[quote=briansd1]urbanrealtor, good points about the history of real estate.

Did they have Realtors (with capital R) at that time, or were they simply real estate agents?

Too bad most people are oblivious that history.

BTW, those people who wrote those covenant restrictions in the 1960s are still alive today. I doubt that their views have changed all that much.

I’m however heartened that young people are more advanced in their views.

It takes time for social progress. Racial discrimination in housing was not enforceable since 1945 but was still going on through the 1970s.

That’s what I mean by incremental social progress and the convervatives wanting to block progress and conserve back in time through obstruction.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shelley_v._Kraemer%5B/quote%5D

The trademark Realtor designation was achieved in like 1949 and I think that when my family started there was no association and not even a license system in place.
My grandad’s recollection was that when they did come up with a board (and its MLS) the listings were dogs and the board was seen as more of a hassle than a help. He said he eventually drew the short straw and ended up as president for a while.
He went on (30 years later and after the move to California) to engage in lobbying efforts to make redlining, steering, and blockbusting into enforceable violations. That one did not go down easily. Agents, by design and practice, try to please their clients; and clients (even today) want things that are not necessarily in keeping with legal and ethical practices.
For example, I regularly get this question:
“What kind of other people live in the neighborhood?”.
Translation: “Are they white/ black/ gay/ parents/ robots like us????”
This is a normal question that is patently unlawful for me to answer. I usually go with some weasel version of “its really mixed” or “you might want to have a look when you come by later”.
I can only how much more difficult that conversation was in the 1960’s.