The National Association of REALTORS^® (NAR) has been on a roll this year, putting out new tools and initiatives to assist members and to improve the overall REALTOR^® culture. One of its newest efforts is a free training tool called Fairhaven: A Fair Housing Simulation.

With this new platform, learners navigate discrimination in real estate–through the perspectives of the agent and the client–in the fictional town of Fairhaven. The goal is to close four real estate transactions, by ensuring that when confronted with various scenarios, the client is best served and protected.

While participating, you are racing against the clock, literally, as you must close your deals in a certain amount of time–Fairhaven is a fun game. The training also includes powerful testimonials from real people who have faced housing discrimination in some fashion. However, the lessons learned throughout the activities–that can be applied to daily business transactions–are what make it such a unique and effective training tool.  The learners receive feedback throughout each case about the decisions they have made; it is truly interactive.

We encourage all of our members to check out the Fairhaven tool and share it with other agents, brokers, and anyone interested in Fair Housing. Even if you are not a licensed agent, we encourage you to still do the simulation, as it provides beneficial perspectives–from clients and agents–that will help ensure that housing is, indeed, fair.