FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
April Harrington
Principal Broker/Owner
EXIT Real Estate Experts
6154193782
exitrealestateexperts@gmail.com
Greater Nashville REALTORS® and the Nashville Chapter of the LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance Partner Up
HOME IS WHERE LOVE LIVES
Nashville, Tennessee (Grassroots Newswire) 6/17/22 --
It was just seven years ago when gay marriage was ruled legal by the Supreme Court in Obergefell v. Hodges, —led by Jim Obergefell, who sued because he would be unable to put his name on the terminally ill partner’s death certificate.
Just last year, President Biden signed executive order 13988, titled “Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation”, aimed at preventing and combating discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation.
While significant progress has been made for the LGBTQ+ community – especially in the last two decades – there is still work to be done to combat existing barriers facing the LGBTQ+ community and provide equality for all.
One of those barriers is housing discrimination.
Contrary to the popular myth that gay couples are more affluent than the general population and as a result have high homeownership rates, in the United States LGBTQ+ homeownership stands at 49.8%, in sharp contrast to a national average of 65.8%. In the 2021 survey of real estate professionals, 10.8% of respondents indicated they had personally experienced discrimination based on sexual orientation and/or identity in a real estate transaction in the past.
As REALTORS®, our Code of Ethics requires us to treat all buyers and sellers fairly in any housing transaction: “REALTORS® shall not deny equal professional services to any person for reasons of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, national origin, sexual orientation, or gender identity”. Additionally, it forbids “harassing speech, hate speech, epithets, or slurs based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, national origin, sexual orientation, or gender identity.”
In an effort to combat these barriers and create awareness of discrimination and Fair Housing issues that impact LGBTQ+ homebuyers and sellers, we are encouraged at the recent partnership between Greater Nashville REALTORS® and the Nashville Chapter of the LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance. The LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance is a non-profit organization comprised of real estate professionals dedicated to empowering the LGBTQ+ community on the path to homeownership, with over 2200 members in 50 chapters across the US.
This formal partnership will serve as a collaboration to create a more inclusive environment for LGBTQ+ Realtors, homebuyers and sellers. As members of both of these organizations, we know that it is essential for the real estate industry to advocate for and pursue the benefits of diverse neighborhoods where people are free from discrimination and given equal opportunities toward achieving the goal of homeownership.
This pride month, while we reflect on the progress made in this country for the LGBTQ+ community, and identify barriers facing the community today, we are thankful for the advocacy work done on behalf of LGBTQ+ equality.
As our communities continue to grow and reflect the changing diversity of our country, Realtors stand ready to assist homeowners and real estate investors, assuring equal access to homeownership and building generational wealth for every member of our community.
With experience in the music industry as a songwriter, keyboardist, and producer, Eric Wyse now focuses on helping friends and neighbors buy and sell the homes that make Nashville living so rewarding. Eric currently serves on the Board as a Director for Greater Nashville REALTORS®.
April Harrington is the Principal Broker/ Owner at EXIT Real Estate Experts and has a passion for real estate that is rooted in her pride in Nashville. April works closely with builders, contractors, inspectors, title agencies and lenders with a wealth of knowledge and expertise about buying and selling real estate in Nashville. She is the 2022 Nashville chapter president of the LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance.
For more information about EXIT Real Estate Experts, please call 6154193782. EXIT Real Estate Experts is located at 1903 Old Hickory Blvd, Old Hickory, TN 37138.
About EXIT Realty:
EXIT Realty is a company founded and built on human potential. A full service, forward-thinking, real estate franchisor with offices across North America, EXIT has to-date paid out more than a half a billion dollars in single-level residual income to its associates. The Expert Marketing Suite™ including geolocation Smart Sign™ technology gives sellers an edge in a competitive marketplace. A portion of every transaction fee received by EXIT Realty Corp. International is applied to its charitable fund, and to-date, $6.8 million has been allocated to charity. For more information, please visit www.exitrealty.com and www.joinexitrealty.com.
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