Local efforts can make a big impact in welcoming the LGBT community to the real estate industry, says RE/MAX Senior Vice President Mike Reagan. That’s in addition to brand initiatives made from the top down.
A panelist during the 2020 LGBT Housing Policy Summit, hosted by the National Association of Gay and Lesbian Real Estate Professionals (NAGLREP), Reagan said local data and involvement can help brokers recruit real estate agents who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.
“Are you visible [to potential recruits]? Are you aware of the makeup of your community?” Reagan asked would-be recruiters. “Be visible, be engaged, get involved.”
Data, Reagan says, is the driving force behind the RE/MAX co-sponsorship of NAGLREP’s LGBT Real Estate Housing Report. RE/MAX also co-sponsors the AREAA State of Asia America Report and the NAHREP Glossary of Real Estate Industry Terms.
Data-driven insights in the NAGLREP report help real estate professionals understand challenges and opportunities within the LGBT community, Reagan says, calling the study a valuable resource for promoting inclusion, demographic studies and engagement.
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RE/MAX, which has partnered with NAGLREP for the past three years, actively helps affiliates use the power of the network, Reagan says.
“One thing that’s been most positive … is creating an environment so that the LGBT community within RE/MAX can find each other,” he says, referencing efforts such as convention meetups and a Facebook mastermind group.
Those interactions are invaluable, Reagan says, and he encourages all RE/MAX affiliates to focus on relationships during this unusual time.
“In this environment, especially with the LGBT community, I think it’s so important for all of us to share ideas like we’re doing and … to continue to deliver at the local level.”
The 2020 LGBT Housing Policy Summit was streamed via Facebook and is available for replay. The “Continuing to Welcome the LGBT Community to Real Estate Panel” begins about 38:15 minutes in.
Written by RE/MAX News
