Accessibility Is Home podcast

Black, Disabled & Leading the Way in Real Estate – Meet the Wheeltor Part Two

• Angela Fox • Season 5 • Episode 3

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In Part 2 of our conversation with Lamont McLeod, The Wheeltor, we dive deeper into how he’s transforming the real estate industry for the disability community. As a Black real estate broker and wheelchair user, Lamont is a disruptor in an industry that has long overlooked accessibility. He shares how embracing his identity not only strengthened his brand but also challenged outdated industry norms.

Angela and Lamont discuss the challenges of marketing accessible homes, the hesitation among realtors to engage with disabled buyers due to redlining fears, and the glaring gaps in DEIA efforts when it comes to disability-inclusive real estate. Lamont explains why major platforms like Zillow and Redfin fail disabled home buyers, and why social media has become his most powerful tool for connecting people with accessible homes. They also explore how universal design could reshape housing development and why the real estate industry must do more to include disabled professionals.

This episode highlights why accessibility is a racial and economic justice issue. By elevating the conversation around disability and homeownership, Lamont is not only changing the market—he’s creating opportunities for future Black realtors, developers, and homeowners with disabilities.

🎧 Listen now to hear how The Wheeltor is making real estate more inclusive and why DEIA leaders should take note.

Transcript, please click here. 

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Angela Fox :

Welcome to AI Home Podcast, the first podcast for real estate resources and independent living strategies for the disability community. Why? Because accessibility is home. Hi, I'm Angela Fox, blogger, author and your host. Now let's begin. Now for part two of the interview with the realtor. Now for part two of the interview with the realtor. I know you say you start out by not really advertising that you are in a wheelchair. What about now? Now?

Lamont McLeod:

that's the brand, because when I show properties, I always get a video so people can see. Now, granted, there are a lot of properties that I am not able to get inside, but for the ones that I am able to get inside, I will shoot a video of me getting into the home, of me coming out of the home, because what I want to do is I want to show others in our situation there. Hey, this is possible.

Angela Fox :

Yep, so that. So you focus on those, those houses that you can actually physically show, so you actually show houses. You're not just doing the, you know, getting the client and the research and the haggling of prices that I assume you could do by email and phone, you're also picking houses that you can wheel into literally.

Lamont McLeod:

Yes, and again, it all depends on the client. If a client is requesting a one-story hall or a rent-style home and it is stepless, then I'll go inside, Even if it's three-step. My father has built like a makeshift ramp for me to actually access the property. Again, if it's three steps and under I'm in tie Okay.

Angela Fox :

And then do you use for those houses that you can't get into? I once met someone through one of Facebook groups and trying to gain on my podcast. I haven't yet, but he said that he actually uses a drone with a camera and this was right before the pandemic. Did things change during the pandemic for you when?

Lamont McLeod:

I tell you that the years of the pandemic were the best years in real estate that I had ever experienced, because, for one, interest rates were nothing.

Lamont McLeod:

Yeah yeah, interest rates were in the 200% realm, which they've never been in our lifetime. So I couldn't keep up with the amount of buyers that I had and sellers had a field day because a house that was $400,000 would sell for $500,000 or $600,000 because people bidding wars were through the roof and people would just pay astronomical price points because there was no houses available. So those were the best years of my real estate life, my real estate career, because people were coming out of the woodworks to buy property. But now it has slowed down so significantly because people are scarred on this side, because a lot of people like maybe I should wait, maybe I should wait, I shouldn't do it now and now their interest rates are where they are, they're looking like now. They're looking at the oh man, I should have purchased when they were two and three percent, which I don't, unless something else happens along the lines of a COVID. I don't see those numbers ever coming back in our lifetime.

Angela Fox :

Yeah, so do you think that the virtual assistant makes things more accessible for realtors who are disabled or less?

