National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals

This is the third in a series of profiles of the multicultural allied real estate associations in Texas.

Founded in 1999, the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals is the largest Hispanic business association in the U.S. NAHREP works to advance sustainable Hispanic homeownership through advocacy, education, and facilitation of relationships with industry stakeholders and professionals.

“Above all else, NAHREP is an economic mobility organization that believes in building wealth for the Latino community through homeownership,” says NAHREP National Advocacy Committee Regional Director Rachel Bruno.

According to NAHREP’s 2019 State of Hispanic Homeownership Report, Latinos comprise 18.3% of the U.S. population, or 59.9 million people. The report says the Hispanic homeownership rate in 2019 was 47.5%, and the number of Hispanic owner households was 8,156,000.

NAHREP counts more than 40,000 members in 48 states. The association welcomes anyone who has a passion for advancing its mission. However, NAHREP membership offers the greatest value to real estate industry professionals, such as agents, brokers, mortgage loan originators, title agents, closing attorneys, appraisers, and homebuilders.

Networking is an essential part of the organization. “NAHREP is a family, and our members often describe the networks they form through the organization as invaluable to building their businesses,” says Bruno.

NAHREP educates its members on real estate best practices, empowering them to serve Hispanic homebuyers and sellers at the highest standards, Bruno says. To do this, NAHREP hosts more than 400 events a year. Local chapters also host events tailored to local issues. In August, NAHREP Houston hosted a Hack to the Future three-day virtual conference discussing cybercrime, fraud, and hacking.

Bruno says the coronavirus pandemic has been the biggest challenge for NAHREP and its members. The association has approached the situation as an opportunity to identify what is and isn’t working among its business practices.

“NAHREP has doubled down in producing high-quality digital educational content, created innovative new event tools, and taken an even more proactive approach to our advocacy efforts, because now is the time that our members need us the most,” she says.

The association stays active politically. Bruno says NAHREP advocates on the issues of credit access, housing inventory shortages, and immigration reform. NAHREP has revamped its governmental affairs efforts, launched a National Advocacy Committee, and has begun using a grassroots advocacy strategy at the local level.

NAHREP’s business model allows for rapid growth and expansion through chapter networks. “Over the last two years, we’ve dramatically increased our chapter footprint, with chapters launching in new states and markets around the country,” she says.