Monique Moore and Marcus Williams want to change who builds wealth through real estate in South Jersey.
The couple co-founded the Black Investors Group, known as BIG, in August 2022. The nonprofit holds monthly meetings in Cherry Hill where members learn to identify investment properties, oversee renovations and build portfolios they can pass to their children.
"We're believers that home ownership is huge and impacts the wealth gap in our community," Moore told South Jersey Media in a story published Friday. "In our community, we need to keep that generational wealth and grow together. And so, that's our community impact."
The gap Moore describes is wide. Nationally, the Black homeownership rate stood at 46.4 percent as of the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to 65.7 percent overall, according to Bankrate.
In New Jersey, the divide is steeper: 41.0 percent of Black households own their homes versus 76.9 percent of non-Hispanic white households, according to a New Jersey Future analysis of 2018 American Community Survey data, the most recent state-level breakdown available.
BIG's monthly Cherry Hill meetings focus on education. Moore and Williams walk members through the buying process step by step, whether someone has never purchased a home or already owns property. The group recently helped a woman interested in real estate investing who has since purchased and renovated two properties: a single-family home and a duplex.
The organization also hosts a podcast called "Coffee & Cashflow" and has expanded into out-of-state property purchases and stock market education, Williams told South Jersey Media.
BIG also co-hosts networking events with the South Jersey chapter of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers, the nation's oldest Black real estate trade association. The South Jersey NAREB chapter is based in Cherry Hill.
Residents interested in joining BIG can find meeting details on the group's Instagram page, @theblackinvestorgroup. The organization describes itself as "the premier group for black & brown real estate investors and wealth builders in the tri-state area." Moore and Williams guide newcomers regardless of experience level.
Upcoming community events
National Night Out — Tuesday, August 4, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Cherry Hill High School East, Kresson Road. Free. Contact: 856-488-7868 or [email protected].