Lamont McLeod:

Honestly, I love the approach that the gentleman took the drone, that is absolutely a genius idea and I love anybody that can think outside of the box like that. But what I did? I still don't drive yet. I do have my license again, but I'm not driving myself. So what I do is I study the floor plan upon going into the home so I know their rooms, bathrooms, I know the fixtures in the property, and then, whenever they go in, I have my father take my phone inside so I can video chat these individuals, because I've researched the floor plan so well that I can still answer questions from an educated standpoint.

Angela Fox :

Do you have an opportunity to have your grandfather do a video of the place before you talk to your clients? That way you have a visual cue or you just do it based on the Strictly on the pictures.

Lamont McLeod:

Okay, strictly on the pictures because, like I said, now we're able to put so many pictures in the multiple listing service that I mean you have a lot of folks hire photographers. Photographers are going to get the best angle. It's a big difference between point and click and just somebody pulling out their iPhone or their Android. So when pictures are done right, I can absolutely study those, I can look at the square footage of the property. So there's a lot that I can answer by just looking Again. I've been around this industry for 20 years now. I see something I understand enough to then be able to have an intelligent conversation with my prospective buyer.

Angela Fox :

Got it. Do you do any cold calls? Because I just, I'm not a realtor, but I go in a neighborhood and.

Angela Fox :

I'll see like a one-level house or like a wraparound ramp deck and I'm thinking, man, if I was a realtor I will reel up there or do a cold call and making sure that individual knows that house is a prime house to sell to the disability community or to make it into a rentable vacation home, because there's only like 1% of all houses on Airbnb and a few others that are accessible. Do you do any cold calls when you see houses and you're like, man, that would be a good house to sell to the disability community.

Lamont McLeod:

Honestly, that is a phenomenal idea. I do cold call but to seek new clientele.

Angela Fox :

Yeah.

Lamont McLeod:

Actually, what you just spoke of was something that came up in the summit that I was a part of, the video that you saw. So many individuals do not know that they have an accessible home and that is something that they can market. What you just said gave me an idea. So when I see these properties, I do need to let that individual know hey, have your realtor put this in your listing so you can get additional eyes on this property that otherwise would not know that it exists.

Angela Fox :

Now I mentioned earlier in our offline conversation. I've had other realtors out and selling universally designed homes on my podcast and they say the same thing about there's just not this general understanding for marketability, but how do you think it should be marketed?

Lamont McLeod:

It should be marketed like let's just take that home that you described. It should be marketed like let's just take that home that you described. We should say that it's one level, that it's stepless front entry. It has a wraparound porch. Those items alone we could qualify, we can stand, as accessible, because it gives you access to the entire perimeter of the home.

Lamont McLeod:

It is a stepless entry so you won't need a ramp to be built. And all homes nowadays the code is to have a 32 inch at least front door so you can market accessible. Just on those three points alone. So if a realtor had the knowledge it's really about education, that was the biggest point that I kept driving at the event If everyone was educated and on the same page, if we had a course that was designated just for the limitation community, then realtors would know across the board hey, this is what those individuals are looking for.

Lamont McLeod:

And it starts with the court conversation. If there's a question there that we can check off these boxes, then you fill it. There are questions that can be asked because the gentleman beside me, like I said, he's a paramedic and he said something that shook the entire room. Even I didn't think about it. He said, when it comes to bathrooms, it depends on how an individual gets on and off the toilet, because if it's a certain way and you have to slide on, if it's in a certain corner or tucked away a certain way, you can't utilize that bathroom.

Angela Fox :

Yeah, yeah, individual on my podcast. She created a wet room because it was easier to get on the toilet and she had a shower that was right next and there was a handheld and able body could walk into the shower, but from the toilet she can grab the hand, shower and wash herself on the toilet. So she made the space a wet room and she also did that simply because she had a very tiny home and so the bathroom was not going to be super big to have a lot of separate individual things like you would in a traditional bathroom. So, yeah, I could totally appreciate the layout of things with that. If you are trying to get education to realtors, how would you go about doing that? If you're an advocate and you're looking to either create an educational company on that or you're just an advocate and you want to be able to teach realtors, what kind of format and tools and connections do you need to get that to happen?

