DEI Resources
Additional Resources
The Washington REALTORS ® DEI Committee has partnered with the Black Home Initiative, a local effort to increase the number of BIPOC households who successfully secure homeownership. BHI is centered around a shared priority of making homeownership possible for 1,500 low to moderate income Black households in South Seattle, South King County and North King County in the next five years. To accomplish this, BHI is focused on building an interconnected network of stakeholders to help address the systems that led to the inequitable outcomes we have today.
Discriminatory housing practices such as redlining and restrictive covenants have a long history in Greater Seattle — creating a staggering wealth gap that persists today. Black Home Initiative (BHI) targets the racial inequities at the core of the housing ecosystem in an effort to increase homeownership among Black households.
More information on the Black Home Initiative website here.
Black Home Initiative online Brochure
The Covenant Homeownership Program provides downpayment and closing cost assistance for first-time homebuyers in the form of a loan, secondary to the primary mortgage loan. The loan has a 0% interest rate. It is paid back on the sale or refinancing of the home. The maximum amount of downpayment assistance is 20% of the cost of the home, or $150,000, plus closing costs (if paid by the buyer).
You can access this program by working with a Commission-trained lender to prequalify for a mortgage loan and establish your eligibility.
The Washington State Homeownership Hotline at 1-877-894-4663 is also a great way to easily connect to the Covenant Homeownership Program, as well as other free support, guidance and financial help.
The hotline will help you reach the next step based on your situation, goals and preferences. If you are not quite ready for a mortgage, the hotline will connect you with free support and guidance to get on the path to your goal, no matter where you are today.
For more information and details please visit https://www.wshfc.org/covenant/
Asian Real Estate Association of America: https://areaa.org/greaterseattle
National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals: http://nahrepseattle.org/
National Association of Real Estate Brokers: https://www.nareb.com/
The LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance: https://realestatealliance.org/
Women's Council of REALTORS®: https://www.wcr.org/
Veteran's Association of Real Estate Professionals: https://www.nrd.gov/resource/detail/20256548/Veterans+Association+of+Real+Estate+Professionals
Protect Your Family from Lead in Your Home- Real Estate Disclosure
Chapter 18.86 RCW- Real Estate Brokerage Relationships (down at the bottom of each section you can translate into other languages)
Hotline number. 1-877-894-HOME
This is a great resource for anyone a Realtor hears from in need of foreclosure prevention help, including property tax related, as well as anyone who might not be mortgage ready, but is expressing interest in homeownership. The website is another good resource