Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Realty Center agent Travis Close has earned the National Association of Realtors’ At Home with Diversity designation.
NAR President Charlie Oppler recently challenged national and state leadership to earn the certification. Close, who will serve as Tennessee Realtors president in 2022, completed the fair housing training at fairhaven.realtor, as well as additional implicit bias training.
“This designation and the additional training helped me to learn about those who are different from me and to celebrate those differences,” Close says. “It’s crucial for us as an industry to provide the same professional service to every prospective client, customer and community regardless of their race, color, religion, gender, disability, familial status, national origin, sexual orientation or gender identity.”
Close joins more than 17,000 other real estate professionals in North America who have earned the certification after completing an eight-hour course addressing topics of diversity, fair housing and business planning development.
The program is designed to meet the nation’s fair housing commitment by equipping NAR’s members with the tools they need to expand homeownership opportunities.
Close challenges every Realtor to complete the same training by the end of April, which is Fair Housing Month.
“I’m hearing stories from across the county that tell me we still have a long way to go with fair housing, but the NAR continues to make strides, offering more and more training for its members and introducing legislation at the local, state and national levels to ensure fair housing for all,” Close adds.
“Since the passing of the Fair Housing Act in 1968, the NAR has been a driving force for change, and will continue to be.”
For more information on the At Home with Diversity certification, visit www.nar.realtor/ahwd. Close can be reached at 423 886-2601.
Source: Travis Close Homes