If there was any doubt about the power of Hispanic influence in the housing industry, the NAHREP 2026 Homeownership and Housing Policy Conference hosted by the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals should put those questions to rest.
Scott Turner, secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) was in attendance. So was Frank Cassidy, HUD’s assistant secretary of housing and commissioner of the Federal Housing Administration. There were three sitting U.S. senators — including Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., who delivered a keynote address — and a bevy of corporate and industry leaders.
The event, held March 23-25 in Washington, D.C., drew more than 1,100 attendees, according to Gary Acosta, NAHREP co-founder and CEO. It coincided with the group’s release of its annual 2025 State of Hispanic Homeownership Report.
The report cites U.S. Census Bureau statistics showing the number of housing units owned by Hispanic households topped 10 million for the first time ever. This was the largest gain of any racial or ethnic demographic, and the largest single-year increase for Hispanics since the bureau began collecting this data in 1975.
“The surge in Hispanic owner-households accounted for all U.S. homeownership growth last year, offsetting declines in other demographic segments,” the report cited among key findings in its executive summary.
With more than 1 million new households, Hispanics accounted for 92.6% of national household growth. Also, the report noted, “with a median age of 31, Hispanics are the youngest ethnic and racial demographic, with many aging into prime household formation and homebuying years.”
Acosta told Scotsman Guide the report validates his view that “the youth of the Latino population and the passion they have for homeownership is just starting to be demonstrated in the actual numbers.”
Pointing to the number of attendees at the conference, the presenters and the stakeholder engagement, Acosta said his main takeaway from the report and the event itself is that “the Latino market is not a niche anymore. It is the primary driver of growth in the industry. And this is not relegated to a handful of states. This is now becoming a national phenomenon.”
“The report shows the majority of the growth is really coming in what I consider to be non-traditional markets such as the Midwest and the South,” Acosta said. “The impact is across geographies and across demographics. And it’s going to do nothing but grow.”
Gallego, in a keynote speech filled with personal anecdotes, also discussed the importance of strengthening housing for Latinos.
“If the Latino population of our country is housed, that means that the country is housed. If the Latino population of this country is building generational wealth, that means that this country is building generational wealth,” Gallego told the audience.
The first-term Arizona senator added: “If our people are using the opportunity to stabilize their homes, send their kids to good schools, keeping them in secure neighborhoods and building that future, that means that the country is doing that. Because there is no success in this country if the Latino community is not successful.”
