Standing for Community: Why Real Estate Professionals Must Reject Divisive Rhetoric and Champion Inclusive Homeownership in Minnesota

By Ken Alger – REALTOR®, EXIT Realty Springside

Minnesota’s housing market is at a crossroads. Rising prices, limited inventory, and widening disparities in homeownership have put communities across the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota under real pressure. At the same time, a troubling national narrative has resurfaced—one that targets Somali-Americans, Latino families, Muslims, immigrants, and other marginalized groups who have long contributed to our state’s cultural and economic strength.

As a Minnesota REALTOR®, I want to be clear, unequivocal, and unapologetic:

There is no place in real estate for rhetoric that dehumanizes, marginalizes, or casts suspicion on entire communities.
Not legally.
Not ethically.
Not professionally.
Not morally.

This is not about politics. This is about the foundation of our industry: fair access to housing, community stability, and the right of every family to put down roots and build a future in the place they call home.

 

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The REALTOR® Code of Ethics Leaves No Room for Hate or Exclusion

 

Every REALTOR® in Minnesota—and across the nation—is bound by the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) Code of Ethics, which is more than a policy document. It is a professional identity.

Article 10 strictly forbids discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, national origin, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

Standard of Practice 10-5 goes even further, prohibiting hate speech, slurs, harassment, or derogatory statements about protected classes in any context, including on personal social media.

It doesn’t matter whether someone is speaking “as a private citizen.”
If you hold a real estate license, you carry the responsibility of upholding the law everywhere, every time.

As professionals, we do not get to nod along to rhetoric that demonizes Somali immigrants, Latinos, Muslims, or any other protected community. Doing so is not only unprofessional—it is discriminatory, unlawful, and incompatible with everything our industry stands for.

 

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Communities Thrive When Housing Is Inclusive

 

Real estate is not a transaction business. It is a community-building business.

Neighborhoods across Minnesota—Farmington, Saint Paul, Minneapolis, Burnsville, Eagan, Rochester, Duluth—thrive when families of all backgrounds feel welcome, respected, and valued. When people are encouraged to put down roots instead of being pushed out by fear-based narratives, everyone benefits:

• Schools improve.

• Local businesses grow.

• Property values stabilize.

• Families build generational wealth.

• Crime decreases as neighborhoods become more interconnected.

Division has never raised a home’s value. But unity? That has built entire cities.

 

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Housing Affordability Won’t Improve by Excluding People—It Improves by Empowering Them

 

There’s a misguided belief floating around that “keeping certain groups out” somehow protects affordability or preserves neighborhood stability.

The truth is the exact opposite.

Minnesota’s housing affordability crisis is fueled by:

• Limited housing supply

• Rising construction costs

• Demand outpacing inventory

• Persistent racial and ethnic homeownership gaps

• Generations being locked out of equity building

When people are excluded—socially, financially, or politically—homeownership rates drop, and housing pressures rise.

But when communities gain access to homeownership, everything changes:

• They build wealth, which they reinvest locally.

• They gain equity, strengthening long-term stability.

• They eventually sell, adding healthy turnover to the market.

• New buyers enter the system, spreading opportunity outward.

This is how affordability is created—not by fear, not by exclusion, but by empowering more Minnesotans to become homeowners.

 

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Minnesota’s Somali and Latino Communities Are Part of Our Housing Future—Not a Threat to It

 

Let’s speak plainly:
The Somali and Latino communities are vital to Minnesota’s economy, workforce, culture, and real estate landscape. They are homeowners, renters, entrepreneurs, educators, and essential workers. They are raising families. They are buying homes. They are shaping the future of Saint Paul, Minneapolis, Mankato, Austin, and every community in between.

To pretend otherwise is not only dishonest—it is destructive.

Real estate professionals must refuse to participate in narratives that stigmatize entire communities based on national origin or immigration status. We are obligated—ethically and legally—to protect their right to equal housing opportunities.

But more importantly, we owe it to them as neighbors and human beings.

 

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Minnesota REALTORS® Must Lead With Integrity—Especially Now

 

In times like these, silence is complicity.

If you hold a license, you have a responsibility to:

• Reject discriminatory rhetoric no matter who it comes from.

• Educate clients about fair housing laws.

• Promote inclusive neighborhoods without exception.

• Champion homeownership for all qualified buyers.

• Model professionalism even when political rhetoric grows hostile.

• Build communities, not barriers.

Leadership in real estate isn’t about closing deals. It’s about doing what is right, even when it isn’t convenient.

 

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The Path Forward: Community First, Always

 

If we want a Minnesota where housing is more affordable, more stable, and more equitable, we must commit to policies and practices that bring people in—not push them out.

That means:

• Supporting first-time homebuyers

• Expanding financial education

• Encouraging healthy inventory turnover

• Advocating for sustainable development

• Ensuring protected classes face zero barriers in the marketplace

• Partnering with cultural communities rather than alienating them

When more Minnesotans become homeowners—Somali, Latino, Black, white, Indigenous, immigrant, multigenerational families—the entire housing ecosystem improves.

This is how we build generational wealth.
This is how we strengthen neighborhoods.
This is how we address affordability.
This is how we honor the core mission of real estate.

Not through division.
Not through fear.
Not through rhetoric.

But through community, equity, and opportunity.

 

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If you're ready to work with a REALTOR® who stands firmly for ethical practice, community empowerment, and fair housing for all, I’m here to help.

📧 kenalgerrealestate@gmail.com 
📱 Text KARE to 85377 to connect with me instantly.
🌐 https://kenalger.exitspringside.com/