Working with Pittsburgh Area HUD Office staff, the Realtors Association of Metropolitan Pittsburgh (RAMP) created a Checklist of Accessible Features and Guidelines for Realtors. This innovative new service for homebuyers, sellers and Realtors, complete with its own unique identifying logo, may be a first in the country.

The "Residential Property with Accessible Feature" (RPAF) checklist is designed to identify properties that have at least one specific feature that could be important to a buyer with a disability. If the property has at least one feature, the property qualifies to be advertised as a "Residential Property with Accessible Feature" (RPAF) on dedicated pages in the Realtors' Pittsburgh Homes Guide.

HUD Community Builder Donna Chernoff sparked the idea and worked in partnership with Otis McAliley, Chairperson of the Equal Opportunity and Cultural Diversity Committee of RAMP, and a number of committee members including Laurel McAdams, Jim Skinzer, and Robert Epps. Carol Cocuzzi, Vice President for Accessibility Development Associates, Inc. (ADA) designed the RPAF Checklist for use by the Realtors Association. Paula Humberson, Western Pennsylvania District Sales Manager for Harmon Publishing provided guidance on publishing the Checklist of Accessible Features and Guidelines for Realtors in the "Pittsburgh Homes Guide by Realtors."

Realtors Association members are now using the RPAF Checklist to list homes with accessible features. In addition to the Homes Guide, the Checklist of Accessible Features and Guidelines can be found on the Realtors Association of Metropolitan Pittsburgh's website (www.realtors.pgh.com/): click on "Realtor Resources" and then "RPAF: Residential Property with Accessible Features."

Spokane, in cooperation with the Fair Housing Committee of the Spokane Association of Realtors, recently took a very positive step to make it easier for new immigrant families to become homeowners. Their educational seminar "Housing in a Multicultural World" - described by participants as "electric," and a "powerhouse" - attracted almost 100 Realtors along with national and city officials. Funding was provided through the City's CDBG program.

The premise driving the event was that immigrants are already in Spokane in large numbers, and more are on their way. The first instructor, May Wan, is a native of China who came to the United States through Hong Kong and Canada. She works with home loans for Wells Fargo Bank, and focused on the best ways to work with home buying immigrants. Her underlying theme was simple: When dealing with people from other cultures, first treat them as you would anyone else: with courtesy and respect.

"Cross-cultural awareness is the key to success. You've got to remember who the customer is," Wan stressed. "What makes this especially interesting is that what works in China, may work backwards in another culture. Through education and training, we gain greater knowledge of different cultures and know how to modify our behavior in business dealings with those from a different culture."

Conference presenters included (standing): Chuck Hormel, Country Homes Realty and Fair Housing Committee Chair; Michael Adolfae, City of Spokane; Fr. Mac Hatcher, Spokane Community Health; Raymond Reyes, Gonzaga University; Alexander Kaprian, Washington State DSHS, and REALTOR Dave Baker. (Seated): May Wan, Wells Fargo Bank; HUD's Arlene Patton, and REALTOR Chylene Ward. Windermere/Johnson.

An afternoon panel headed by Raymond Reyes, Associate Vice President for Diversity at Gonzaga University brought together Alexander Kaprian, Washington State DSHS, interpreter for Russian and Ukrainian Community; Fr. Mac Hatcher, Elder Services, Spokane Community Health, and pastor of St. Gregorios Syrian Orthodox Church (whose congregation speaks 10 different languages); Arlene Patton, Senior Community Builder/Coordinator for HUD; Michael Adolfae, Director of Community Development, City of Spokane, and Realtors Chylene Ward, Windermere/Johnson, and Dave Baker, broker, Baker & Associates.

The topics were covered from both perspectives: through the eyes of the immigrant and the eyes of the Realtor. Some were timeless, like credit, prices, and locations; others were new, including language and how to handle and honor all cultures. Differences exist between cultures: it was noted that an Asian family will gather together to make a joint family decision through a spokesman, while Americans generally have one person making the buy/sell decision. Realtors and real estate agents will succeed by being aware of common concerns and cultural differences - and also help the community itself grow successfully into the future.