Lessons In Leadership with NAREB President-Elect Lydia Pope

Since 1947, The National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB) – the oldest minority trade association in the U.S. – has worked to make dreams of homeownership more accessible to Black communities.

Established before the National Association of Realtors (NAR) accepted Black members, NAREB has long played an integral part in creating equality in the real estate industry. The organization was a driving force behind monumental movements toward the greater good, like aiding in the creation of HUD in 1964 and being involved in the Voting Rights Act of 1965 as well as the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 – to name a few.

“We were really involved in activism, advocacy, and ensuring that Black folks would get an opportunity to be able to live in the communities, to work in the communities and to buy a home as a Black person within our organization,” says Lydia Pope, the current NAREB president-elect.

On this week’s episode of the Start With a Win podcast, Pope joins RE/MAX CEO Adam Contos to share how her own experience buying a home led her to become a real estate professional and help others achieve homeownership in any community they desire with the utmost professionalism, integrity and equality.

Pope had never thought much about real estate until she and her husband went to purchase a home together. After feeling like the real estate agent gave them limited choices and steered them, Pope realized she wanted to become an agent herself and provide others with the treatment she wished she had received. She now runs two major real estate companies in addition to serving NAREB.

“I may be the president-elect [of NAREB], but I tell you now, when I talk to my clients today and show them a house today, I still walk them through every single step of the homeowner process,” Pope explains. “They truly enjoy that. I treat them like I want to be treated.”

When sharing her goals as president for the organization, Pope says that she plans on taking the information found in the NAREB SHIBA Report – the annual report that points out current challenges to Black homeownership – and using it to make a positive impact on Black communities in the U.S. This year, the COVID-19 pandemic is posing unique challenges, with long-term effects being placed on the financial and emotional well-being of minority communities.

To hear more from Pope about her goals for NAREB going forward, tune into this week’s podcast episode.

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