Is a Realtist?

A Realtist is a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers, an equal rights organization focused on serving people of color. NAREB’s mission is “democracy in housing,” which is the right for people of every race, color or creed to become homeowners.

NAREB, the oldest minority real estate trade association in the United States, was founded in 1947 as an alternative to the National Association of Realtors. At the time, the bylaws of many local Realtor organizations excluded Black members, according to NAR. This blocked Black real estate agents from using the Multiple Listing Service, a database of homes for sale, in addition to other professional resources. It wasn’t until 1964 that Ben Slayton was admitted as the first Black Realtor of NAR, currently the largest trade association in the U.S.

Realtist is the trademarked name for a member of NAREB, just as Realtor is a trademark for real estate professionals who are members of NAR.

NAREB’s membership is primarily made up of African Americans. However, the organization is open to any real estate professional who supports and promotes fair housing for all.

These days, most NAREB Realtists are also Realtors, belonging to both organizations. Both groups agree to abide by a strict code of ethics, which includes the professional responsibility not to discriminate against anyone because of their race or color and other classifications like sex or religion.

But that wasn’t always the case with NAR. At one time, the association supported policies that contributed to housing inequality, such as redlining and racially restrictive covenants, which prevented property owners from selling to Blacks, as well as other people of color and members of certain immigrant and ethnic groups.

Since then, NAR has taken steps to right those wrongs. The organization has apologized for its past policies and amended its code of ethics to require Realtors to provide the same quality of service to everyone regardless of their color, race and other classifications. NAR also launched a Fair Housing Action Plan in 2019, which includes unconscious-bias education and training for Realtors.

For more than seven decades, NAREB has been committed to increasing Black homeownership and fighting the housing disparities that still exist today. Lydia Pope, president of NAREB, says Realtists put their mission of “democracy in housing” into action by executing the “5 Pillars of NAREB.” The initiatives include:

Faith-based and civic engagement: Reaching out to religious and local organizations to educate and motivate Black communities about homeownership.

Women in real estate: Helping Black women become homeowners, invest in real estate and grow careers in real estate.

Diversity and inclusion/small business: Teaching NAREB members how to foster business development skills and generate income through new business opportunities.

Multigenerational wealth building: Instructing young people, Generation Z and millennial consumers and older adults how to build wealth and create a financial legacy.

Government relations: Advocating for legislation to boost Black homeownership.

“Many of us that are members have come from areas that are unserved,” Pope says. “We have come from areas, from our grassroots, that the Black homeownership rates are very low. We’ve lived in these neighborhoods, we walk the streets, we go to school there, we go to the store, we live there, we talk to our neighbors. So who better understands our community than us?”

For the past century, the Black/white American homeownership gap has ranged from 20% to 30%, according to the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, an organization focused on ending housing discrimination and other inequities in the consumer financial system. The NCRC cites the homeownership divide as one of the key factors that have contributed to the racial wealth gap.

Looking to bridge the divide, NAREB Realtists have joined forces with organizations including NAR, the NAACP, the Mortgage Bankers Association and the National Fair Housing Alliance to form the Black Homeownership Collaborative. The coalition has a seven-point plan to champion 3 million new Black homeowners by 2030 through initiatives like marketing and outreach, education, homeownership counseling and down payment assistance.

NAREB’s website has a tool where you can search for a Realtist by state and ZIP code. The association has 90 chapters in more than 30 states across the country.

If you’re looking for a Realtist in a particular discipline, such as appraisals, or need help with a specific issue like property management, Pope recommends contacting NAREB’s national office or searching for NAREB chapters by region. The local chapter president can refer you to the specific service you need.