We’re Proud of Our Diversity
And we still have more work to do.
Changing the Industry
Many of our partners work hard every day to fight bias in the industry and promote housing equality.
All City Homes
Increasing Ownership for Marginalized Agents
Nino Roy Machado and Serina Lowden-Rush have worked in the real estate industry for a combined total of 36 years and always felt that something was missing.
“We would attend national real estate conventions for top-producers and rarely witnessed Black and brown agents speaking on panels or being celebrated on stage,” they recall. “Not being able to visualize and hear about the success of Black and brown agents and broker-owners made us feel as if our stories and voices didn’t exist.”
The disparity in the number of Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) in the real estate industry, as well as the disparity of BIPOC home ownership, inspired them to create All City Homes in 2019.
“We wanted to be a space for agents that felt marginalized, unheard, and unseen,” they say. “In order to increase Black and brown homeownership, we needed a company that supported and empowered Black and brown agents.”
Amalfi Estates
Fighting Appraisal Bias on National TV
Amalfi Estates founder Anthony Marguleas has witnessed housing discrimination firsthand. One of the contributing factors is appraisal bias.
In 2022, he spoke in front of a national audience on “Dr. Phil.” He explained that 97% of property appraisers are white, making it the least-diverse occupation in the country.
There are many documented cases of wide swings in valuations for homes belonging to BIPOC, a trend that threatens home equity and, more importantly, home equality.
At Amalfi Estates, Anthony and his team work tirelessly to fight racial bias and ensure that all people have the opportunity to build and pass down generational wealth.
Side Community Members in AREAA
Promoting Diverse Homeownership
Several individuals within the Side Community are affecting change as leaders of the Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA).
Side’s managing broker of Florida, Don “Donnie” G. Pingaro II, who served as AREAA’s 2023 National Vice President and is the 2024 President-Elect, joined as a founding member of the Miami chapter in 2014.
“The AAPI community is underserved,” Donnie says. “There is strength in numbers to speak up together and make a difference,” noting that the fair-housing policies AREAA promotes benefit the entire community.
Trust Real Estate founder Amy Kong, AREAA’s 2021 president, agrees, “[It’s exciting] to see our policy advocacy efforts open up homeownership opportunities to everyone.”
Additionally, the following Side founding partners are past or present leaders in their local AREAA chapters: Christine Chau (Firsthand Properties), Samantha Tov (Portfolio Real Estate), Melissa Sofia (The Avenue Home Collective).
Take Action
Want to be part of the push for more DEI in the real estate industry? Here are a few actionable ways:
1. Participate in the President’s Challenge
2. Join an affinity group or Employee Resource Group (ERG)
- National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP)
- National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB)
- LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance
- Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA)
- WomanUp!®
- Women’s Council of REALTORS®
3. Participate in the DEI initiatives at your local REALTORⓇ Association
3. Check out these resources:
- Stop Hate in Real Estate
- Race + Real Estate = Resistance
- Race + Place Report
- Owned: A Tale of Two Americas
- Safety, Affordability Concerns Are Deterring LGBTQ Homebuyers
- Selling Houses While Black
- Fighting Back: Real Estate Bias Exposed
- City Rising – PBS Film
- Next City – Ebooks
- The Banker
- The Color of Law
- SFAR Film Series
Thank you to the following Side partners for participating in our DEI Council:
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