Blockbusting
Definition of "Blockbusting"
Blockbusting is a despicable and illegal racist business practice.
Here’s how Blockbusting happens: a real estate agent, or someone posing as one, comes to a homeowner and instills him (or her) with fear of racial minorities, saying and showing bogus stats that a large number of whatever minority the homeowner prejudicially feared was moving into their neighborhood in large numbers. Because of that, the homeowner would sell the property for a lower market price, and, in turn, the alleged real estate agent would sell at a higher market price to the exact minority the original owner feared.
The practice of blockbusting has been done to White, Black, Jews, and Foreign people, but the most notorious blockbusting practices were done with White and Black, after 1910 when over a million African American from the rural southern states of the United States of America moved north to industrialized cities in need of workers due to the World War I, which recruited many workers to serve in the US Army. The scars of Civil War and Slavery were still open, so profiteers would take advantage of that, and even hire “actors” to create a sense of overwhelming presence of black people in traditionally white neighborhoods.
Blockbusting practices were nationally exposed in the 1960’s with the civil rights movement. Because of it, stricter federal real estate laws were conceived, which made blockbusting harder. For instance: door-to-door real estate solicitation got restricted in several states to avoid blockbusting. The most important measure against blockbusting, however, was 1968’s Fair Housing Act which made (by law) religion, race, and ethnicity of a neighborhood’s inhabitants part of what a real estate agent can’t tell a home buyer client when showing a house.
Work only with credible real estate agents! Find one at The OFFICIAL Real Estate Agent Directory®.
Popular Real Estate Terms
The term agricultural property means a type of land that has been designed or is permitted to engage in agricultural activities. Also referred to as agricultural land, agricultural ...
property suitable for residential living, such as a house, duplex, apartment, mobile home, or condominium. ...
An enticingly attractive initial rate below the market offered in an adjustable rate mortgage. For example, the teaser rate may be offered at 2% below market. A borrower who cannot qualify ...
Adding a period of time onto another. An examples a mortgagor who successfully restructures his loan by tacking another five years onto the term. ...
The rate, usually expressed annually, charged on money borrowed or lent. The interest rate may be variable or fixed. The higher the risk, the higher the interest rate. Mortgage interest ...
Performance of a complete inventory of real property within a jurisdiction. A cadastral program produces the cadastral map. ...
One of the parties is unable to satisfy the conditions of the purchase and sale contract. ...
Unsecured long-term debt. There is no collateral or lien on the property. A debenture can only be issued by a financially sound borrower with an excellent credit rating because no ...
Any of a number of types of covenants agreeing to do or not to do something that is attached to the title and is passed form one owner to the next. See also covenant running with the land. ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.