January 2025 Newsletter

A MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT ZIEGLER

Greetings Alliance Fam!

Thankfully January flew by and February is here! I hope that means you are busy in your business! I’ve been speaking with a lot of members and, despite higher interest rates, many have said that business has picked up since the election was settled. I’m thankful for that!

Not only is the Alliance focused on expanding homeownership within the LGBTQ+ community, we are also determined to provide value to our members by helping you grow your business. We recently hosted an online three-day Business Elevation workshop packed with information, tools and tips for jumpstarting your business in 2025. If you missed it, you can still access it here.

We are also rolling out several initiatives to help our members pass and receive business through our referral network. We have quite a few members who have benefitted financially from referrals and we love to hear those stories. If you’ve helped a client by making a connection to an Alliance referral partner or you’ve received a great client through our network, we would love to share your story with our membership. Tell us about it by emailing us at [email protected]!

Advocacy is also at the core of what we do. This week, we released an Advocacy Update report outlining our objectives for 2025 including an overview of our advocacy efforts. We hope this will inspire our members to be a voice for those in our community whose voices aren’t heard.

As always, I invite you to stay active within your communities and with the Alliance and make 2025 the best year of your career!

Best always,

 

Justin “JZ” Ziegler
2025 National President & Board Chair

 

WELCOME TO 2025

The LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance vows to stand tall in the face of political and cultural attacks on our community. We understand that while much of the focus is on the TGX community, the impact reaches all of us.

Plan now to participate and promote a variety of Alliance events and activities throughout the year. These will include:

  • LGBTQ+ Housing Policy Symposium
  • Experience: The Alliance
  • Hundreds of chapter events
  • Pride Month activities
  • Alliance Certified Ally events
  • Business development seminars for members
  • Advocacy efforts tied to housing and home ownership

The Alliance will also produce our annual publications including:

  • LGBTQ+ Real Estate Report
  • LGBTQ+ Real Estate Top Producers
  • The Alliance magazine

We are thrilled that so many of our partners continue to support us. THANK YOU!

THANK YOU SPONSORS

JAMIE ZAPATA AUTHORS MUST-RED INMAN ARTICLE

Alliance member Jamie Zapata, the first openly transgender real estate agent in Texas, wrote an extremely important commentary for Inman News regarding the attacks on the TGX community. Jamie explained that the political and cultural war against this group of people, who are simply trying to live and enjoy their lives, is not just limited to this small group of Americans. There are far reaching implications for the LGBTQ+ community and the real estate industry.

ALLIANCE ELECTION UPDATES

Congratulations to Richard Woods on being elected as the 2027 LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance President. He will serve as a Vice President to Tommie Wehrle when she becomes President in 2026. Rodney Mason was elected Secretary.

Richard is the broker/owner at Woods Real Estate Services headquartered in San Diego. He is also a licensed attorney. Richard, who graduated from William & Mary and earned his law degree from American University, has owned his real estate company for more than 22 years. He has won numerous Metro Realtor of Year honors from the San Diego Association of Realtors®.

With the Alliance, Richard has served as the San Diego Chapter President, the Region 12 Chapter Delegate, and is currently serving as the Co-Chair of the Chapter Delegate Board.

Rodney, a founding member of the Alliance, former national Treasurer and leader of The Alliance Atlanta, is a Vice President of Mortgage Lending at Guaranteed Rate. He has won numerous honors from the Mortgage Bankers Association of Georgia and has approximately 25 years experience as a lender.

 

 

BUSINESS ELEVATION SERIES REPLAYS

If you missed the Alliance’s Business Elevation 2025 kick-off series, we highly encourage you to take a few minutes to watch the replays. Gain insight into the economic trends guiding the industry along with learning about a variety of tools and tips to power your business in the new year.

REPLAY 2025 Forecast: The housing economy has weathered historic forces. What should you expect in 2025? This forecast will focus on the variables that will influence housing sales and the economy at large this year. Instructor: Rama Yanamandra, Freddie Mac

REPLAY AI-Powered Real Estate: Unleashing Practical Strategies for Success – Uncover how AI can revolutionize your marketing strategies, broaden your audience reach, and draw in high-quality leads. Join us for a session simplifying AI technologies, specifically tailored for agents’ practical applications. Instructor: Angie Javier, Realtor.com

REPLAY Ahead of the Curve: Lead Generation, Networking, and Goal Setting: Unlock your potential in 2025 with purposeful strategies to grow your real estate business. This interactive session will equip you with tools to network with intention, set actionable goals for lead generation, and maximize opportunities with your current network. Walk away with a clear plan to work smarter, connect deeper, and close more deals in the new year. Instructor: Courtney DeMarco, Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation

