If you’ve followed me for more than five minutes, you already know this about me: I’m not a “keep it neutral” kind of person.
And yes, sometimes that makes people uncomfortable. Sometimes it makes people unfollow. Sometimes it gets met with that classic, slightly baffling line people toss out like it’s normal: “I’m just here for the houses.”
But here’s the thing: housing is never just houses. Especially here. Especially in Portland. Especially in a country where policy decides who gets to feel safe in their own body, their own neighborhood, their own home.
And when you’re watching, yet again, how quickly safety can disappear for people simply existing in public spaces, when you’re watching how the power of the state can show up in ways that are violent and irreversible, it becomes impossible to pretend politics is some optional hobby you bring up at dinner parties. It’s not. It’s the ground we’re all standing on. So I want to name the elephant in the room and say it clearly: I talk about politics because I believe real estate is political. And because doing business with integrity, real integrity, means you don’t get to pretend otherwise.
It’s Literally In My DNA
Part of this is simple: I was raised to be political.
I was the kid going to protests. It was modeled for me. I’ve been at least a little politically active for basically my entire conscious life. It’s not a branding choice. It’s not a “content strategy.” It’s just… who I am. And when I got into real estate, I saw a version of the industry that tried to be “professional” in the way that actually means: quiet, palatable, don’t rock the boat.
I even had an early mentor who wasn’t political at all. And I remember watching that, really noticing it, and making a conscious decision: That’s not going to be me.
Real Estate Has A History (And It’s Not Cute)
Even the bare minimum training in real estate forces you to learn about Fair Housing. You can’t get licensed without touching the basics. But if you actually care? You don’t stop at the bare minimum.
You keep learning. And the more you learn, the more you realize how insidious the history is, how real estate has been used to help white people get ahead and keep everybody else locked out.
Redlining. Steering. Disinvestment. “Urban renewal.” Predatory lending. Exclusion baked into policies, zoning, development patterns, and who gets protected (and who doesn’t). So when someone says, “Ugh, why do you have to bring politics into it?” I honestly don’t know what to say besides:
Everything is political. Food is political. Housing is political. Safety is political. When policy rules our lives, everything becomes policy. That’s not me being dramatic. That’s just… reality.
Community Is The Antidote To Division
One of my core values, maybe the core value, is community building and participation.
I know this sounds random, but stay with me: when I was briefly in college (yes, I’m a college dropout), a friend wrote his senior thesis on how the disappearance of front porches broke up community.
Front porches used to be how you participated in the neighborhood. You’d come home, sit outside, talk to your neighbors, wave at people walking by. You were part of something.
Then “progress” happened. White flight happened. Suburbs happened. HOAs happened. Architectural design shifted, no front porches, garages you drive into, backyards you disappear into. Less connection. More isolation.
And yes: that’s political too. How houses are built. Where sidewalks go. Who gets parks. Who gets displaced. Who gets to stay.Real estate and community go hand in hand. That’s why I care so much about inclusive real estate in Portland because a “community” that only works for some people is not community. It’s a private club with a mortgage.
“Stay Neutral” Isn’t Neutral
I’ve been lucky: I haven’t felt much pressure to stay neutral here, because I’ve made intentional choices about where I work. I align myself with brokerages and colleagues who don’t just tolerate outspokenness, they encourage it.
But I have colleagues in other parts of the country where that pressure is real and constant. Here’s my stance, and I’m not whispering it: Neutrality and silence are not neutral. If you stay silent, you’re still participating. You’re still choosing. You’re still benefiting from whatever the system is doing.
And I’m not interested in building a business on silence. This is what being ethical in real estate means to me: you don’t get to claim ethics only inside the transaction and abandon them everywhere else.
Alignment Matters Because This Work Is Intimate
Buying or selling a home is an intimate relationship. I’m in your life for weeks or months or years. I learn so much about you. I’m all up in your business. I’m advocating for you behind the scenes. I’m protecting you in negotiations. I’m helping you make huge decisions under stress.
So yes, alignment matters. I don’t want to be that close to someone who is actively voting against the rights and safety of my community. Period.
And for the record: this isn’t about being “nice.” People can be kind to your face and still support policies that harm people at scale. I care about what happens beyond the small talk. I care about what your choices fund.
A core belief of mine is: just because something doesn’t affect me doesn’t mean it doesn’t affect my community. Community deserves equal footing, sometimes more, than self. I’m not a saint. Sometimes I’m a mess. But my values are consistent: Look out for your community. And yes, that includes how you vote.
Who This Helps (And Why I’m Okay With Losing People)
Being open about my beliefs helps the right people find me.
I’ve worked with clients across identities and life experiences: queer clients, trans clients, BIPOC clients, immigrants, and also outspoken people who are simply tired of pretending they don’t care.
A lot of my clients want to put their money where their mouth is. They want to work with someone who makes them feel safe. Someone who sees the bigger picture. Someone who understands that real estate is not separate from the world we live in.
And if someone is turned off by my openness? Then we’re not a good fit. There are plenty of neutral and conservative realtors out there. Truly. Go find less.
Why This Is Personal For Me
I’m Jewish. And I’m going to say something that sits in my bones: My survival, my literal existence, comes from political awareness.
My family lived near the Netherlands/Germany border. My great-grandfather and grandmother witnessed the rise of Hitler firsthand. They understood what was happening and made a plan to get family members out. That’s why I’m alive. He was murdered in a concentration camp. He was outspoken. He refused to stay quiet.
I’m Jewish, and I want to be explicit about this: I’m deeply anti-Zionist. Being anti-Zionist is not anti-Semitic; it’s a stance against nationalist oppression and the use of religion as a weapon. I’m against oppression from any religious or political force, anywhere. Free Palestine. Free Iran.
I’m saying this because I’m not interested in letting people weaponize my identity to justify harm. That’s not happening here. And I’m also saying this because I believe “putting your head in the sand” won’t save you. Staying neutral won’t save you. Being quiet won’t protect you. Sometimes nothing protects you, not even doing “everything right.”
When something horrific happens, when people are harmed and the world tells you to move along, it makes the cost of silence feel unbearable. So yes. I talk about politics.
Because I’m alive because people didn’t stay quiet.
Because housing is policy.
Because community care is real.
Because integrity matters more than being “likable.”
And because if I’m going to help people find a home in Portland, I’m going to do it in a way that fights for a Portland where more people get to stay, belong, and build a life.
If that’s you? I’m your realtor.
If it’s not? No hard feelings. We’re just not a match.
