Housing Is A Right - Lauren Goché

In this episode of Everything's Not Black and White, hosts Lala and Brian sit down with Lauren Goché, a principal real estate broker and "witch with wifi," to pull back the curtain on the systemic inequities of the housing market. From the historical violence of redlining and restrictive covenants to the modern-day "fuckery" of private equity buyouts, Lauren explains why home ownership remains a revolutionary act for marginalized communities. The conversation dives deep into the emotional "therapy" of buying a home, the importance of value-aligned partnerships, and the incredible work being done by the Portland-based organization Taking Ownership to repair homes and preserve generational wealth.

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Taking Ownership

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Transcript

Everything's Not Black & White

Housing Is A Right - Lauren Goché

Episode Transcript

Intro Announcement: Welcome to Everything's Not Black and White with your hosts, Lala and Brian.

Lala: Hello everyone, welcome to today's episode. We're so glad you're here! Today we're going to be diving into a conversation that goes well beyond buying and selling homes. We're going to be talking about decision-making, systems, and the truth that real estate isn't as neutral as we've been taught to believe.

Joining us today is Lauren Goché, a principal real estate broker, a thoughtful disruptor, and someone who describes herself as part therapist, part hype squad, and part "witch with Wi-Fi." Welcome, Lauren, to the show!

Brian: Hey, Lauren!

Lauren: Thank you so much, La'Chandra! I so appreciate you having me on.

Lala: Oh, we are so excited to chat with you! Anybody who describes themselves as a "witch with Wi-Fi" has already won in my book! Where did that identity come from—part therapist, part hype squad, part witch with Wi-Fi?

Lauren: The therapist part is real. Buying and selling real estate is big stuff, and finances and money bring up all kinds of emotions, so I'm constantly "therapizing"—which isn't a word, but I'm using it anyway!

Lala: We can make stuff up here, so it's totally fine!

Lauren: Wonderful, I'm in the right place then! As for the "witch with Wi-Fi" part, there's so much subtlety to this job and to people that there's a bit of witchcraft involved, in my opinion—reading between the lines and understanding a bigger, intangible picture.

Lala: That makes total sense to us. Back when we first got married, we bought our first home in 2008 when the market was wild. We got a really good deal because the house was owned by a couple going through a divorce, and they sold it as part of their community property settlement at a loss. It was our gain, but I completely understand the therapy piece because signing on the dotted line for that big price tag is terrifying!

Lauren: It's terrifying!

Lala: It's deeply rooted in our DNA as a country—that "American dream" of homeownership. What drew you into real estate at first, and how did your journey lead you to applying those therapeutic tools to your work?

Lauren: I was at a crossroads in my early thirties thinking, "What the hell am I going to do with my life?" An old friend suggested real estate and offered to mentor me. At first, I resisted, but she was serious. Most people jump into real estate with an unrealistic Selling Sunset image of what being a realtor is, and it's hard to find a mentor or get started. I had a huge advantage having a close friend mentor me. Real estate is 24/7, so I already understood the reality of it.

I was lucky to surround myself with incredible female realtors who took me under their wing. During my first deals, seeing how stressed clients were with their partners, parents, and kids made me realize quickly that it is so much more than the house. The house is secondary; it's really about the people—their hopes, dreams, fears, pasts, and futures. Having been through counseling myself, I applied all those emotional processing tools to this job: taking a breath, noticing shifts in communication, and talking things through.

Brian: Just so you know, my wife would have been the one having the freak-out moment during the home buying process, while I kept the stability!

Lala: Oh, honey, he drives that bus and runs over me regularly! That's what 20 years of marriage does for you! When we bought our current house in 2018, it was much smaller than our previous home, but more expensive, and let me tell you how pissed off I was! 10 years of market appreciation is no joke.

Lauren: In any couple, there's almost always someone who is the gas and someone who is the brakes. If you have two brakes, you never go anywhere; if you have two gas pedals, you run into a wall. Even though that friction between the gas and the brakes can feel frustrating, it keeps you stable at a steady rate.

Brian: I've had my freak-out moments too, and my wife pumps the brakes for me—it's a mutually beneficial balance!

Lauren: I'll be sending you my counseling bill!

Lala: You just earned your check right there! You mentioned earlier that people bring all their fears, worries, and family history into buying a house. My grandmother was born in 1914 as an African American woman in the South. She worked in cotton fields and as a maid, and buying her first home later in life was an enormous, revolutionary milestone.

