This article originally appeared in the August 25, 2006 Brattleboro Reformer (with minor changes) under the title: “The Color of Housing.”

Fair housing advice in trade publications warn Realtors® to focus on real estate, and to avoid characterizing neighborhoods or people; and yet, the real world often presents us with ambiguous situations.

A couple of years ago, after viewing a home in a small, New Hampshire town with clients (an African-American family) the father asked me whether I thought his two young daughters would be picked on in school because of their color. Later his wife told me that she was surprised by that, because her husband’s philosophical stance is not to recognize race (other than the human race) so that his asking the question showed the seriousness of his concern.

I was on the spot: As a licensee, I am not supposed to talk about neighborhoods in terms of race; and yet my client’s question was not motivated by racism, but by concern for the safety of his family. Fortunately I know an African American man who has lived in that town for over 20 years, and who was willing to speak with my clients privately and share his impressions. As it turned out, they ended up buying a home in a Vermont town, Newfane, and later told me that neighbors welcomed them, and living there was a positive experience.

Doing the right thing can be tricky. Suppose, when doing research in the clerk’s office of a small, rural town, I have heard visitors and town officials making openly derogatory remarks about civil unions: Wouldn’t it be decent to warn a same-sex couple about the poisonous atmosphere I have encountered in that town; or would I then be guilty of illegal steering? “Oh, you wouldn’t be happy there,” is the typical remark violating fair housing laws.

At a recent membership meeting of the Southeastern Vermont Board of Realtors® (SEVBR) Curtis Reed, Jr., Executive Director of Alana Community Organization, which is dedicated to building diverse and equitable communities throughout New England, identified steering as a major problem. Reed, who settled in Brattleboro in the mid 1970s but was out of the country for a number of years, told about returning to Brattleboro 4 years ago with his family, and walking into local real estate offices to look for a home to purchase: “What we consistently found was steering.” Reed said that to get real estate agents to show him anything other than homes in the Clark-Canal area or South Main, “was really difficult.” Reed experienced, “an assumption that because we’re a family of color, we had to be in some kind of subsidized or low income program.” At one office, as soon as they walked in, without even saying “hello,” an agent said: “We don’t do FHA housing here.”

Reed said that it is not only real estate professionals, but job interviewers who make assumptions. He told a story about a highly-qualified professional applying for a job at a local firm who was told that she would not be able to find suitable hair products, cultural and social activities, and would find herself out of place. Saying: “Don’t let your assumptions get in your way,” Reed suggested that professionals who find themselves on the spot with questions about local diversity, should refer the person to Alana, where they could get some straightforward talk by an agency which is not subject to the same restrictions as an employer or a real estate licensee. Alana can be reached at: (802)-254-2972.

In general, I have found that local Realtors® conduct themselves in a mature and responsible way. One notable exception was about twelve years ago, when I was working for a large agency, and during a tour of new listings one of the agents made racist and anti-lesbian jokes. When our managing broker, the late Frank Martocci, found out; he put a stop to it immediately. Frank was very serious about compliance with fair housing laws.

Just this past spring, a family whom I was representing was looking for a home in a small town where, because of contrast of hues, they might very well stand out. The listing broker for one of the homes we were seeing might be described by some as, “a good ol’ boy.” He is in his 70s. He grew up in that town. I am darn sure he is a Republican. Fair housing laws forbid us to discriminate, but there is no requirement that we be warm and fuzzy. Well, when he met the three, energetic, young boys in the family, this broker turned into a loving grandfather. At one point, turning to the parents, he pointed out the window, and said: “You see that roof across the way? That’s my house.” And with happy enthusiasm he exclaimed: “If you buy this house, you’ll be my neighbors!”

I have always liked something about this particular gentleman. But that day, I not only liked him: He made me proud to be a Realtor®.