I spent about 13 hours this weekend knee-deep in continuing education, At Home With Diversity, Fairhaven, and Code of Ethics. Fun? No. Necessary? Absolutely. And honestly, it made me stop and think.

Real estate has a very dark history. If you’ve been in this business long enough, you’ve pulled title and seen some of those old CC&Rs. Language that makes your stomach turn. Restrictions against people of color. Against Jews. Against anyone who didn’t fit a very narrow definition of who was “acceptable.” Not legal anymore, but still sitting there in black and white as a reminder that this wasn’t that long ago.

One of my dearest friends had a father who was Chinese. Her dad was a highly respected professor. In the mid-70s, yes, the 1970s, no Realtor would show them property in the neighborhood around the university. They simply weren’t allowed to buy there. That’s not ancient history.

And while the blatant stuff has mostly disappeared, bias hasn’t. We still see discriminatory practices, bias against people of color and the LGBTQ+ community. We see it in leases all the time, owners telling agents not to rent to families with kids, or someone with a service animal, or someone whose name or domestic partnership status “sounds different.” We see sellers or landlords ignore an offer based on who they think the buyer is. None of that is a gray area. It’s a violation. It can cost you your license, and it can cost you a lawsuit.

Here’s the part we all have to own, every one of us has some level of unconscious bias. We’re human. The important part is recognizing it, educating ourselves, and knowing how to handle situations when they show up. Because they will. A client will say something off-color. A landlord will make a “request.” A seller will hint at something they shouldn’t. That’s when professionalism matters. That’s when you step in and do the right thing, even if it’s uncomfortable.

These classes take time, another requirement to keep your license active. But they exist for a reason. They’re there to make us better. To make us aware. To remind us that what we do matters.

We are in the housing business. That means housing for all. We are advocates, whether we like that title or not. The work is making sure we open doors for everyone, not just the ones who look like us, think like us, or make us comfortable.

So take the class. Roll your eyes if you must. But also listen. Learn. Check yourself. Be the professional who knows the law and lives it. Be the agent who handles the hard conversations with integrity.

We can’t change the past, but we absolutely control how we show up now.