My interest in local real estate has resulted in me keeping a keen eye on all the homes that sell in our little cul-de-sac in Los Angeles, Historic Wellington Square.
Recently two homes have gone for sale — and I’ve met the Realtors I believed were selling properties as they leafleted my neighborhood.
But my information gathering never stops there. I look on-line to get more information about the property. In the last two instances — this has revealed a little — shall we say — misrepresentation on the part of the Realtors.
The name on the flier — the phone number on the flier — the face our neighborhood sees — in both cases belonged to African Americans. The true Realtors listing and selling the property — white. Ironically, the first of the real estate agents to do this — just sent me a card and and e-mail — wondering why I haven’t referred anyone to her. In addition to being a terrible agent (that’s a whole other blog . . .) I wanted to respond to her — ‘well, I’d be happy to send the business to the black face you presented to our neighborhood.’
Most of the homes in Historic Wellington Square were built in the 1920’s. The original covenants on my home and others excluded African Americans, Asians, so-called Indians, and Mexicans. In the 1950s when these restrictive covenants were declared illegal — many black families moved in. Now the area is going through a renaissance, a gentrification, if you will. The people moving in are mostly upwardly mobile whites, and some well-heeled blacks. But the ‘conventional wisdom’ is that this is a ‘black’ area — and to make any inroads to sell (whatever your selling) you need a black face.
Real estate agents, however, walk a fine line and to engage in this practice smacks of many of the tactics agents have used over the years to turn over housing stock.
Like any other California homeowner — I’m very interested in good housing stock in my neighborhood with rising values — but I think the true face behind the sale should be revealed.
