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
Process of developing an area by planning and building homes, shopping centers, schools or churches. The development process includes the construction of streets, sewers, utilities, parks, ...
Person or entity that has title or a right to something which is typically being held. Examples are real property, corporation, and personal property. Ownership of property may be held by ...
Also called settlor. A trust created by a will starting upon the donor's death. It empowers a trust administrator to implement the terms of the trust. ...
As you’d expect, the rod has various meanings in everyday discourse. However, lesser-known is that surveyors use a rod as a land survey measurement for real estate. In a nutshell, a ...
Falsify financial records and statements to misrepresent the financial position and operating results of the business. ...
Title to property being given under a court order because the original owner failed to pay the mortgage payments and/or real estate taxes. A judgment in a lawsuit may also have forced the ...
Modification made by a municipality to the zoning of a locality. A change in zoning typically has to be requested and approved by a zoning commission and then the legislative body. It can ...
(1) Rectangular area bounded on all sides by consecutive streets. It is part of a platted area. (2) Substantial amount of real estate properties to be sold together. (3) Group of houses, ...
Portion of a deed that states the act and date of the transfer of the property. ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.