Inman

The Real Word: What changes can be implemented in the industry?

Byron Lazine and Nicole White are two agents in Connecticut who give us their thoughts on the week’s news every Friday in “The Real Word,” a weekly video column on Inman.

In late 2019, after a three-year, in-depth investigation, Newsday found “evidence of widespread separate and unequal treatment of minority potential homebuyers and minority communities” by real estate agents on Long Island.

The results were based on 25 undercover testers testing 93 agents in 240 hours of meetings that were secretly recorded. In addition, there were over 5,763 house listings analyzed. (At an Inman Connect session this past January, the Newsday team behind the investigation spoke about Long Island’s history of segregation and issues of discrimination in the industry.)

Byron and Nicole reflect on current events and how changes can be implemented in the real estate industry. “I think what’s important to learn here, and they did touch on it as well, is education,” Nicole said. “Are agents being educated in fair housing? Are they taking it seriously? Are they understanding, you know, the significance of it and being lawful?”

More this week: In a recent Connect Now session, Coldwell Banker CEO Ryan Gorman spoke about the future of office space. The takeaway? “Less rent, more happy hours.” Byron and Nicole also discuss how offices can encourage collaboration, especially in the real estate industry.

Marketeer of the week

This week, the focus is on Katie Lance, Kendall Bonner and Victoria Kennedy, who provided timely insights on where to find resources and why your marketing should look different right now.

Want to nominate a “marketeer of the week”? Drop your thoughts in the comments section below, or shoot us an email.