Bias Override: Overcoming Barriers to Fair Housing

For Members

REALTORS® are committed to abiding by fair housing laws and the Code of Ethics. But sometimes, our brains take shortcuts that can lead us astray.

Bias Override: Overcoming Barriers to Fair Housing is an NAR certificate course that helps real estate professionals interrupt stereotypical thinking so they can avoid fair housing pitfalls and provide equal professional service to every customer or client. Participants will learn about the mind science of identity, study how implicit bias can result in fair housing violations and engage in interactive exercises to enhance communication skills and business relationships with clients of all backgrounds.

Take the Course

This three-hour classroom course can be taken online or in person, and may qualify for CE credit in your state.

Note that classroom and live virtual versions of the course are posted as they are scheduled. Check back often for newly scheduled offerings.

Don’t see a course offered near you? Help bring this course to your area to positively impact your community. Reach out to your state and local association and request this training be offered.

About the Course

Bias Override teaches REALTORS® how to:

Understand the history of bias and discrimination in real estate.
Explain how implicit bias may result in violations of Fair Housing laws and industry ethics.
Identify interventions to prevent implicit bias, identity anxiety, and stereotype threat from influencing behavior.
Increase personal motivation to confront these phenomena in their business and community.

For Associations

Don’t let hidden biases hamper your members’ business relationships. Bring Bias Override to your members so they can avoid the fair housing pitfalls of shortcut thinking.

NAR offers Fair Housing grants for associations to offset the cost of bringing this course to members.

If you don’t see the Bias Override course offered in your area, reach out to Dawn Headtke at dheadtke@nar.realtor to inquire about bringing the course to your association.

Bias Override Video

In 2020, NAR released a 54-minute online workshop in partnership with the Perception Institute to introduce the mind science of identity to REALTORS®. Watch the video to get acquainted with the concepts, then sign up for the interactive classroom course to further explore strategies to override bias in your business.