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 nonavailability of jobs for people able and willing to work at the prevailing wage rate. It is important measure of economic health, since full employment is generally constructed as a ...
Method of using the buyer's down payment on a home as an interest bearing collateralized account to help offset the mortgage amortization process. The home down payment is used to ...
A form of life or disability insurance where a mortgagor insures a mortgage in the event of death or disability. The principal covered by mortgage insurance declines as the mortgage is ...
Stature regulating the use of credit information. Allows consumers such as prospective homeowners access to their credit files. It requires a lender to explain how loan interest is ...
Planned subdivision where detached housing is located in the close proximity to each other. Additionally, the subdivision shares common open space including parking and recreation areas. ...
As a hopeful house hunter, renter, or seasoned real estate investor, you've probably come across baffling terms. One such term is "adhesion contract." It might sound complex, but don't ...
Claim on property by an unpaid workman or contractor. The property may be sold to recover the money owed. The legal justification of the mechanic's lien is that the labor and materials ...
Limit on how much a borrower's payment can increase. ...
Person's sole ownership of real property. ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.