Corcoran's Brooklyn Heights Office Accused of Bias
The National Fair Housing Alliance has released a rather damning report of the sales practices of Corcoran’s Brooklyn Heights office. The anti-housing discrimination group set up a sting operation in which more qualified blacks and less qualified whites went to the office posing as home buyers. The report alleges that agents in the office engaged…
The National Fair Housing Alliance has released a rather damning report of the sales practices of Corcoran’s Brooklyn Heights office. The anti-housing discrimination group set up a sting operation in which more qualified blacks and less qualified whites went to the office posing as home buyers. The report alleges that agents in the office engaged in two sorts of unsavory practices: Steering, by which prospective buyers were urged to look at neighborhoods based on the color of their skin, and selective disclosure of information. It’s unclear from the article how widespread this alleged activity was or how conscious or subconcious it was (though the anecdote given is fairly blatant). Have any readers had experiences that would support any of these allegations?
Report Alleges Bias by a Real Estate Giant [NY Times]
Some of you are treading very dangerous water here. We have a very, very small amount of information and ‘evidence’ from the NFHA. Yet, you are condemning Corcoran before all the facts have been revealed. The NFHA has a responsibility to produce more detailed information about how their investigation was conducted, about how their testers were prepared for this investigation, and exactly what was said and done by the Corcoran agents. The material they’ve produced so far is flimsy at best. And yet, so many of you here act as though it’s a foregone conclusion that Corcoran is in the business of perpetuating racial bias. Innocent until proven guilty, I say.
Park Slope Black Man. Take a deep breath, kiss you white wife, watch your re-runs of the Cosby show and go back to reading your Juan Willams. Your behind can keep denying the reality, but Corcoran and the many black folk that have walked in their office know the truth.
To all of you who said not all brokers at Corcoran are doing this, I say so what. The “good brokers’ know the deal more than anyone else. Why don’t they speak up? If they did they could change things more than most. Clearly, they don’t so if Corcoran gets their wings clipped a bit all of their staff bear some responsibility.
It is amazing how seriously confused we are as a culture. We have been given a great gift of diversity and prosperity in this country and city, yet continue to excuse racism and bias, and the denial of opportunity.
To say there is bias in the real estate business and that we should excuse it because “that is the way things are” is not acceptable. In fact it is immoral. Corcoran positions itself as a leader in the industry. It is exactly the type of business that should be targeted for review and sanctions. This sends a strong message to the industry. With great profit comes great responsibility.
This type of bias also distorts markets, denying buyers and sellers the opportunity to maximize their options. Neigborhood segretation contributes to segregated schools and other social ills. All the negative play my neighborhood (Bed-Stuy) gets on this site fails to acknowledge the role of segregation (race & class). Segregation perpetuated by the real estate inductry in this city contributes to the black and white ghettos of ny.
I don’t buy the “ain’t nothing we can do bout it” attitude either. Robert Putnam in his book “Bowling Alone” points out that regions of our country with a history of discrimination and slavery have lagged behind on many social indicators of well being. The Alliance should be comended for doing this work and giving us the information. We are the market and should demand that brokers treat all of us in a manner the upholds the values they profess. Training and leadership within the Corcoran agency could make a real differnece on this problem.
Try to imagine if a broker advertised to prosective clients that they were a “white hood only broker”, or a “black hood only broker.” How many of us would feel good about doing business with them? Would this business be viable? I think not.
Most people don’t like being discriminated against. In fact, those of us who are privilaged squeel the loudest when we are denied opportunity (can someone say lawsuit!).
We can start by challanging our own baises. In this spirit I invite all of you to buy a ticket for the Bed-Stuy House tour. Come see some amazing homes and meet some people who are, like you, proud of their community. The tour is on October 21. You can get tickets ($20) at the Brownstone Book Store on 409 Lewis Avenue.
NYC is one of the most segregated cities in the U.S. (and that is saying a lot), so this isn’t too surprising. Not saying Corcoran shouldn’t be prosecuted, but what’s needed is a much more thoroughgoing (revolutionary) change to eliminate racial oppression.
I read the comments from the black man in Park Slope and found them intelligent. No need to tell everyone what color I am but I am a real estate broker. There becomes a secondary purpose to discriminatory investigation like a sort of witch hunt. Our society is racist. That goes both ways. Corcoran is a firm that by and large is extremely efficient. Certain brokers may have prejudices that they are not aware of themselves. These prejudices reflect their own understandings or lack there of’s. Corcoran is primarily a big firm. This housing group needs to earn cookie points and Corcoran was the perfect target. Please please please remember how our country began. How slavery was economically part of our constitution. Also, look at other countries in our world, or as put; our universe. What constitutes their prejudices. We are human animals of many skins and this thread is useless from the perspective of my observations. One Corcoran agent in Brooklyn Heights brings down the empire? Abolutely NOT. She may be a foreign citizen herself just learning how to cope with American ethos and pathos. Big s*%t. Look at yourselves to determine what is discriminatory and what is not. Be brave. Don’t think one particular entity more or less deserving of being scrutinized because they make moolah. Get over it.
I find the comments by the “black man in Prime Park Slope” very sad. Realtors should not be steering anyone into any neighborhoods. This is 2006, not 1950. I don’t believe that most coops in Brownstone Brooklyn would consider race in approving buyers. Not that they might be strict in terms of financials, and obviously it depends on the building. It is no excuse that Corcoran’s Brooklyn Heights office is large. NFHA is not out to get Corcoran-their mandate is to find housing discrimination and it should be noted that it appears they found it.
yikes. i doesn’t sound like eryximachus lives in nyc…i hope not.
No matter WHAT anyone says here, always remember that anti-discrimination laws ONLY exist in white countries. 93% of the world is not white, and the 7% of the world that is white will find it very difficult in most of the rest of the world.
As for blacks, well… black dominated countries don’t even have real estate brokers. That should tell you something.
White people discriminate because all non-white people do, and their hostility is demonstrated on a daily basis. This is why white people will pay more to avoid living with the 93% of the world that isn’t white.
maby their just looking out for the neighborhood no crime in that