LIBOR is applauding the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) Fair Housing Action Plan. The new NAR plan, abbreviated ‘ACT,’ emphasizes (A)ccountability, (C)ulture Change, and (T)raining in order to ensure REALTORS® are doing everything possible to protect housing rights. This is the latest step taken by NAR to strengthen its fair housing efforts.

Locally, LIBOR recently completed a comprehensive audit of its fair housing training program, in consultation with outside fair housing experts. LIBOR leadership is reviewing the audit findings as they consider making changes to the training program and developing other fair housing initiatives.

NAR’s new Fair Housing Action Plan includes commitments to:

• Work to ensure that state licensing laws include effective fair housing training requirements and hold real estate agents accountable to their fair housing obligations;
• Launch a Public-Service Announcement Campaign that reaffirm NAR’s commitment to fair housing, and how consumers can report problems;
• Integrate fair housing into all REALTOR® conferences and engagements;
• Explore the creation of a voluntary self-testing program, in partnership with a fair housing organization, as a resource for brokers and others who want confidential reports on agent practices so they can address problems;
• Create more robust fair housing education, including unconscious-bias training and education on how the actions of REALTORS® shape communities;
• Conduct a national study to determine what factors motivate discrimination in sales markets;
• Profile leaders who exemplify the best fair housing practices and workplace diversity; and
• Develop materials to help REALTORS® provide consumers with information on schools that avoid fair housing pitfalls.

LIBOR will be promoting the NAR materials to member brokers and agents over coming months to turn this plan into action at the local level.

For more information on LIBOR’s fair housing program, please email the association at fairhousing@lirealtor.com.