REPLAY 30-Minute Business Planning: Using some of the most time-tested methods from various sources, including philosophy, sales, self-awareness and sphere building, this class provides actionable, evergreen tools to experience year-over-year sales growth. Instructor: Sam Olson, RE/MAX Professionals

REPLAY Buyers Agency and Your Value: Enhance your buyer conversations so you are communicating your value, assist you in conducting more effective buyer consultations, and in turn helps you convert more prospects into clients. Instructor: Tommie Wehrle, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate

ALLIANCE CERTIFIED ALLY COURSES SCHEDULED FOR 2025

Our Alliance Certified Ally course has changed the lives of nearly 2,000 previous attendees who have gained great insight into the LGBTQ+ community faces. The course showcases how unconscious bias impacts so many and allows attendees to best understand and support the LGBTQ+ community on their path to becoming good allies who respectfully engage with LGBTQ+ home buyers and sellers.

The Alliance also understands that there are tens of thousands of real estate professionals with a child who self-identifies as part of the LGBTQ+ community. The Alliance course is a great start for them to marry their work to the love of their child!

Make sure to share the dates of the course with your colleagues and industry contacts.

NAR ADVOCACY WEEK

Alliance President Justin Ziegler and Vice President Tommie Wehrle represented the Alliance at the National Association of Realtors® recent Advocacy Week in Washington, D.C. They participated in numerous events including the Policy Forum that focused on how tax reform can create paths to homeownership for more Americans.

CONRATS JUSTIN!

Alliance President Justin Ziegler was named to the SP 200 2025 Watchlist. The list includes a “who’s who” from the brokerage/franchising, MLS/association, technology services sectors of the real estate industry.

Led by founder Stefan Swanepoel since 2014, T3 Sixty annually ranks North American residential real estate brokerage industry’s most powerful leaders utilizing for criteria’s including power within their own companies, their reputation and influence among industry peers, their relative power among their industry subgroups and their anticipated impact in the foreseeable future.

CONGRATS TO ZACK WAHLQUIST

Alliance member Zack Wahlquist has been named the CEO/Executive Vice President of the Chicago-based Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM). Zack previously served as the COO of the Chicago Association of Realtors®.

IREM consists of 20,000 members in the commercial real estate and residential management fields.

 

YOUGOV SURVEY

YouGov recently shared the results of a survey of more than 1,000 Americans to learn more about the acceptance levels of the transgender community. While there has been so much focus on the TGX community, 69% of Americans do not know a transgender person while 67% report to not understand or moderately understand what it means for someone to identify as transgender.

And while 79% believe transgender people are subject to at least some discrimination, only 58% support protections for transgender people in hate crime laws.

MAJOR TURNOUT FOR ALLIANCE ATLANTA LEADERSHIP INSTALLATION

Alliance National Secretary Rodney Mason and Atlanta REALTORS® 2025 President Chris Burell led a large industry contingent to the installation of Alliance Atlanta’s new leadership team led by President Manny Recinos. Last week’s event also included the following Atlanta-based real estate industry notables:

  • Jeffrey Ledford – Chief Advocacy Officer, Georgia Association of REALTORS®
  • Geilia Taylor – Director of Community Engagement & Diversity, Atlanta REALTORS®
  • Peter Pasternak – Founder, Real Estate Connections 
  • Carmen Barreda – President, NAHREP Atlanta 2025 

Carissa Hughes – Past President, Women’s Council Atlanta

REGISTER NOW FOR SEMINAR ON MANUFACTURED HOUSING

Freddie Mac’s Real Estate Engagement team will conduct a free, one-hour seminar on March 19 AT  2 p.m. Eastern to discuss manufactured housing. Learn more about manufactured homes along with property eligibility, title and lien, appraisal requirements, underwriting, and how to determine the value based on the eligible transaction types, and more. You will also discover how a mortgage secured by a manufactured home can be an affordable housing option.

GET INVOLVED WITH YOUR LOCAL CHAPTERS

The Alliance Chapter Program connects LGBTQ+ and allied real estate pros locally, offering education, networking, advocacy, and philanthropy to grow businesses and enhance careers. As 2025 nears, reach out to Chapter Presidents to get involved locally!

 

CHAPTER ACTIVITIES – FEBRUARY

The Alliance has exciting February events, including LGBTQ+ family advocacy in Tampa Bay (Feb 7), a “Know Your Rights” panel in Idaho (Feb 20), and a Bowling Night in Illinois (Feb 21). Explore these and more on our events page!

Custom Awards and Recognition

LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance Logo

Organized by your local LGBTQ+ leaders

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