Since the Supreme Court ruled to make same-sex marriage legal in 2015, homeownership in the LGBT community has been on the rise, according to the National Association of Gay and Lesbian Real Estate Professionals’ 2017 Homeownership Survey.
Of the more than 300 NAGLREP members surveyed, 47 percent say they believe more married same-sex couples are purchasing homes now than prior to the Court’s two-year-old ruling. Forty-six percent say they believe the LGBT community is more interested in homeownership as a result of the ruling.
“We firmly believe that when
Jim Obergefell won his Supreme Court case, it was the start of a paradigm shift for the LGBT community,” says NAGLREP founder Jeff Berger. “The confidence we gained, coupled with society’s continued acceptance of the community, is having an impact. Marriage will likely bring more wonderful life events, including children, homeownership, and a potential increase in suburban living.”
Twenty-nine percent of respondents to NAGLREP’s survey say they believe a significant number of their LGBT clients will be more motivated to move from urban areas to the suburbs in the coming year compared to 24 percent who say the reverse.
However, discrimination among the LGBT community remains a chief concern. Forty-four percent of respondents say they fear many of their LGBT clients will continue to experience the same or worse discrimination than in the past. “We still have a long way to go to eradicate housing discrimination against our community,” Berger says.
Source: “Marriage Equality Is Paving the Way for LGBT Community’s Increased Interest in Homeownership,” RISMedia (June 7, 2017)