Lamont McLeod:

As a realtor, we are required every four years to take continuing education. I think that it should be mandatory in the continuing education that this be course set up, individual, that this be core setup, individual and reason being. There are close to 300,000 individuals that are newly injured every year. So if we compile that with the individuals that are born with the limitation, then you have a audience that realtors don't even know how to approach, because you don't want to say something that's politically not correct, you don't want to offend. So if we have the conversation in this classroom that is mandatory from each board of realtors across the United States, then you'll know. These are the program questions that I should ask.

Lamont McLeod:

And the gentleman, like I said, shipped the room with that bathroom question with the way a person gets on and off the toilet. But when this lady said how do you know what is and what's not offensive? And my response was it depends on the capacity. If we are in a capacity of real estate setting where I'm trying to ask you the appropriate questions so I can make sure I find a home that is absolutely you can completely maximize, then it's safe to say how do you get on and off the toilet versus we being at a restaurant or us being at the ball field and you ask that type of question. It all depends on where you are and what type of question you're asking.

Lamont McLeod:

So, to answer your question, I think it should be a mandated course that is in every real estate board across the United States to educate these individuals, because in the group that I met you in, so many individuals that have questions about houses my name floats around Contact the realtor. Look for Lamont. Lamont knows. So I'm really thankful that I started this on these platforms because now they at least have someone that they can identify with Because, again, a lot of things that are designed for the ADA community you can tell you and I can tell that it was designed by able-bodied individuals.

Angela Fox :

And just to do a little bit deeper dive on that. So what I'm hearing from you it sounds like it's not just tools but also maybe coaching realtors on how to have that conversation with an individual, a client who may be disabled. When I'm talking to real afraid I might be discriminating with by approaching that, and I've done a lot of reasonable accommodations, working with employers, and they have a little bit of the same concept of they just don't know how to have that conversation and they're afraid to ask questions or if they can ask questions. And one thing I tell them in at least reasonable accommodation at the workplace which is significantly different than what we're talking about, but there is some similarity is that if the individual themselves has identified themselves as disabled, then that kind of opens the door to have that conversation themselves as disabled, then that kind of opens the door to have that conversation. Just if the topic, as you say, depends on where you're at. Are you in a restaurant or are you looking at a particular home? So it sounds like it's education or what universal design, but it's also coaching, no-transcript Other than Zillow or Redfin MLS listings. I said are you reaching out to the disability community that you have this accessible house. And I said because, from my perspective, when I'm talking to the disability community, I have to be careful in the language I use, simply because if I say housing, this is automatically jump we're talking about low income housing. If I say disability, home ownership, I get no response or confusion. And so I really had to say accessible real estate, like I have learned as I'm doing a group focus study with the disability community, and I think it's because we really haven't been including the conversation in as far as the real estate industry as a whole. And so I tell realtors like just because you build it doesn't mean that they will come if they don't know about it.

Angela Fox :

And I'm an advocate kayaker so I love kayaking. I go kayaking every Sunday with a crew. I kayak about two, three miles. I'm in a wheelchair. We have people who are blind at kayak. It's a law firm right on the Potomac but we have an adaptive pier. It's a pier that's on the water, it has a ramp with wheels and it has a bench that I can slide onto the bench and do a dive into the kayak that's on the ramp. But our other adaptive pi peers throughout the country, but most of the time they don't advertise it.

Angela Fox :

And I find that in a lot of like adaptive sports stuff, like they will make parks accessible and they say that the parks are accessible but they don't tell what it is and even if they do on the website, they are not reaching out to Facebook groups that are like adaptive sports groups. If we don't know about it, then we're not going to come. It's not the fact that there isn't that purchasing power that you said earlier, which I absolutely love, it's just that we're not being reached out to. We are expected to go and hunt and when there's so little availability in the first place, it's like how often do people do that? Most people just deal with the circumstances that they're living in, their housing situation, but when I ask them, do they reach out? They get a little pushback and they'll say I don't want to be accused of redlining. Are you familiar with that?

