A panel at Inman Connect New York 2019 discussed strategies for being savvy and helpful in an increasingly multicultural country.

Real estate in the United States is still an overwhelmingly white profession (81 percent of Realtors are white, according to the National Association of Realtors’ latest member profile).

But that’s rapidly changing, with a quarter of rookie Realtors identifying as minorities. And given the increasingly diverse makeup of the home buying public, it’s more timely than ever for real estate agents to consider how to foster diversity in their ranks as well as how best to interact with diverse customers. 

That was the focus of a panel at the Inman Connect New York 2019 real estate conference on Tuesday moderated by Tanya Reu-Narvaez, Realogy’s senior vice president of human resources. 

With the Hispanic home buying market being the youngest in the country, fellow panelist and bilingual Keller Williams California principal David Acosta explained how important it is to connect with that market.

“Every market is unique on its own, but these days if you combine the Spanish-speaking population in the U.S., it’s huge,” Acosta said.

This is why agents in all markets would benefit from engaging by finding even one Hispanic person and going to their sphere of people.

“When they find someone who will support them and attract them, they’ll refer them to their friends and family,” Acosta explained. 

Engaging doesn’t necessarily mean having to address them in Spanish, which is a very different strategy. “They want someone who understand their culture, so cultural competence is important in this case,” he said. 

Randy Char, broker and president of Char Luxury Real Estate in Las Vegas, agreed, explaining that while breaking into other markets may be daunting, it’s not impossible when you start small.

“You don’t have to speak the language, but you need to be involved in the culture,” Char said. “Take a feng shui class, learn what a dragon race is — these are opportunities to get involved within the community.”

It’s also helpful to encourage and empower others in the community to enter the industry. For example, this is something Char tries to do within the Asian-American community.

David Siroty, head of industry relations at the National Association of Gay & Lesbian Real Estate Professionals (NAGLREP), stresses the importance of seeking out your market’s “gayborhoods.” This is how you begin to tap into the enclaves where young LGBTQ professionals are looking to reside, he said.

As Char put it: “It’s a movement, and it’s coming in big waves,” so it’s vital to be prepared to serve these markets.

Email Inman

Show Comments Hide Comments
Sign up for Inman’s Morning Headlines
What you need to know to start your day with all the latest industry developments
By submitting your email address, you agree to receive marketing emails from Inman.
Success!
Thank you for subscribing to Morning Headlines.
Back to top
Only 3 days left to register for Inman Connect Las Vegas before prices go up! Don't miss the premier event for real estate pros.Register Now ×
Limited Time Offer: Get 1 year of Inman Select for $199SUBSCRIBE×
Log in
If you created your account with Google or Facebook
Don't have an account?
Forgot your password?
No Problem

Simply enter the email address you used to create your account and click "Reset Password". You will receive additional instructions via email.

Forgot your username? If so please contact customer support at (510) 658-9252

Password Reset Confirmation

Password Reset Instructions have been sent to

Subscribe to The Weekender
Get the week's leading headlines delivered straight to your inbox.
Top headlines from around the real estate industry. Breaking news as it happens.
15 stories covering tech, special reports, video and opinion.
Unique features from hacker profiles to portal watch and video interviews.
Unique features from hacker profiles to portal watch and video interviews.
It looks like you’re already a Select Member!
To subscribe to exclusive newsletters, visit your email preferences in the account settings.
Up-to-the-minute news and interviews in your inbox, ticket discounts for Inman events and more
1-Step CheckoutPay with a credit card
By continuing, you agree to Inman’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

You will be charged . Your subscription will automatically renew for on . For more details on our payment terms and how to cancel, click here.

Interested in a group subscription?
Finish setting up your subscription
×