{"id":47809,"date":"2026-03-24T12:20:06","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T09:20:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mk.gen.tr\/nahrep-hispanic-buyers-prop-up-homeownership-but-policy-headwinds-are-growing\/"},"modified":"2026-03-24T12:20:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T09:20:06","slug":"nahrep-hispanic-buyers-prop-up-homeownership-but-policy-headwinds-are-growing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mk.gen.tr\/en\/nahrep-hispanic-buyers-prop-up-homeownership-but-policy-headwinds-are-growing\/","title":{"rendered":"NAHREP: Hispanic buyers prop up homeownership \u2014 but policy headwinds are growing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Edwin Acevedo has stepped into the presidency of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP)<\/strong> at a pivotal moment \u2014 with Hispanic buyers helping to keep the nation\u2019s homeownership growth afloat and a climate of immigration fear reshaping buyer behavior.<\/p>\n

A veteran of the industry, Acevedo brings years of experience as a real estate agent<\/a> and leader within the association.<\/p>\n

His agenda, he said, begins with two fundamental challenges laid out in NAHREP\u2019s latest State of Hispanic Homeownership Report<\/a>; housing inventory and access to credit.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest issue we have right now is lack of supply \u2014 figuring out what type of tax incentives there can be for our builders and be able to get these subsidies out there,\u201d Acevedo said in an exclusive interview with HousingWire<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

At the same time, he said, lenders must rethink how they evaluate Hispanic borrowers. <\/p>\n

That means expanding the credit box to include income from multiple household members \u2014 a common arrangement in Latino families \u2014 and considering alternative credit data such as rent payment histories<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere [are] some pockets in the country where it\u2019s a buyer\u2019s market,\u201d Acevedo said. \u201cSo, if that is the fact, then we know that sellers are giving more and more concessions to buyers, up to $15,000 to $20,000 in concessions. So, if the seller is going to take care of that part, something like, \u2018We got you in the down payment,\u2019 well, what can the lenders do on their end to give credit back to the first-time buyer?<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, we can also have lenders saying, \u2018Okay, we can do a buy down on your interest rate based on you being a first-time home buyer.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Hispanic<\/a> households added a net gain of 441,000 owner-households in 2025 \u2014 the largest single-year increase since the U.S. Census Bureau<\/strong> began collecting the data in 1975.<\/p>\n

Without Hispanic buyers, the total number of U.S. homeowners would have declined by 125,000 households last year.<\/p>\n

Jaimie Smeraski, NAHREP\u2019s vice president of national programs and research, said the numbers reflect trends the organization has tracked for years that are now accelerating.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know that Latinos are young. We know that they\u2019re just now aging into prime homebuying years,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen that Latinos are disproportionately driving homeownership growth for as long as I\u2019ve been doing this report \u2014 for the last 10 years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hispanics formed more than 1 million new households in 2025, accounting for 92.6% of all U.S. household formations \u2014 a primary indicator of future homeownership<\/a> activity.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we had adequate supply, I think these numbers would be a lot higher for sure,\u201d Smeraski said.<\/p>\n

Reaching a diverse demographic<\/h2>\n

For agents looking to tap into the Hispanic market, Acevedo said there is no one-size-fits-all approach.<\/p>\n

The community itself is split between two distinct demographics, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the older generation of Hispanics, you\u2019ll find them in local community events,\u201d Acevedo said. \u201cYou find them at churches and other areas. Our sole mission is to empower our professionals, where, in turn, they can now educate our community as we go on. That\u2019s number one. Number two is our tech savvy Latinos. You\u2019ll find them on social media and what have you. A lot of our agents now are gaining a lot of business through Instagram reels.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have an agent where I asked, \u2018How are you getting all this business?\u2019 He just got licensed three years ago, literally three years ago, and he\u2019s already back-to-back made over a million in commissions every year. It\u2019s because he\u2019s gone viral on social media with video tours. He puts these songs that remind (people) of their upbringing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Culturally competent education, as the report puts it, goes beyond language access. It involves showing prospective buyers the fruits of their labor.<\/p>\n

\u201c[It\u2019s about] giving them that hope, that if their colleague or someone like them can make it and get a home and achieve the American dream, they can too,\u201d Acevedo said.<\/p>\n

Immigration fears disrupt the market<\/h2>\n

Perhaps the most destabilizing force in the 2025 housing market, the report found, was intensified immigration<\/a> enforcement.<\/p>\n

