A process by which real estate agents convince white property owners to sell their houses at low prices because of fear that persons of color will soon move into the neighborhood

• A. Blockbusting
• B. Annexation
• C. Boomburbs
• D. Megacity

Answer: (A)

Blockbusting is a discriminatory real estate tactic where agents exploit fears about racial change to trigger panic selling. By convincing white homeowners that people of color will soon move into the neighborhood, they prompt owners to sell at depressed prices to avoid a perceived drop in property values. The agents then turn around and sell those homes to minority buyers at higher prices, fueling rapid turnover and white flight. This manipulation of the housing market reinforces segregation and is illegal under fair housing laws.

Other terms refer to different urban phenomena: annexation is the process of a city absorbing surrounding land; boomburbs are fast-growing suburban cities; megacity describes a very large urban area. They don’t capture the racially motivated, market-distorting practice described.