The NAGLREP Historic Effect on LGBTQ Real Estate & Homeownership
2023 marks the 16th anniversary of the founding of NAGLREP – the National Association of Gay and Lesbian Real Estate Professionals. NAGLREP is the first-ever national trade association to focus on building the LGBTQ real estate market while giving an industry-wide voice to gay realtors, lesbian realtors and their allied colleagues.
To celebrate this anniversary, let’s take a look back at how NAGLREP gave a new sense of diversity and inclusion to the real estate world by raising the visibility of the LGBTQ realtor community and addressing the specific needs of LGBTQ homebuyers and homeowners.
2007: NAGLREP was established in 2007 by Jeff Berger, a LGBT realtor based in Jupiter, Florida, who saw the need to provide a platform that represented the LGBTQ realtor community and the thousands of LGBTQ persons who buy and sell homes.
2009: NAGLREP was established as a stakeholder at the U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) during the Obama administration, which marked the first time that a presidential administration acknowledged the distinctive challenges facing LGBTQ Americans within the housing market. Later that year National Association of Realtors President Dick Gaylord joins NAGLREP at our annual meeting during the 2009 NAR Conference in San Diego.
2010: NAGLREP achieves success with it’s proposal to the National Association of Realtors (NAR) to include sexual orientation with the NAR Code of Ethics. At a time when the federal government and the majority of states did not offer protection against being fired on the basis of sexual orientation, this was a landmark breakthrough for gay real estate agents and lesbian real estate agents.
First: During the May 2010 NAR midyear Meetings the NAR Professional Standards Committee voted yes to send the proposal for final vote by the NAR Board of Directors, and later during the 2010 November NAR annual meeting in New Orleans a vote by the NAR Delegate Body.
Second: During the 2010 NAR annual meeting in New Orleans the NAR Delegate Body voted Yes on NAGLREP’s proposal to include sexual orientation to the NAR Code of Ethics. Below a photo of NAGLREP Founder Jeff Berger and 2010 NAR President Vicki Cox Golder after the historic vote.
2011: Adding Gender Identity was a multi year effort by NAGLREP. Here is a 2011 meeting of the NAR Diversity Committee during the May 2011 NAR midyear meetings
2012: During the 2012 NAR Midyear meetings, NAGLREP members further state to the NAR Diversity Committee the importance of adding gender identity to the NAR Code of Ethics
2013 May : NAGLREP hosted HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan at the NAGLREP midyear meeting in Washington, D.C., to highlight the importance of gender identity being added to the NAR Code of Ethics. This was the first time that a HUD Secretary addressed an LGBTQ real estate trade organization. U.S. President Barack Obama declares on the White House website Fair Housing Means EVERYONE
2013 June: Pride Month was a full agenda starting with a NAGLREP visit to HUD Headquarters in Washington, DC for the HUD Globe LGBT 20th Anniversary event featuring U.S. Secretary of HUD Shaun Donovan
2013 June: NAGLREP Proudly attended the White House LGBT Pride Month Reception featuring U.S. President Barack Obama, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, U.S. Congressman John Lewis, and Stuart Milk (Nephew of Harvey Milk).
2013 (November) : NAGLREP successfully worked with NAR to amend Article 10 of the NAR Code of Ethics to prohibit discrimination based on gender identity. During the NAR November 2013 annual meetings in San Francisco the NAR Delegate Body to votes Yes to include gender identity to the NAR Code of Ethics. At this time, few industries guaranteed workplace non discrimination policies for the transgender and non-binary professionals.
2014: NAGLREP hosted its first National Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, uniting gay and lesbian realtors from all over the country. HUD Secretary Julian Castro was unable to attend in person but he sent a video greeting to attendees
After the first day of Keynotes and breakout education sessions, we explored the Fort Lauderdale Intracoastal during our Cruise Night Out, aka our coming out party!
2015: Jim Obergefell, lead plaintiff of the U.S. Supreme Court case Obergefell v Hodges that legalized same-sex marriage, delivered the keynote address at the NAGLREP national conference. NAGLREP awards Obergefell a coveted NAGLREP Pinnacle Award for his kindness to the world.
2017: NAGLREP hosted its first LGBT Housing Policy Summit featuring U.S. Rep. David Ciciline (D-RI). LGBT and allied housing leaders – including HUD, NAR, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and the LGBTQ Task Force – participated in the event, which further solidified NAGLREP’s relationship with the U.S. Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus and the Victory Fund which helps LGBTQ candidates for public office.
2017: NAGLREP NYC Chapter marches in the New York City Pride Parade. Notice we’re passing the famous Stonewall Inn, where the Stonewall Riots began in June 1969.
2017: The first NAGLREP LGBT Real Estate Report was published, and its contents highlighted the LGBTQ homeownership rate to be 49%, below the national average of 65%. Later in the year, the NAGLREP National Conference moved to Palm Springs and featured U.S. Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA) and LGBTQ Icon Cleve Jones as the keynote speakers.
2018: Sarah McBride, HRC’s immediate past-National Press Secretary, was the keynote speaker at the NAGLREP National Conference in Palm Springs.
2019: NAGLREP surpassed 2,600 members as U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), who was also Hillary Clinton’s running mate in 2016, was the keynote speaker at the NAGLREP 2019 LGBT Housing Policy Summit. During the summit, NAGLREP raised awareness for the Equality Act, which would expand the Fair Housing Act to prohibit discrimination aimed at the LGBTQ community; NAR followed NAGLREP’s lead and called for the passage of the Equality Act with a written endorsement.
2019: Judy and Dennis Shepard, founders of the Matthew Shepard Foundation, shared their message of “Embracing Dignity and Diversity” at the 2019 NAGLREP National Conference in Palm Springs alongside JoDee Winterhof, HRC’s senior vice president of policy and political affairs, and Jonathan Lovitz, past-senior vice president of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce.
2019: NAGLREP and PFLAG entered a partnership to showcase the emotional and financial benefits of LGBTQ homeownership and to raise awareness for the Equality Act. NAGLREP also formed an LGBT Mortgage Advisory Group to represent the interests of LGBTQ homebuyers and mortgage professionals focusing on advocacy, education, and empowerment.
2022: After a two-year Covid hiatus where virtual meetings took the place of live events, NAGLREP launched the LGBT+ Real Estate Retreat in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
2023: The success of the meeting, which offered networking opportunities and educational classes, spurred NAGLREP to schedule a 2023 event at the same location September 26 – 28. Register Now!
“There has been a great deal of change for the better since 2007, but more work needs to be done,” said NAGLREP founder Jeff Berger. “The LGBTQ homeownership rate is still much lower than the national average, and many prospective LGBTQ buyers often feel uncomfortable and uncertain going into communities where they have no support network of family or friends. LGBTQ realtors are an invaluable resource in providing buyers with information about their markets while connecting them with other professionals in the homebuying process – appraisers, lenders, insurance brokers, etc. – who are welcoming of their arrival in the area. I am eager to add more triumphs in the next 16 years, with full protections under the law for buyers and greater business opportunities for the NAGLREP members.”