Acevedo said he has seen the impact firsthand in his own agency.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of my escrows have canceled because of the fear of obviously buying a home and then being deported right thereafter \u2014 because they don\u2019t want to be stuck across the border with a house, with this mortgage,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Others, he said, are selling their homes out of fear that the property could be taken from them, cashing out their equity rather than rolling it into another home.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat fear is obviously driving away a lot of these people who were on their way to building wealth \u2014 but it got stopped right there,\u201d Acevedo said.<\/p>\n

NAHREP\u2019s Smeraski said agents are fielding increasingly complex questions from clients, many of whom are seeking guidance on how to protect their assets.<\/p>\n

\u201cExisting homeowners are reaching out and saying, \u2018How do I protect this asset? What happens if I or someone in my family were to be deported?\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cAgents are doing a lot of heavy lifting educating surrounding estate planning \u2014 how do you get a power of attorney? There\u2019s a lot of misinformation out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some agents, Smeraski said, are bringing in real estate attorneys to help clients navigate uncertainty.<\/p>\n

The long-term solution lies in fixing what she called a broken immigration system.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we\u2019re going to build back trust, that means we need to create pathways to citizenship,\u201d Smeraski said. \u201cWe need to create an opportunity for people who have lived in this country for a very long time \u2014 that have been economically contributing to this country, putting down roots here. We need to provide a path to citizenship or a path to permanent residency.\u201d<\/p>\n

Navigating compensation and credit access<\/h2>\n

The 2025 housing market<\/a> marked the first full year following class-action lawsuits that reshaped buyer\u2019s agent compensation.<\/p>\n

While sellers are still covering commissions in most transactions, the report warned that could change in a tighter market \u2014 potentially creating new barriers for first-time buyers.<\/p>\n

For now, Acevedo said, agents are capitalizing on market conditions that in many regions favor buyers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been taking advantage of the situation \u2014 getting compensated, even at times more than you usually would have [before the settlement],\u201d he said. \u201cNow we\u2019re able to negotiate our piece through great buyer presentations.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the lending side, the report found that nearly one in three Hispanic home purchase originations in 2024 used FHA<\/strong> financing \u2014 double the rate of non-Hispanic buyers. But in May 2025, non-permanent residents were barred from accessing FHA loans, a change that affected DACA recipients, temporary protected status holders and others.<\/p>\n

Smeraski said reversing that policy is among NAHREP\u2019s top priorities.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s probably one of the number one things that originators have flagged for us,\u201d she said. \u201cThey had basically a mad dash to try to push any of their non-permanent residents through in that 60-day window when that was announced.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beyond FHA access, she said, the broader lending system needs modernization.<\/p>\n

Latinos are more likely to be self-employed or to have side businesses \u2014 income streams that do not fit neatly into traditional W-2 underwriting, Smeraski added.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not that these folks aren\u2019t qualified or that can\u2019t sustain a mortgage \u2014 but the system just isn\u2019t set up to most effectively serve them,\u201d she said. \u201cIf we can create more opportunities for people that maybe don\u2019t fit in that kind of perfect credit box, that would open the door to a lot of very well-qualified borrowers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Opportunity markets and the road ahead<\/h2>\n

For agents in emerging markets \u2014 from Indianapolis to Texas cities that dominate NAHREP\u2019s list of top opportunity markets \u2014 Acevedo had straightforward advice.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust become a market expert,\u201d he said. \u201cOnce you become a market expert, you become the advisor<\/a> to the families that you\u2019re serving. You best serve them because you help them get the best deal based on what is available in that market.\u201d<\/p>\n

The report\u2019s affordability index ranked Indianapolis first among opportunity markets for Hispanic homebuyers, with Laredo, Lubbock and El Paso, Texas, as well as Pittsburgh rounding out the top five. Texas claimed 17 of the top 25 spots.<\/p>\n

Smeraski said the resilience of Hispanic buyers in the face of record affordability challenges and political unrest reflects a deeper cultural drive.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is something they want, something they strive for, and they\u2019re willing to make it happen,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cWhether it be that they\u2019re willing to move or they\u2019re willing to bring on co-borrowers \u2014 they really will do what it takes. That\u2019s because owning a home is truly a reflection of that American dream. It\u2019s the cornerstone of what they\u2019re looking for.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Edwin Acevedo has stepped into the presidency of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP) at a pivotal moment \u2014 with Hispanic buyers helping to keep the nation\u2019s homeownership growth afloat and a climate of immigration fear reshaping buyer behavior. A veteran of the industry, Acevedo brings years of experience as a real…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mk.gen.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47809"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mk.gen.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mk.gen.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mk.gen.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47809"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mk.gen.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47809\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mk.gen.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47809"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mk.gen.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47809"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mk.gen.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47809"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}