"Turn Around for Free College" : The Role Real Estate Agents and Agencies Play in the Process Of Gentrification in the Context ofthe Kalamazoo Promise

Abstract

The Kalamazoo Promise is a place-based scholarship program that attempts to shift the economic reality of Kalamazoo, Michigan. This research project analyzes the marketing strategies real estate agents and agencies implement in the home selling process through the construction of community. Real estate agents and agencies base the image of community on business/entertainment, family, and schools. The second half of this research focuses on the role real estate agents have in leveraging the Kalamazoo Promise to home buyers. The author calls for a continued focus on marketing strategies real estate agents and agencies implement when selling spaces in Kalamazoo, specifically in relation to the Kalamazoo Promise.