Ethnicity,Housing Search,and the Role of the Real Estate Agent: A Study of Portuguese and Non-Portuguese Real Estate Agents in Toronto*

This study concerns the behavior and practices of real estate agents in the housing search process. The research investigates whether the information provided and houses recommended by agents working for Portuguese firms differ from the recommendations of agents working for firms owned by non-Portuguese brokers in the cities of Toronto and Mississauga (a western suburb of Toronto), Canada. Data for the study were obtained from a participant observation study of a sample of real estate agents. Empirical evidence indicates that the ethnicity of real estate agents (Portuguese versus non-Portuguese) and the brokers for whom they work (Portuguese-owned firms versus non-Portuguese-owned firms) determine to a considerable extent the marketing strategies of agents and the neighborhoods they recommend.