Lamont McLeod:

I am redlining and steering. You don't want to steer a person into a certain demographic, which I get it.

Angela Fox :

What's the workaround? Could you explain that a little bit to the audience and I would love your perspective of how real is that? And if it is a real thing, what is the workaround? Because an advocate can't think that realtors can't reach out to the disability community. I just can't grasp that.

Lamont McLeod:

Again, it's all about the approach. Okay, I feel like so. If I call you and I say, hey, ms Fox, I am a realtor and I have access to accessible homes, I'm going to have your interest piqued. You're not going to be offended by what I'm calling you about, because I came to you and I'm catering to what I know is near and dear to your heart.

Lamont McLeod:

So it's always about the approach and, like you said, we always have to scour the earth for things that are available for us. Instead of there being a central location, there is some type of website and then marketing dollars put behind it so the masses can know where it is. Because, I'll be honest, the majority of the things that I stumble upon that is available for us, I just find it out of the blue, like it literally just falls into my lap, falls into my lap Even though I've looked high and low, far and wide. Nine times out of 10, what I find falls into my lap because there is no central location, there is no marketing dollars put behind. Hey, this is an accessible park here in Georgia. This is what this accessible park has to offer. Again, if you come to the people in the right way, no one is going to be offended.

Angela Fox :

What is behind redlining? That is offensive.

Lamont McLeod:

Honestly, redlining dates back to the 40s and 50s and it's a very dark pass on the true meaning of redlining, and it was to separate one particular demographic from another demographic because they thought that the one demographic would taint the quote-unquote better side of town. So that's initially where red light came from. But in this instance, we're actually talking about steering. I want to steer you in a direction of. I think that I think for you, which is very difficult. I never understand when people think for others, instead of just asking you hey, or you coming to me and saying I want a home. Now I'm intrigued Wow, this individual is in a wheelchair and they want a home no-transcript.

Angela Fox :

Okay, okay, yeah, I appreciate that perspective because I do know the history redlining about based on racism, a lot of rates, and so I guess, from a legal perspective, because the disability community really hasn't been included in the real estate industry on multiple levels, to take, what has been established for one particular demographic, has been established for one particular demographic. We don't know one way or the other until, honestly, it's been tested and sometimes vetted by the courts if necessary, to see if it applies to the disability community. And so I get that concern of oh, I can't post that I have this accessible house on this disability Facebook group, because then it will be redlining and I'm just like, really Like, that just doesn't make sense. What house are we supposed to know? It just doesn't make sense.

Lamont McLeod:

I guarantee you for that first individual, that able-bodied realtor that takes the chance to post hey, I have, and all they have to do is say something as simple as hey, I have an accessible home and sit back. Boom. Conversation will go from there and if they have the mindset, then they'll sit back and they'll take everything that they read and they'll formulate a way to approach those individuals.

Angela Fox :

Do you think there is a market for marketing accessible houses? As far as like providing even templates on for Facebook posting of accessible houses, if you give the people the tools and all they have to do is plug and play, whatever that might be, they're willing to accommodate you, and so I'm just wandering along that line in the real estate industry, if you feel like that's also possible you know what I just envisioned.

Lamont McLeod:

I'm a visual person, so when people say things, I grab it out of the air and I build it as we're speaking. So what came to mind when you said that you know you can go online and you can build your vehicle. Why can't we do the same thing for housing? You know what you need and you want in your home. All you have to do is just have A through Z, what accessible means and what each person can grab and make their own, and you can build your home that way, print it out, take it to the developer and they have the fortitude to understand and build it based upon that the fortitude to understand and build it based upon that, and you go that way. This can really be simple. Again, it's just not enough individuals that has been faced with this that want to take that chance.

Angela Fox :

In your business. How many other individuals with disabilities that are realtors Do you know?

Lamont McLeod:

No one of the gentlemen here in the Atlanta market that is a realtor.

Angela Fox :

Okay.

Lamont McLeod:

But what I love to do is, even in those groups, I ask individuals hey, who's interested in being a real estate agent? Because I would love to see us assist us.

