HUD Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Rule

I faithfully attend broker Luncheons to get familiar with the inventory on the market, improve my navigation skills, and for Realtors to get to know me as a supportive, professional colleague, so when I present them offers on their listings, they look forward to cooperating with me.

A Broker Luncheon is an invitation only catered lunch open house, Listing or Selling Brokers use as a marketing tool to attract other Realtors to the home, to visit it, to tour it, to help them promote it, to create a good memory associated with a good meal, and to think of any prospective Buyers they’re currently serving who might be the ideal fit for the home, or the home an ideal fit for any future Buyer they may encounter.

A few months ago I was invited to attend a Broker Luncheon in Frankfort, Illinois, the upscale community where I also reside.  So I don’t catch the Host by surprise, I have learned to make a habit of announcing who I am upon entering the front door, which is normally open because the Host Agent is expecting other Agents just to come in and tour the home.

I followed my normal routine of announcing this is Dale entering, hello everyone.  I proceeded upstairs to start my tour of the home.  Just as I was entering one of the bedrooms, I heard a familiar voice speaking to me from the foyer.  The voice said hello may I ask who just went upstairs, and may I see who I’m speaking to?  As I write this my eyes are starting to tear a bit.  I remind you I had this experience in the community I cherish, and have resided there for now 12 years.

The person asking the question knew me.  I said hello to him, and said this is Dale who you know well as I proceeded to walk back towards the upper hall landing so he could also see me.  Upon eye contact I read in his face a big mistake had just happened, and he knew he had to fix it before I got back downstairs.

When I entered the home I made eye contact with one of the Host Agent team who was standing in the kitchen among several other Agents talking.  Perhaps, she did not hear me over the conversations around her, but it was obvious she had a negative reaction to my initial appearance at the front door, and requested the Gentleman to inquire about me.  This was not a first time experience for me.

As I finished touring the upstairs and proceeded down the stairs to the first level, I could hear the Gentleman who knows me well tell everyone it is Dale touring the upstairs.  He commented, everyone should know Dale, because he makes an effort to attend everyone’s Broker Luncheons.

When I made my way to the kitchen where the announcement was made, the Lady who requested he inquire about me was the first to approach me with a kind hello and handshake.  I returned a silent kind greeting, but I really wanted to convict her heart for what she had done to me.  Instead, I acted like I was not offended for being treated like a criminal at a broker Luncheon I was invited to attend.  No one else walking through the front door got the scrutiny I got, reminding you this was an event attended by primarily Realtors who must present the fair-housing laws to every Client when they list their home for-sale.

I can go back throughout my 28 year career, and share detailed stories of Homeowners refusing to allow me, and my valued Clients to tour their homes, or being cursed out at the front door because of the color of my skin, or having to bring a non-minority Associate with me on a listing appointment because the Owners would say after having invited me to visit their home over the telephone, say to me in person it was a good thing you brought them with you, or I would not have allowed you in my home, or working in the same office with Associates who can’t even say hello to me, but can conveniently only see green when a potential well-qualified Client who looks like me walks into the office, or even to this day, I have Buyers who will not allow me to show them specific communities out of fear of harassment for just considering purchasing a home there.

May I add, I grew up in a two-income household, where  My Parents could have afforded to build a home anywhere in the Chicago-Southland back in the early 1960s, but was limited to just a couple of suburban choices where they could live, and provide a safe, non-discriminating environment to raise their children.  My Parents still live in that same home because they remember too well how badly they were treated when they considered communities where they were not welcomed because of the color of their skin.

I attended a high school in Dolton, Illinois, where I was advised if I missed the bus, it was not safe for me to walk home through the neighborhoods around the school because of the color of my skin.

I have experienced personally the “flight” of non-minority neighbors twice.  When I purchased my first home in Matteson, Illinois, in the mid-1980s I moved in immediately professionally upgrading my landscaping.  My neighbors only cared about how I looked different from them, and immediately put their houses up for-sale.  This happen to me again when I purchased my home in Richton Park, Illinois, nearly a decade later, another home I greatly improved from the condition I found it.

I hope I am helping you to understand what discrimination feels like.  In both experiences I came in improving the homes, the block they were located on, the subdivision were I resided.  I came in as an Owner with pride making the communities better.  What the Neighbors gave me in return for my caring was we don’t want to live around you because you don’t look like us. 

Please, for one moment step in my shoes and feel the pain of being made to feel you are inferior, or suspect because of the color of your skin.

With all due respect to my Colleague’s suggestion below, which in a perfect world would be something to embrace.  Unfortunately, we live in a world where people either have to feel the pain of fear to give up their discriminatory attitudes and practices, or made to feel the pain of it is a far too costly a risk hurting innocent people with their acts of discrimination.

I would personally love to see Realtor Associations made it mandatory for Realtors to take a fair-housing continuing education training annually, and their Sellers, and the Community Leaders to do the same in every community where the minority population is less than 20%.   

Fortunately, I live in a world where most of the people I know judge me by the content of my character, rather than by the color of my skin.

I am grateful for the Civil-Rights Movement, because it caused Government to intervene, and make the appropriate corrective changes.  Unfortunately, there still exist a segment of the United States population who cannot be trusted to do the right thing, and must be held accountable by Governmental Laws of conduct.

As I read the comments from my respected Colleague’s blog post, it became obvious to me he nor our respected Colleagues who commented, really fully understand what discrimination really feels like.   It feels dirty, nasty, ugly, rotten, filthy, smelly, funky, funkier, and yes even the funkiest!