Is this an issue here in DFW as well? (West: transplants, 2013)

[UnfairPark]

It’s an study about discrimination or bias practiced by realtors against people of color. Is this an issue here in DFW as well?


https://projects.newsday.com/long-is...investigation/

[Skipito]

Absolutely it is - it's an issue everywhere. Much of it is self-generated (meaning the buyers are trying to find/create ethnic enclaves), but there's some real prejudice alive everywhere.

[Walter Benjamin]

It's an issue everywhere in this country.

Most people want to live amongst communities of similar people who share their customs, traditions, and values. Yet, acknowledging or acting on that fact is illegal. Therefore, there is no end in sight to the endless lying, hypocrisy and doublethink.

[jgn2013]

I think a major issue is that realtors make broad assumptions about people, regardless of color. They'll assume a white person wants to live in a community that's 98% white when that may or may not be the case. I've met a decent number that seem to prefer neighborhoods with more Asian/African immigrants and fewer whites because they think their kids will face more rigorous academic competition and be better prepared for college.

None of this should be all that shocking. Historically, southern blacks and whites lived in much closer proximity than northern blacks and whites. A lot of transplants have been moving south over the past couple of decades and they often bring their own prejudices with them.

[NoClueWho]

Originally Posted by jgn2013

None of this should be all that shocking. Historically, southern blacks and whites lived in much closer proximity than northern blacks and whites. A lot of transplants have been moving south over the past couple of decades and they often bring their own prejudices with them.

Exactly. I tell people all that the time that black people and white people in the South are USED to living together in close proximity, so the worst racism is actually in places up North and out West that may be more diverse but also still manage to be much more segregated.

DFW has definitely gotten like that, with all the transplants flooding in from Northern states and both coasts, as well as India/South Asia and other foreign countries

That's why I always caution people not to jump to the conclusion that DFW is magically becoming more socially liberal due to the huge influx of Californians and people from other places outside of Texas and the South. It's actually quite the opposite.

[UnfairPark]

Imho developers and builders can use realtors to their advantage with incentives and commissions. I often hear from newcomers that their realtors pushed them towards certain areas and subdivisions and discouraged looking at some other areas which they later find out to be more suitable for them. However, I don’t see why any realtors would push people to certain areas based on their race, it’s not like there is any financial incentive there.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by UnfairPark

Imho developers and builders can use realtors to their advantage with incentives and commissions. I often hear from newcomers that their realtors pushed them towards certain areas and subdivisions and discouraged looking at some other areas which they later find out to be more suitable for them. However, I don’t see why any realtors would push people to certain areas based on their race, it’s not like there is any financial incentive there.

We told our realtor what houses we wanted to see. He never asked why; he just showed up at the appointments and let us in. That's possibly because we're white, tho.


If you let a realtor push you towards something instead of doing your own research, then you're foolish. Or gullible.

[NTXPerson]

It definitely is prevalent here in DFW. I've noticed people will make assumptions about schools when they haven't done any research. They see an area that is primarily a certain race and assume the schools are good or bad. There have been assumptions made where an area is assumed to be going downhill or is "ghetto" if a certain race is the majority or are moving in.

[Aggielina]

When I first moved to DFW I was seriously considering buying new infill construction as my first home. But there was a problem because the driveway needed a curb cut, and it was suggested that I call the city code compliance to see if I could get it cut. I did, and the code inspector very shyly and circumspectly told me that maybe I should look to buy elsewhere. It was a great home and barely in my price range, but it was surrounded by Spanish language businesses and borderline rundown apartments. Obviously it was over the phone so he didn't know my race, but I'm sure he could tell that I was probably white. I work in government so I knew that was illegal, but I think he saved me a lot of headache. That area still looks rundown, despite the many years of "plans" to fix it up, and the home I almost bought looks worse for wear. I think he was acting more out of concern about crime than race.

My realtor, who was also my friend, never once steered me away from that area, BTW.

[calgirlinnc]

I would like to know if that Newsday study only investigated White realtors, or if they examined practices of realtors of many ethnicities and races all over Long Island.