Angela Fox :

Yeah, that's what I was about to ask you. One thing that's been percolating on my mind, and that is as we're talking, is how can we build our own community within the real estate industry. How do we recruit other individuals who are disabled to become realtors themselves Almost like building a school or a course of. Here are the tools. So I interview a woman Realtors for Change and she started a course on trying to get realtors to work with nonprofits by selling donated real estate, and so that's why I'm just wondering if we could build our own community of realtors, bike lane courses and recruitment opportunities and campaigns.

Lamont McLeod:

Well, first of all, I would love to say what you're doing for the community is so far ahead of the game, because the platform that you have and the topics in which you speak upon is step one, that's taking the word to the people, that's bringing individuals that are in the situation so they can speak on their personal experience. So what you're doing is far ahead of what anyone else is doing. Two, the videos that I shoot when I'm going in and out of properties. That's another way in which, again, I see so many conversations of individuals say, oh my God, now that I'm in this chair, what type of work that I can do. You can sell property. It's things that we can do. We just have to remix it.

Angela Fox :

Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's just I do a lot of mentorship because I've been disabled my whole life, so way, 42 years, and it was eight years before the passing of the ADA, so I had to crawl into bathrooms and things like that. So, I do know where we came from in that regard.

Angela Fox :

But when I do mentorship for individuals who are new to the community, I will say we need to show people that there are realtors showing houses right. We need to champion those people who are the housing developers. We need to champion politicians, like in my PG County, and really figure out a way to just bring all that together.

Lamont McLeod:

Like I said, change doesn't start. It's a trickle-down effect and in my opinion, it starts at the top with legislation, and then that's when it's going to be forced, and then, at that point, everyone will gather around the movement and figure out a way to make it make sense to the masses.

Angela Fox :

I got a question, though. Are you a member of the National Realtor Association?

Lamont McLeod:

Yeah, NAR here in Atlanta.

Angela Fox :

Yes, ma'am, okay, so I know they're going through a lot of change from recent lawsuits. As far as commission goes, I've been watching that from a legal vehicle perspective. Does the NRA have a subcommittee for realtors who are disabled?

Lamont McLeod:

You already know the answer to that Again the lack of attention to the disability community. It really blows my mind. It takes individuals like yourself and myself that will be advocates for the voiceless. So it takes the conversation and, like I said, I speak at so many realtor events and they love what I say, they love the message, they really enjoy it and again after it they come up to me oh my God, lamont, this, oh my God will to that. But it fizzles out, I guess on the drive home. The awe moment goes away in 25 or 85, depending on whatever highway they go on. Again, because it does not fall at your front door. If you're not faced with something you have no idea. Because I told the story, I was at the Piedmont Hospital the day before my accident. I had no idea that Piedmont Hospital was attached to the Shepherd Center. I didn't know what the Shepherd Center was, but the next day I found out.

Angela Fox :

Yeah, yeah, yeah. How receptive do you think the NRA would be to take a hard look or campaign to even survey their population to see how many realtors have a disability?

Lamont McLeod:

Honestly, I think, to save face, I think that they would jump all over the opportunity.

Angela Fox :

That's what I was wondering, because I've been asking realtors and I know it's a touchy subject with the lawsuits. But I see an opportunity Because now commissioners are not just set in stone and I also know that millennials are slowly getting into the real estate business not as much as the baby boomers are still a huge worlds away. But I tell people that when Redfin and Xow came, they got attacked by the NRA. So I actually researched about the upcoming of Zillow and Redfin and the NRA actually went after them and there was a lawsuit and DOJ said no, you don't have to be a member of the broker, so you don't have to be a member of the brokers, you don't have to be a member of the NRA. And that allowed Zillow and Redfin to eventually become what they do.