You often say that real estate isn't neutral. What does that mean in real life?

Lauren: Economic advantages in real estate have been withheld from everyone who isn't a straight white man for millennia. Women weren't allowed to get mortgages or credit cards on their own until the 1970s. Today, single women are actually buying homes at the highest rate.

The historical laws and practices—like redlining—that kept African Americans and people of color from homeownership were incredibly intense. Owning a home is the foundational pillar of generational wealth in America. To systematically exclude the vast majority of the population from that foundation isn't neutral—it's a violent act.

Housing should be a human right. Universal healthcare and housing should be a basic baseline provided for everyone. Housing is security. Growing up housing insecure myself, having a space that is yours and can't easily be taken away is a revolutionary act. We aren't living in a post-racism or post-feminism society, so helping marginalized communities gain access to housing is something I am deeply passionate about.

Lala: Here in Columbus, we have immense economic growth, but we don't have enough affordable housing. Starter homes here cost around $300,000, while minimum wage isn't even a living wage, so people become house-poor very quickly. If you map Columbus's early 1900s redlining districts next to a map of today, those exact same areas remain the under-resourced communities—and now, private equity firms are coming in, buying up entire streets, and gentrifying them.

Lauren: That is nuts! Private equity buying up entire single-family neighborhoods shouldn't be legal. Single-family and multi-family housing should be for families, period!

In Portland, white flight happened after the war. A specific Black community built up in a neighborhood called Vanport after a levee broke elsewhere, and then the city used eminent domain to push them out to build a freeway and a hospital. Highways never get built through wealthy neighborhoods for some reason!

Gentrification pushes elderly, long-time residents out. A common pattern is an elderly resident who can't physically maintain their yard getting code-violation complaints filed by new white neighbors. Fines snowball until the city takes the house away—instead of a neighbor walking over and offering a helping hand.

During the 2020 protests, a friend of mine, Randall Wyatt, founded an incredible organization called Taking Ownership. They raise money—which I pushed realtors to donate toward as local reparations—to repair roofs, fix up yards, and work with the city to erase fines for Black home owners in Portland so they can stay in their homes. Another branch helps people pass along housing equity to Black, Brown, and Indigenous Portlanders.

Lala: We will definitely put Taking Ownership in our show notes so people can look them up!

You also advocate for ethical real estate. What does that look like in practice, especially when people fall back on "neutrality" or "Midwest nice"?

Lauren: Neutrality is bullshit. Who the hell is neutral? Saying nothing during times of injustice or strife isn't being neutral—it's cowardice, and staying silent speaks very loudly.

I'm outspoken because my sister has Down syndrome. Growing up attending the same elementary school and seeing how people treated or bullied her taught me very early on to keep an eye out for folks who might not be able to advocate for themselves.

I am lucky to practice in Portland, where I can be choosy with my clientele. I don't work with people whose values don't align with mine. If someone doesn't want basic human rights or success for the people I love, why would I help them build wealth?

Lala: We make that exact same decision in our lives and business. We do not work with people who aren't value-aligned with us. As an interracial couple with LGBTQ+ and trans children, we make decisions explicitly to protect our family and community.

Lately, I've been focusing on shifting from patriarchal models to matriarchal ones—specifically moving from "me" to "we." What benefits the greater good and the community?

Lauren: Focusing on "we" instead of "me" benefits everybody. The housing market desperately needs more communal living structures—multi-generational housing, single moms buying together to raise kids collaboratively, or friends purchasing property together. The market isn't building what communities actually need, and current stagnant wages are going to force people toward communal living models anyway.

Lala: If people want to follow your work, read your blogs, or stay in your orbit, how can they connect with you?

Lauren: Instagram is the best place—I'm always on there sharing tips, my dogs, and real estate philosophy at @laurengoche (spelled G-O-C-H-E). You can also read my blogs at laurengoche.com!

Lala: Awesome! We will put all of those links in the show notes. Thank you so much, Lauren, for being on the show today and sharing your perspective with us!

Lauren: It was my absolute pleasure! You guys are a blast, and I'm so honored to be included.

Brian: You can follow us on Facebook or Instagram, or email us at embwpodcast@gmail.com!

Lala: Thank you all for listening! Thank you for being with us, Lauren. We'll see you all next episode!

Brian: See ya! Bye!