The National Association of REALTORS® today filed a petition in federal district court in Washington, D.C., to quash a U.S. Department of Justice request that reneges on the terms of a settlement agreement. The agreement, focused on various multiple listing service policies, was approved by the Justice Department in November 2020. In a news release …
Category: Real Estate Tips
Nov 15
Spotlight on Fair Housing at NAR’s Annual Conference
Implicit bias and the historically difficult path to homeownership for communities of color will be highlighted at the REALTORS® Conference & Expo. The National Association of REALTORS®’ fair housing team will present two sessions at the 2021 REALTORS® Conference & Expo(link is external) that offer attendees the opportunity to explore the history of racial discrimination …
Nov 15
Rebuilding Costs May Exceed Fire Victims’ Insurance
Victims of the recent Colorado blaze, which was the most destructive wildfire in the state’s history, may soon learn that rising construction costs have increased the cost of rebuilding beyond what their insurance coverage allows. About 1,000 homes were destroyed in Colorado’s Marshall Fire, which destroyed homes and businesses in the suburbs between Denver and …
Nov 14
Apartments, Homes More at Risk for Fires Than Past Years
Deadly fires in recent weeks have prompted calls for greater fire safety in homes and buildings. The increase in calls for action has occurred following a recent fire in an apartment building in New York City’s Bronx borough, where at least 19 people died, followed by a fire in a Philadelphia row house that killed …
Nov 13
‘Quiet Title’ Law Used to Dupe People Out of Homes
Real estate opportunists in several states in the Midwest are using a loophole in “quiet title” laws to seize control of people’s homes, mostly targeting immigrants, Iowa Public Radio reports. In one case, a 72-year-old immigrant, originally from Mexico, says when she returned to her home of more than 20 years in Marshalltown, Iowa, she …
Nov 13
SentriLock Sues Competitor, Alleging Patent Infringement
SentriLock, a real estate lockbox company backed by the National Association of REALTORS®, has filed a lawsuit against its competitor Supra, alleging patent infringement related to its lockbox technology. SentriLock alleges Supra’s parent company, Carrier Global, of knowingly copying its technology and repeatedly warned Supra of the infringement. In a statement released Tuesday, SentriLock stated that it filed the lawsuit to …
Nov 10
Black Owners Say Homes Unfairly Appraised
Black homeowners believe appraisal discrimination is rampant, a new survey from LendingTree finds. Overall, 23% of homeowners of all races believe their home appraisal is too low. But the consumers who are most likely to feel that way are Blacks (32%) and LGBTQ+ homeowners (31%), the survey finds. Despite the fact that appraisers are prohibited …
Nov 10
Black Homeownership Remains Disparately Low
The U.S. homeownership rate has posted its highest annual rise on record, reaching 65.5% in 2020, 1.3 percentage points over the year before. Hispanic homeownership soared to a record high and is above 50% for the first time on record. However, Black homeownership continues to lag and has fallen to a lower level than it …
Nov 09
Federal Court Blocks ‘Love Letter’ Ban
A federal judge ruled that an Oregon law preventing buyer “love letters” is a violation of First Amendment rights. The letters have commonly been included in home offers, with buyers writing to sellers expressing their desire for a home. Last year, Oregon became the first state in the country to prevent real estate agents from …
Nov 07
Avoid Fair Housing Violations in Advertising
Real estate professionals are legally obligated to uphold fair housing laws, and the language and images you use in your advertising needs to be vetted carefully. REALTORS® also have an obligation to do so under Article 10 of the Code of Ethics. “Advertisements should never indicate a preference or limitation based on a protected class, …
Nov 06
NAR Urges Supreme Court Review on Protection for Use of Floor Plans
The National Association of REALTORS® is leading a large coalition of stakeholders in the real estate industry—property owners, real estate professionals, appraisers, portals, valuation, and public records companies, and others—that is urging the Supreme Court to review and overturn a federal appeals court threatening copyright liability for the use of floor plans in the sale of …
Nov 03
‘Close the Gap’ in Homeownership
Homeownership rates for many minority groups continues to be well below that of whites, and discriminatory policies are often blamed for that. During National Fair Housing Month in April, many housing groups and organizations are bringing the racial housing gap to the forefront and asking others in the real estate industry to support programs that …