Angela Fox :

And the reason why I bring that up is that millennials and Gen Z we rely on Redfin and Zillow as our go-to. We don't find a realtor first. We look usually at Xero and Redfin to preliminary educate what houses are out there and then we'll say, oh, I want to go see this house and that house, and then you find a realtor, but that didn't exist until Redfin and Xero come up. And I know that, especially with millennials who saw a lot of their parents losing their homes during the housing crash and things like that that I've read a study that millennials they don't really care for realtors. They'd rather go on Redfin and Zillow. They're not loyal like their parents where they work with one realtor to go, it's just, I'll make an appointment and seeillow.

Angela Fox :

They're not loyal like the parents where they work with one realtor to go, it's just, I'll make an appointment and see this house, I don't really need a realtor and, with the lawsuits of the commission not being said, I think realtors like your parents are going to have to really more market themselves, at least, especially to the younger generation, and have some kind of expertise of what do I bring to the table. This is why you still need a realtor and, by the way, this is why now I could charge this particular commission, and I think disability, home ownership is one of the ways to do that I agree.

Lamont McLeod:

And just to go back to what you mentioned about NAR not liking Zillow and Redfin old money does not like new wolves.

Angela Fox :

Yep, yep, and that's what it's all about.

Lamont McLeod:

The fact that these kids per se just speaking of the age of Zillow and Riffin the nerve of you to come into our arena and change things. The industry doesn't like disruptors and what they came in is they disrupted. Like you said, millennials don't trust because they've seen what their families have gone through. Our realtors have such a negative name in the industry. We'll consider you as car salesmen.

Angela Fox :

Yeah, and I'll be perfectly honest In my book I end up buying my house directly with the owner because I had such a bad experience with realtors.

Lamont McLeod:

And, just like anything else, you're going to have a bad apple in every bunch. I don't care what you're playing. You know what I try to do is I release into the universe what I expect in return. So I'm going to give you my best because I'm expecting your best, and if I don't know what answer to something, I'm going to be honest and I'm going to tell you. I'm not going to say I'm an expert, even with 20 years in the industry. If you don't evolve, you're doomed to fail.

Angela Fox :

Yeah, but you know what I think, though? If I had met you who is a disabled person, and your whole brand is realtor, oh my God, you would have been my realtor, and I think that's the point. Point is that in the disability community, the loyalty would be fierce. Would be fierce because there's not out there, and so I know, oh my God, it's just a mere fact. You look like me. Therefore, I know you are going to be looking at things in the same lens, and I don't have to explain as much as I would an able-bodied community, even if our disabilities have different symptoms and we have different things that we may need, especially if you knew like the person who designed the house was a person who's disabled.

Angela Fox :

The disability community would just be all over that.

Lamont McLeod:

Wouldn't it be amazing if the architect possibly had a disability, then the developer, then the realtor, then the attorney, that whole community, like you said, it goes back to if we build it, and then the community is there for us, built by us and utilized by us how is your experience with advertising through zillow?

Angela Fox :

I know you briefly earlier in this conversation said it's like one box, that's accessibility I don't utilize the zillows or the red fans.

Lamont McLeod:

I really go to social media because if I'm to spend and there's no knock to Zillow or Redfin, but if I'm going to utilize my marketing dollars, I want to be in control of the narrative.

Angela Fox :

So when you say control the narrative, why can't you control your narrative when you're advertising Zillow or Redfin for the audience? They really understand what you mean by that advertising Zillow Redfin for the audience.

Lamont McLeod:

But they really understand what you mean by that, because what I mean you have such limited things that you can check off for the accessible community on your Zillows and your Redfins. But when I say control the narrative, that means I can shoot a video of me going in and out of a house and I can put that on Facebook and I can generate a marketing campaign around that and people know exactly what I do. And if the right individuals that my disability like again, when I do something for the community, I go to the community with it so they'll see wow, he's doing it. I had no idea that we can do that.

Angela Fox :

One last question is as far as appraisal value goes. So this is just something I ask everybody, because I'm on this crusade to find it, and that is again follow the money. I have not been able how financially the return investment is there in universally designed homes. So I'm on the hunt for an appraiser, a home appraiser who has experience in evaluating universal design houses. Do you know anybody?

