BLM, Fair Housing & The Year of the Booomerang

Black lives matter. 

Please ponder that simple three word sentence for a moment. It shouldn’t be a controversial statement in 2020 or any other year, and yet our country is in turmoil over the notion that black lives *should* matter. 

Racism exists in the housing market much as it exists throughout this country - it’s complicated, deep-rooted and can’t be fixed without addressing it head-on. From the inception of Erickson Realty I’ve treated Fair Housing as something beyond a basic ethical requirement; I’ve tried to make it our thing. It stems largely from witnessing the effects of predatory lending practices that left a swath of foreclosures across the country, including Northern Colorado. Rest assured, it was quite easy to see who benefited and who did not.

I’m mixed race. I’m not black, nor will I pretend to understand the injustices African Americans face literally minute to minute. And much like my name, I have always preferred to keep my origins shrouded in a dumb little cloud of secrecy for reasons that are largely for my own amusement. But by doing so, occasionally someone will throw a racist joke or remark at me, thinking I’m just another white dude that will appreciate it. And sadly, many of these people probably don’t consider themselves racist.

Well here’s the deal - I’ve never tolerated racist clients (or racist people in general), and fortunately I’ve never dealt with an overtly racist client or customer in a transaction. I’ve encountered plenty of crazy people, sure, and I’ve dealt with a few agents that like to call out the race or gender of a person as if it has some type of bearing on “why they act that way”.

Not being associated with people like this is perhaps the greatest benefit of being an independent broker. And thankfully I’m also at the point in my career where I can draw a line in the sand and say if you’re against the BLM movement, let me know and I’ll remove you from my mailings. 

And speaking of mailings, if you get the Boomerang cards (you know, the free donuts, hot wings and manicures), many of the recent ones have extended the expiration dates since most of the coupons couldn’t really be used. For example, the Wing Shack and Blue Sports Grill coupons are extended through the end of July, and this month’s upcoming NoCo Nosh coupon will be extended through the end of September. Hey, gotta have some good news in all this!

If you don’t receive the Boomerang cards please reply. Unless, you know, for the reasons I mentioned earlier.

The housing market continues to improve, even with the surprising lack of changes to showing restrictions for June. Pending sales are down 35% (year over year) with about a 15% reduction in inventory (currently). We’re only now seeing the closings from houses listed after the Stay At Home order and a spurt of sellers that are treating May and June as our traditional March. I’ve noticed the greatest uptick in below-average prices, which could be considered a silver lining for some. There are definitely deals to be had if you want to get out and look. You’ll just have to put up with me cruising around looking like I’m about to rob a steam locomotive. 

That will have to do for the moment. While I realize this post is decidedly low on housing stats, it seems now is an important time to let you know where Erickson Realty stands. We’re not anti-police. We’re not trying to diminish your life. But we are proudly anti-racist. Standing up for what’s right shouldn’t be controversial but unfortunately some will take it that way. It bums me out, but on the other hand, see ya.

​Holler at me if you have any comments, and of course if you have any housing questions or needs. Love and strength to ALL -
Crip