Start Page: 529
End Page: 542
Volume: 25
Issue Number: 04
Year: 2003
Publication: Journal of Real Estate Research

Abstract: This study examines the changing diversity of home buyers and the steps brokerage firms are taking to adapt to these changes. The results reveal that larger firms are experiencing a greater increase in customer diversity. This can be partly explained by their efforts to target diverse groups through sponsored seminars and hiring minority sales professionals. A survey of minority home buyers reveals that minorities have owned fewer homes, earn less and are younger than their non-minority counterparts. Race and income were found to significantly explain reports of greater difficulty on the road to home ownership.