Lamont McLeod:

I do not, okay, but what I will speak to on that very point. Value is determined by what you and I are determined to spin on Okay. Value is determined by what you and I are determined to spend on Okay. With that being said, appraisers no knock to my appraisers, brothers and sisters, please don't be offended by what I'm getting ready to say. But it says. It literally says an estimate or an guesstimate on their report.

Angela Fox :

Yeah, absolutely yeah. Who really truly determines value? Oh, and I agree with that. I would. But I even did a test on my house and I didn't mention anything would be accessible and a lot of things, because it's universal design. The appraiser didn't even know it was a universal design house. And then when I mentioned it, they're like it doesn't stand out, so it's not going to take away from the home. I'm like, okay, but how can that be a benefit? And they really didn't know. I've reached out to a couple appraising schools and are you teaching about how to appraise a universal design home? And I know you're not shocked by it.

Lamont McLeod:

I don't get a response or the answer is no. The interesting part in that is when you determine value of a property, when you're doing modifications or renovations I guess I should say in this point to add value when you're getting ready to exit that home, you spend your money in kitchens and bathrooms. Anyway, kitchens, bathrooms and closets is where you get your biggest return. So if in that renovation you say, hey, I renovated this and it's also accessible, that's an addition, that's an added bonus to what you're already doing. So it can't devalue it, it can only increase it because again, you spent money in the renovation. But if it also crosses that border of being accessible, you just put an additional set of eyes on that property that originally would not have been there.

Angela Fox :

Yeah, and I'm glad you said renovation, because what I started to find out just by talking to the disability community and then realtors is that the disability and I'm guilty of it too, but the disability community tends to say modifications. But when you say that from a realtor perspective that I've been talking to, that is you're doing something specific to the house that the average person would see a upscale value to it, and so you have to. Yeah, that's what I was going to ask you. So it's a word should we still use renovation, even when we're talking about the fact that we modify something that's universal design?

Lamont McLeod:

It depends. Okay, it depends. If you are going into a home to make it livable for yourself, then it's modifying it for you. If you're exiting that home to renovate, to increase value, to sell, you're renovating at that point. So it all depends. I still think that you should utilize both words, but you just should utilize them in the correct capacity.

Angela Fox :

Because then if your mom finds out, that means you already own the home and in the context of selling, it is important. So I really appreciate that. Thank you for clarifying that, because I find that those two words are viewed differently by different communities. So okay, all right. So I guess, if you want to get involved in the advocacy, what resources could you share with the audience?

Lamont McLeod:

Honestly, I would say if you have access to architects, if you have access to developers, if you have access to contractors, if you are a lender yourself, start looking for products that or, if they're not readily available, create that long product that is just for the disability community.

Lamont McLeod:

Like I said, everywhere I go, I always speak about my veterans. Hats off to the services that they provided, because we are free because of what they dedicated their lives to. I just want something to run adjacent to what they do. I want to parallel what they do because again it's not there. I want to parallel what they do because again it's not there, and I feel like the mold does not have to be created. All we have to do is just mirror and just label it as a disability, so that way, only a person with a disability will have access to it. So it starts. If you know a congressman, if you know a city official, start championing for the community to these individuals or, as they're running, ask the question what are you doing for the disability community? How can we parallel with you to get our word out there, so the masses will understand what we go through in the dark?

Angela Fox :

Yeah, okay, I appreciate that.

Lamont McLeod:

Again, ms Fox, I am so elated that our parents crossed. When they did, the stars perfectly aligned and now we have this masterpiece that we can further the conversation with our community and beyond.

Angela Fox :

Well, thank you so much and let's expand the realtor experience to everyone. Horizontalhousescom is the hub for all things related to disability home ownership. You will find my blog, this podcast, my book and how my consulting services can help real estate agents or housing developers market and tap into the largest minority group, the disability community. Please help me continue this exploration of disability home ownership by connecting through my Facebook page. Remember, sharing our collective experiences will allow us each to lower the kitchen sink but raise the bar for disability home ownership. Thank you.