Black Real Estate Brokers of Lexington Bring About Change
Lexington, KY – Stepping Beyond Housing for Community Impact
Lexington’s Black real estate brokers, members of the Central Kentucky National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB), are distinguishing themselves for their involvement in fields beyond housing. They have recently partnered with FoodChain Lexington for a day of volunteering, highlighting their commitment to community involvement.
A Day of Volunteering at FoodChain Lexington
FoodChain Lexington, a local organization focused on nurturing the community, hosted NAREB’s brokers for a day of outreach and volunteer work. The Realtors, more generally known as “Realtists”, stepped out of the usual professional setting to don cooking aprons and gloves, preparing and packaging fresh produce for warm, nutritious meals.
The Realtists enthusiastically assisted in chopping up squash, pumpkin, processing beets, lettuce, and other vegetables. According to Kristen LaRue, former NAREB president and one of the organization’s founding members, this volunteering effort wasn’t a typical day for the brokers.
The Realtists’ Role
Typically, these Realtists aren’t in kitchens cooking. Instead, their usual day-to-day involves acting as guides for those making significant financial decisions, like buying a house. Chantelle Pressley, a member and real estate professional, emphasized the importance of their role, stating, “Buying real estate is the most expensive purchase ever made in your life, and having some good guidance is going to be a good thing for you.”
Pioneering Equal Representation
Not just real estate guides, these Realtists serve as pioneers for equal representation in the real estate industry. They make up part of the small percentage of Black realtors, striving to increase homeownership and representation in the industry for Black and brown people.
According to LaRue, there was a time when African Americans weren’t permitted to be realtors, leading to the formation of NAREB. She noted, “That’s how we ended up forming NAREB, which is the National Association of Real Estate Brokers. Instead of calling ourselves realtors, we call ourselves ‘Realtists.'”
Bridging Real Estate and Community Service
Recent data from Data USA highlights that nearly 80% of realtors since 2021 have been white, compared to just nearly 6% who are Black. For LaRue and many other Realtists, their role in real estate isn’t solely about selling houses. It is about making a lasting difference in their communities and providing support in areas beyond home buying.
This extends to battling crucial issues such as food insecurity, where both Pressley and LaRue view real estate and community development as intertwined aspects. LaRue explains, “It’s important for us to not just be working with clients behind the scenes selling houses but also to be out in the community serving in other ways.”
On a Mission Beyond Housing
Lexington’s Black real estate brokers, their mission goes beyond buying and selling homes. They are on a journey to transform their communities, provide wider representation within the real estate industry, and extend support toward holistic community development.
