Why one NY broker built his brand around inclusivity
Ally Realty's Anthony Ruperto is working to make homeownership accessible to all. "I see it as my responsibility as a Realtor," he says, "to call for change."
Key points:
- Ruperto founded his brokerage in 2023 with the goal of being "part of the solution" to inequities in homeownership.
- That includes educating clients about financial resources and taking steps to reduce bias in the transaction process.
- He is also involved in local advocacy efforts as a board member of his Realtor association, and he has pushed for additional fair housing protections at a national level.
After a decade in real estate and 31 years living in upstate New York, Anthony Ruperto knew it was time for the industry to move beyond simply stating equitable homeownership goals — and start putting them into action.
That's why, in 2023, he launched Ally Realty.
"If you want to see change, you need to involve yourself and be part of the solution," Ruperto told Real Estate News.
It's no secret that the U.S. is facing a housing affordability crisis. Since 2020, median sale prices in the Hudson Valley of New York — nearly 7,230 square miles of farmland, rural towns and suburbs north of the big city — have jumped as much as $185,000 in some counties. Wages haven't matched the spike, and the area is seeing more renters.
For Ruperto, part of the solution is understanding barriers to homeownership and breaking norms to close the gap between buyers and renters.
"Anyone who wants to buy a home and can afford monthly payments should be able to, regardless of any background they have," Ruperto said.
A responsibility to 'call for change'
Across 10 counties, Ruperto and his small team of agents make client care the priority with a brand that leans into diversity, equity and inclusion in real estate. That sometimes means connecting hopeful homeowners to financial resources. Ruperto even offers a site to help clients find down payment or closing cost assistance.
Ruperto also works to tackle barriers that have led to ongoing disparities in homeownership in New York and across the country.
Discriminatory zoning laws and other policies have historically boosted white homeownership while deterring people of color, creating gaps not only in homeownership but generational wealth. In 2023, the white homeownership rate was 72.4% nationwide, compared to a rate of 44.7% for Black homeowners and 51% for Hispanics, according to the National Association of Realtors. It's a similar story for LGBTQ+ Americans, another historically marginalized group in housing, whose homeownership rate is also about 51%, according to The Urban Institute.
"I see it as my responsibility as a Realtor to use my voice and my platform to call for change," Ruperto said.
To that end, he serves as Secretary of the Board for the Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors, with a membership of more than 13,000 agents in the Hudson Valley area. In 2020, he helped create the association's diversity, equity and inclusion committee.
Since then, the association has hosted events with local organizations to discuss zoning reform and the lack of education required for zoning board members.
Reducing opportunities for bias
As of 2023, required forms and biased sellers were reported to be the two leading causes of discrimination in real estate, according to an LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance report. In 2022, the National Fair Housing Alliance reported that sexual orientation and gender identity was the third biggest reason for discrimination in housing.
One way Ally Realty tries to address those issues is by allowing buyers to remove their names from offers, and listing agents don't share other personal identifiers on offers presented to sellers.
"If someone receives an offer with two male-sounding names or an ethnic-sounding name, someone with bias might make a judgment based on that," Ruperto said.
"As an openly gay man living in the Hudson Valley as a Realtor, I am often reminded of the privilege I have to live in a state that offers concrete protections for queer people in housing," Ruperto said. "It's an unfortunate reality that in 28 states in the U.S., there are no explicit prohibitions on discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity."
National advocacy, local support
Recently, Ruperto visited Washington, D.C., to advocate for housing legislation, including adding sexual orientation and gender identity as protections under the Fair Housing Act. He sits on the Board of Directors for the LOFT LGBTQ+ Center in White Plains, New York, where the organization is working on a project for LGBTQ+-friendly affordable senior housing.
For now, Ruperto doesn't have plans to expand Ally Realty into a large franchise — his main priority is to be a trusted name in the Hudson Valley.
"My focus as a Realtor has always been, and always will be: How do I provide the best support to my clients as possible?" Ruperto said. "I'll never trade quality for quantity."