Minneapolis, Minn. (February 23, 2021) –The LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance announced today that the joint operations of HomeServices of America, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and Real Living Real Estate have signed a sponsorship agreement supporting The Alliance at the highest “Champions” level.
“This is an important step for us in continuing our support of the LGBTQ+ community,” said Teresa Palacios Smith, Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer at HomeServices of America who spearheaded the partnership. “We want to help remove the barriers the LGBTQ+ community faces in the journey to homeownership including discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. We are working hard to help our employees, affiliated agents and franchise network members recognize how unconscious bias impacts behavior and how we can better serve the LGBTQ+ community. And, we have a unique opportunity to utilize our market presence to allow LGBTQ+ agents to flourish while also attracting more from the community into our industry.”
HomeServices of America, led by CEO Gino Blefari, is the nation’s largest residential real estate company based on closed transactions and is a premier provider of homeownership services including brokerage, mortgage, franchising, title, escrow, insurance and relocation services. HomeServices is the owner of the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and Real Living Real Estate franchise networks.
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices is led by Chairman Gino Blefari and CEO Chris Stuart. The company has more than 50,000 real estate professionals, nearly 1,500 offices throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Europe and the Middle East, and closed more than $138 billion in sales volume in 2020.
Real Living Real Estate, led by Chairman Gino Blefari and CEO Allan Dalton, is a full-service real estate brokerage franchise system and network with nearly 3,000 member agents in 160 offices nationally.
As a Champion sponsor, Blefari will now participate in a variety of Alliance national events while Palacios Smith will sit on The Alliance’s sponsor advisory board.
“Teresa, Gino, Chris and Allan have been extremely supportive of The Alliance behind the scenes for months and we recognize how today’s announcement further propels us forward,” said Ryan Weyandt, CEO of the LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance. “They have been strong allies of our community and recognize how much more we can accomplish together to further expose the emotional and financial benefits of homeownership to the LGBTQ+ community. Along with our advocacy and member business development work, they are eager to help The Alliance showcase our industry to those within the LGBTQ+ community who may be looking for a career change and who have the entrepreneurial spirit that might allow them to thrive in real estate.”
The Alliance, which launched on October 1, 2020, is an inclusive member-based organization founded in June 2020 as a 501(c)6 non-profit corporation dedicated to enhancing the professional lives of its members while providing consumers with the proper resources to assist in buying, selling and enjoying their home.
ABOUT THE LGBTQ+ REAL ESTATE ALLIANCE
The LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance is a 501(c)6 non-profit dedicated to empowering the LGBTQ+ community on the path to homeownership as we also advocate on behalf of the community on housing issues. The Alliance, founded in June 2020, is an all-inclusive organization that works to improve the professional lives of its members through a public-facing Alliance Referral Community. The Alliance began accepting members in October 2020 and has more than 50 chapters in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. For more information visit realestatealliance.org.
ABOUT HOMESERVICES of AMERICA
Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota HomeServices of America, a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate, is the nation’s largest residential real estate company (based on closed transactions) and through its operating companies, is one of the country’s premier providers of homeownership services, including brokerage, mortgage, franchising, title, escrow, insurance, and relocation services. HomeServices of America is the owner of the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and Real Living Real Estate franchise networks. HomeServices is owned by Berkshire Hathaway Energy, a consolidated subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Visit www.homeservices.com.
About Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices is one of the world’s fastest-growing residential real estate brokerage franchise networks, with more than 50,000 real estate professionals, nearly 1,500 offices throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Europe and the Middle East, and more than $138 billion in real estate sales volume in 2020. The network, among the few organizations entrusted to use the world-renowned Berkshire Hathaway name, brings to the real estate market a definitive mark of trust, integrity, stability and longevity.
About Real Living Real Estate
Real Living Real Estate is a full-service real estate brokerage franchise system and network with a comprehensive and integrated suite of resources for franchisees and their sales professionals, as well as for consumers who work with them. In 2016 and 2017, Real Living