{"id":87478,"date":"2025-07-24T02:12:07","date_gmt":"2025-07-24T02:12:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/87478\/"},"modified":"2025-07-24T02:12:07","modified_gmt":"2025-07-24T02:12:07","slug":"engel-volkers-hosts-fourth-annual-pride-summit-in-chicago","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/87478\/","title":{"rendered":"Engel &#038; V\u00f6lkers hosts fourth annual Pride Summit in Chicago"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/chicago.evrealestate.com\/en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Engel &amp; V\u00f6lkers<\/a> hosted its fourth annual <a href=\"https:\/\/chicagoagentmagazine.com\/2024\/06\/05\/engel-volkers-2024-pride-summit\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Pride Summit<\/a> downtown Chicago June 29-July 1, where real estate professionals from across the country gathered to learn from each other and promote LGBTQ+ inclusion in homeownership<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOver the past four years, we\u2019ve heard stories that moved us to tears. We\u2019ve learned how to become better allies, more thoughtful advisors and stronger advocates,\u201d said<a href=\"https:\/\/chicagoagentmagazine.com\/whos-who-2024\/jennifer-ames-and-karen-arenson\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Jennifer Ames<\/a>, licensed partner at Engel &amp; V\u00f6lkers, in her opening remarks to the event. \u201cMany of you have been part of that journey \u2014 or will be this year \u2014 \u00a0and we\u2019re grateful. This isn\u2019t our event. It\u2019s yours.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This year\u2019s event featured an interactive format with sessions designed for deeper engagement, including round table discussions and speakers. Attendees also enjoyed several networking events, including The Legacy Project Walk, Behind the Scenes Wrigley Field and the Architectural Walking Tour. On June 30, attendees were also welcomed to set sail on Lake Michigan for a sunset cruise. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Members of The Legacy Project board closed out the event on July 1 with a panel discussion. The organization created the #WeWillNotBeErased campaign, which ensures continued resources to counter the intentional redaction of LGBTQ narratives, according to The Legacy Project.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Leo Abel, an attorney at Howard &amp; Howard, spoke on rights for LGBTQ+ individuals and couples.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Abel shared the 2022 NAGLREP LGBTQ+ Real Estate Report, which revealed that 46% of LGBTQ+ buyers research state and local laws before purchasing, and in turn, many avoid states with anti-LGBTQ+ legislation or weak non-discrimination protections. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In addition to providing resources to his clients, he offered advice to couples and suggested putting a flash drive in your car with the power of attorney information and marriage license to \u201cprotect yourself\u201d in any situation where it would be warranted. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Advisors with Engel &amp; V\u00f6lkers gave another informative panel discussion on the art of referrals. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour brand travels before you do, \u201csaid Bryan Garrity, advisor, Engel &amp; V\u00f6lkers Dana Point. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Garrity stressed the importance of being who you are and opening up with people, as communication makes a difference. In the last three months, he said he received 96 phone calls from agents across the country asking who he would refer. He said you have to show up for people and show you are qualified. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not giving you a referral if I\u2019ve known you for 10 seconds,\u201d Garrity said. \u201cGet to know the people and stay in touch.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Particularly when it comes to the LGBTQ+ community he said, \u201cat some point, people are coming to you for safety,\u201d and it\u2019s just as important to personally know the person you are referring them to. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Bethany Behrmann, advisor, Engel &amp; V\u00f6lkers Venice, said, \u201cWe have a responsibility to protect our clients.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/chicagoagentmagazine.com\/2024\/12\/02\/2025-chicagoland-real-estate-sales-predictions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Lutalo McGee<\/a>, CAR president-elect 2025, led an eye-opening session on appraisal bias, expanding the event\u2019s focus.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI thought appraisal bias was just with African Americans, but that\u2019s not the case,\u201d McGee said. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>McGee noted that 1 in 5 LGBTQ+ renters report discrimination, according to the Williams Institute. Same-sex mortgage applicants also faced denial rates that were three to eight percentage points higher than their counterparts.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>He encouraged the crowd to have all appraisal information ready in hand to provide during the process and document any bias they see toward their client.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFind an appraiser who you trust to look over and give you tips if you will appeal,\u201d McGee said.<\/p>\n<p>The Pride Summit closed on a powerful note, reminding attendees that fostering LGBTQ+ inclusivity in real estate is not just about policy \u2014 it\u2019s about people. Through education, shared experiences and purposeful connection, Engel &amp; V\u00f6lkers and its network of advisors are helping build a future where every client feels safe, seen and supported in their homeownership journey.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Engel &amp; V\u00f6lkers hosted its fourth annual Pride Summit downtown Chicago June 29-July 1, where real estate professionals&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":87479,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5124],"tags":[58759,960,58760,5386,1818,58761,58762,58763,58764,58765],"class_list":{"0":"post-87478","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-chicago","8":"tag-bethany-behrmann","9":"tag-chicago","10":"tag-engel-volkers","11":"tag-il","12":"tag-illinois","13":"tag-jennifer-ames","14":"tag-leo-abel","15":"tag-lutalo-mcgee","16":"tag-pride-summit","17":"tag-the-legacy-project"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114905792114193934","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87478","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87478"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87478\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/87479"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87478"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87478"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87478"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}