General Information

Understand your market…and create the successful business you deserve! NAR’s “At Home with Diversity: One America” Certification shows you how. This is your best chance to learn powerful strategies in dealing with changing demographic patterns within your market area quickly and effectively. And you will learn in a way that will arouse your interest and keep your attention. Created by the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (NAR) and approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), “At Home with Diversity: One America” is an enlightening diversity certification course for real estate professionals that gives participants both insight and power: insight to patterns of thought and behavior — and the power to change patterns that can hinder potential business relationships.

The course will:

• Show you how to treat people equally while respecting differences.
• Show you how differences in cultural style impact real estate transactions and teach you to manage those differences to build successful business relationships.
• Teach you to develop marketing approaches that fit the cultural patterns of different ethnic groups.
• Teach you effective strategies in dealing with changing demographic patterns.

For additional information, please e-mail diversity@realtors.org.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Have a question? Here are some of the most frequently asked questions regarding NAR’s diversity certification course.

Q: What is the “At Home with Diversity: One America” certification?

A: The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (NAR) has developed a comprehensive cultural diversity outreach program that will help real estate companies diversify their workplaces and improve the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION’s relevance to minority real estate professionals. At the same time, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), in conjunction with President Clinton’s “Initiative on Race,” is sponsoring efforts to implement the concept of One America as described by the President. NAR and HUD undertook the joint effort to certify real estate professionals who are trained in cultural diversity and outreach and have made a commitment to a set of diversity principles. The training, built on the letter and spirit of the Fair Housing Act, provides participants with tools to build diversity outreach into their business plans and help open up markets to minorities and others who historically have had limited housing choices.

Q: Why is NAR doing this?

A: The marketplace is quickly becoming more diverse. Immigrants and minorities are becoming a major source of business for the real estate industry. According to Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies, minority African-Americans and Hispanics accounted for more than 28 percent of the increase in the number of homeowners in recent years. Homeownership rates among immigrants are also rising at rates such that a major portion of the future growth in homeownership in the United States will be with immigrant and native born minority populations. The At Home with Diversity: One America certification is the next step in a process NAR began in 1998 to enhance the Association’s comprehensive diversity initiative to better accomplish its goals. Specifically, the training enhances the ability of real estate professionals to develop clients and customers in the growing immigrant and minority population.

Q: What value does the At Home with Diversity: One America certification bring to the customer?

A: By taking the training for certification, real estate professionals will enhance their ability to develop customers in the growing immigrant and minority population. Additionally, real estate professionals who are certified will be able to use NAR’s At Home with Diversity logo and mark as well as HUD’s One America logo in advertising and promotional materials. The logos and mark will serve as valuable marketing tools for certified real estate professionals to attract additional clients.

Q: Who is eligible to become certified?

A: All real estate licensees are eligible for the certification. There is no certification for real estate firms or companies.

Q: What are the requirements for certification?

A: In order to be certified as a At Home with Diversity: One America Real Estate Professional, the requirements are:

• Complete the HUD-approved, NAR course on diversity in the real estate market.
• Agree to the One America diversity principles.
• Sign the certificate agreement.

Q: Where do I go to get the certificate and training?

A: AAR offers this program in the GRI curriculum (Module 307). Check with your local association to see if they are offering this module locally. You can also check AZGRI’s website for the most current schedule. Important: This is a stand-alone course — you may enroll in this program even if you are not pursuing the GRI designation.

Q: How long is the course and how much does it cost?

A: The course takes one day to complete. In 2002, the cost is $65.00 (earlybird fee).

Q: What are the re-certification requirements?

A: Current At Home with Diversity certificates are good for two years. Students who have already taken the At Home with Diversity Course whose certificates have expired or are about to expire, now have two options to renew. Renewing your certificate can either be accomplished by re-taking the (6 – 8 hour) At Home with Diversity Course from any qualified course sponsor. Or a student can renew by taking the newly developed web-based test. The renewal test is short as well as informative, with information on valuable demographic web sites and links to renewal course information. Your test will be scored immediately upon completion. A score of 70 percent is needed in order to pass and receive a new At Home with Diversity certificate. If you would like to renew your current or expired certificate please visit: www.realtors.org/divquiz.nsf/quizinfo?OpenForm

Q: Does the training course offer guidance in marketing to all population groups?

A: Yes. Expanding the marketing efforts of the real estate professional to effectively reach all population groups is a major component of the training course.