Texas Realtor Group Ends ‘Master’ Designation of Bedrooms, Bath

HOUSTON, Texas — The Houston Association of Realtors announced the end of a long tradition of designating certain bedrooms and bathrooms as “master.” The change follows weeks of protests over racial equality and issues relating to the Confederacy.

“The MLS Advisory Group regularly reviews the terms and fields used in the MLS to make sure they are consistent with the current market environment,” Houston Association of Realtors (HAR) officials wrote in a statement published by KTRK ABC13 in Houston. The updates to primary bedroom and primary bath were among nine requests for review that were submitted by members and considered at the most recent meetings, including an option to show whether the property has an electric vehicle charging station and what direction the balcony faces for high rise listings.”

Ladonna Park, a HAR member and Houston Black Real Estate Association president, said the change is long overdue.

“I think it’s more a sign of the times,” she told the local ABC affiliate. “It’s a sign that we are in the midst of change – what structural things can we do to make a difference?”

The terms “master bedroom” and “master bathroom” are being replaced with “primary bedroom” and “primary bathroom.”

HAR continued, “It was not a new suggestion to review the terminology,” Click2Houston reported. “The overarching message was that some members were concerned about how the terms might be perceived by some other agents and consumers. The consensus was that Primary describes the rooms equally as well as Master while avoiding any possible misperceptions.”

The change did not constitute an all-out ban on the term “master” the association said. “You may still use the term ‘Master Bedroom’ or ‘Master Bath’ as you feel appropriate in your marketing materials and in the Public Remarks, Agent Remarks, and photo descriptions,” the statement concludes.

Originally published on Breitbart Texas. Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior news contributor for the Breitbart Texas-Border team. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday-morning talk show. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook.