Black people have the lowest homeownership rate in America, but one local association is working to change that.
“And there’s a huge gap here in northwest Ohio,” said Rob Pasker, 36, president of Greater Toledo Realtist Association and broker with eXp Realty in Toledo.
Born and raised in Toledo, after receiving his real estate license in Columbus in 2014, Mr. Pasker — who is also a real estate appraiser and housing counselor — was compelled to come back home and work toward closing that gap.
Upon his return, he became the only active Realtist in the northwest Ohio region, a title carried by real estate professionals that are a part of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers, or NAREB.
With the knowledge and tools he gathered from NAREB, Mr. Pasker embarked on a journey to establish a Realtist Board in northwest Ohio. In 2019, he chartered the Greater Toledo Realtist Association, which has grown from 13 to 41 members.
“A Realtor is a member of the National Association of Realtors but they didn’t let Black realtors into the association until the ’70s, so they boxed us out of the industry,” he said. “So without them allowing us access into the MLS [Multiple Listing Service], we weren’t able to market our properties on the level that they were able to market their properties.”