25 years in, NAHREP is focused on ‘planting seeds of wealth’ 

SAN DIEGO — A quarter-century after its founding, the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP) now boasts over 50,000 members — and doesn't plan to stop expanding anytime soon.

The organization is focused on "planting seeds and helping them grow," NAHREP 2025 President Oralia Herrera said while delivering introductory remarks at NAHREP at AVANCE Global on Sept. 19. "We're building bridges, sharing ideas and expanding our reach."

NAHREP's core beliefs: Since its inception, NAHREP has pushed "for fair and equal access in homeownership for everyone" by working with local, state and national lawmakers to help shape policy, Herrera said.

"We believe that homeownership is the gateway to the middle class," NAHREP Co-founder and CEO Gary Acosta said during an earlier panel.

"We also believe that business ownership is the path to prosperity," he said, adding that these themes resonate "throughout this organization."

An expanding homeownership population: According to the 2024 State of Hispanic Homeownership Report released by NAHREP and the Hispanic Wealth Project, the Hispanic homeownership rate was 49% in 2024, translating to 9.8 million Hispanic-owned households nationally. This number is expected to grow: "With a median age of 31, Latinos are poised to drive homebuyer demand for decades," the report says.

Urban Institute data also suggests that Latinos will account for 70% of new homeowners in the next 20 years, Acosta noted.

Supporting 'the future of homeownership': Several industry executives who spoke at the event emphasized the importance of understanding what Latino homeowners need and how best to serve them.

Rocket Companies, for example, is "very committed" to investing in this community, CEO Varun Krishna said during a Sept. 18 panel.

"I think the Latino and Hispanic population represents the future of homeownership," he said. "We are betting very big on that segmentation, micro segmentation, understanding cultural biases, community. It is a big part of our strategy."

The next 25 years: NAHREP is no longer solely focused on U.S. real estate. "We're bringing together developers, investors and professionals from Latin America and Europe" to serve "one global Latino market," Herrera said. "We're planting seeds of wealth that crosses borders."

Looking to the years ahead, Herrera said NAHREP aspires to "be bold," "continue to lead" and "build with excellence."

"We lift as we climb, knowing from our 25 years of experience that if one of us rises, we all rise," she added.

How NAR fits in: When it comes to working with NAHREP, National Association of Realtors CEO Nykia Wright identified "bridging the wealth gap via homeownership" as a "very important" issue.

NAR is "doing much more of a deeper dive in terms of the data to understand what people need," she said during a Sept. 19 panel, noting that "all segments of the population are not created equally."

"If other groups have been able to take advantage of this significant wealth engine, it's time for every group to be able to do that," Wright added.

Finding opportunity in an AI world: Acosta believes that the "notion that Latinos have been slow in adopting new technologies" is more reflective of "an economic gap" than a cultural one. This has changed as wireless and mobile technologies have improved access.

"I believe that AI presents a real opportunity for Latinos to close gaps — economic gaps, business gaps, wealth gaps," Acosta said. "That's what I think the opportunity really is for us as a community."