Realtor® Leaders Meet with Secretary Carson, Pass Sweeping New Fair Housing Action Plan

WASHINGTON (January 8, 2020) – Leadership from the National Association of Realtors® met with Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson and other senior Department officials on Wednesday in Washington to discuss fair housing issues just hours after unanimously passing a new plan to tackle the issue.

The meeting, which included CEO Bob Goldberg and President Vince Malta, allowed NAR to reiterate its commitment to partnering with HUD to advance fair housing protections, while the two sides agreed to work jointly on public service announcements and other proactive initiatives to communicate the importance of housing access for all Americans.

The 2020 NAR Leadership Team Meet with HUD Secretary. From left: President-elect Charlie Oppler, President Vince Malta, HUD Secretary Ben Carson, CEO Bob Goldberg, Immediate Past President John Smaby, First Vice President Leslie Rouda Smith, Vice President of Association Affairs Mabel Guzman, and Vice President of Advocacy Christine Hansen.

“NAR has been active in our pursuit of innovative new policies and partnerships that will help us preserve the fundamental right of housing in America,” said NAR President Vince Malta, broker at Malta & Co., Inc., in San Francisco, CA. “While we have long been a champion of the Fair Housing Act, recent incidents have underscored the progress our nation must still make. That’s why I am proud to announce that our association’s Leadership Team has voted today to approve an action that will directly ramp up and reinvigorate NAR’s fair housing commitment.”

The new NAR initiative, abbreviated ‘ACT,’ will emphasize Accountability, Culture Change and Training in order to ensure America’s 1.4 million Realtors® are doing everything possible to protect housing rights in America. Specifically, the nation’s largest trade association will take new actions to ensure members uphold the fair housing standards incorporated in NAR’s Code of Ethics; begin integrating fair housing into all conferences and engagements; and form partnerships with fair housing advocates to pursue shared goals around accountability and training, among countless other initiatives.

“NAR’s Code of Ethics and its adherence to fair housing are the cornerstones of our commitment as Realtors®,” said Goldberg, NAR’s Chief Executive. “With this new plan, we will see more robust education focusing on core fair housing criteria, unconscious bias, and how the actions of Realtors® impact communities. A partnership with government officials and fair housing advocates will allow us to further promote equality as we continue to work to diversify our industry.”

The National Association of Realtors® is America’s largest trade association, representing more than 1.4 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.