What is the National Association of REALTORS® doing to attract Latino practitioners into the industry and encourage Latino homeownership?
The question was posed to NAR CEO Nykia Wright at the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals’ Avance conference last week.
That question remains important today, Wright said, since bringing more Latinos and Hispanics into the real estate business and into homeownership creates opportunities to expand generational wealth for more Americans.
“When we think about things like DEI, I flip that on its head ... I don’t need the acronym. I need to bridge the wealth gap in America,” Wright said to a round of applause.
Some Americans “have been able to take advantage of this significant wealth engine. It’s time for every group to be able to do that,” she added.
Advancing housing accessibility and affordability for all Americans is one of NAR’s key advocacy priorities. The association supports aspiring homeowners in many ways, advocating for housing affordability and broadening access to home financing options.
For instance, NAR championed the VA Home Loan Reform Act, which protects veterans’ ability to directly compensate a real estate agent assisting them in purchasing a home. About 14% of Hispanic and Latino home buyers financed their homes with VA loans—a higher percentage than White or Asian/Pacific Islander buyers—according to NAR’s most recent Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers. The legislation was signed into law in July, after passing Congress unanimously.
Also in July, NAR successfully advocated for the Federal Housing Finance Agency to begin accepting VantageScore 4.0 for mortgage underwriting. This scoring model uses alternative data sources that have been traditionally excluded from underwriting, such as rent and utility payments, and opens home financing options for more buyers. NAR also provides grants to local and state REALTOR® associations to fund advocacy for housing supply, local homebuyer education, down payment assistance programs and fair housing training.
Hispanic Homeownership Gains Ground
According to NAR's 2025 Snapshot of Race and Home Buying in America, access to credit remains a hurdle for minority home buyers. Twenty-one percent of Black applicants and 17% of Hispanic applicants were denied a mortgage, significantly higher than the numbers for White (11%) and Asian (9%) applicants. Hispanic home buyers are also more likely to turn to alternative financing arrangements, which often carry higher costs and fewer consumer protections than traditional mortgages.
Still, Hispanic American homeownership has accelerated in recent years and accounts for the largest gain across demographics, according to the 2025 Snapshot.
Between 2013 and 2023, Hispanic American homeownership rose from 45.2% to 51%, representing a surge of more than 3.5 million homeowners.
Nine percent of real estate professionals who are REALTORS® identify as Hispanic, and Spanish is the second most spoken language among members. To support members working with Spanish-speaking clients, NAR publishes consumer guides in both English and Spanish. The guides, available at facts.realtor, are a resource agents and brokers can use to demystify topics such as written buyer agreements, financing, appraisals, and seller disclosures.
Leaning In and Speaking Up
NAHREP’s Avance took place Sept. 18–20 in San Diego. To the Latino real estate professionals in the Avance audience, Wright reiterated her frequent call to action: Get involved.
“It’s this groundswell of getting many more people into leadership positions to make sure that those voices are heard,” she said. “And so, the more times that we can get people in the room, the more conversations we have.”
NAR partners with four national multicultural real estate organizations, including NAHREP, to better serve its members and protect property rights.
“We are so glad that Nykia was able to speak at NAHREP at AVANCE,” NAHREP CEO Gary Acosta says. “It’s important for our members to hear directly from her about the transformation she is undertaking at NAR and how much she values the association’s partnership with NAHREP. By working together, NAHREP and NAR can expand access to homeownership and help families create intergenerational wealth.”
