NAR Podcast: Community Impact of Your Real Estate Business

Listen as real estate professionals discuss how their business affects change in underserved communities.

Real estate professionals often demonstrate community stewardship through volunteering and supporting charitable causes. But their everyday job to help people buy and sell homes has, perhaps, the greatest impact on the neighborhoods agents and brokers serve. Some pros are keenly aware that their business has the power to affect change. So, they focus their expertise on creating homeownership opportunities for underserved consumers. Host Marki Lemons Ryhal talks with two real estate pros about how they use their business to bring more good to their communities. 

Meet the Guests

Bo Menkiti is the broker-owner of Keller Williams Capital Properties in Washington, D.C., whose company’s mission is to “transform lives, careers and communities through real estate.” He also is the founder and CEO of The Menkiti Group, a real estate services company that has invested over $390 million in emerging urban neighborhoods. The firm has worked on the development of more than 4.7 million square feet of real estate. Menkiti says his company is planning to scale its neighborhood investments.

Jessica Thompson, GREEN, is the broker-owner of Cityburb Homes in Oklahoma City. She has focused much of her business on bringing new homeowners to the low-income neighborhood where she bought her first property for $75,000 in 2013. In January, Thompson sold a property in the area for $50,000 above the asking price. She has deep involvement with national and local housing committees, aiming to secure more quality, affordable housing for Oklahoma City residents.