A study to be released today by the Fair Housing Center of Greater Boston shows that blacks and Latinos searching for homes frequently face discrimination.

The study, which paired 36 white testers with blacks and Latinos who posed as first-time homebuyers and visited franchise offices or affiliates of large real estate firms in 14 Greater Boston communities, found that real estate agents often provided more assistance and information to the white homebuyers, showed them more homes and told them about more for-sale properties. Agents in the study also were more likely to ask blacks and Latinos for mortgage pre-approvals and inquire about their income, employment and current housing.

The study revealed differences in treatment in just under half of the tests conducted, or 17 of the 36 tests.

“When a person of color contacts a listing agent about a home that is already under agreement, that person is most likely going to get much less access to that agent’s services than a white person who calls about the same home,” according to the study.

“If the tester of color does receive a return call, that call will not yield the same results as a white tester,” it adds. “The white tester might be shown the home anyway but will certainly be told about other comparable homes in the same market. The tester of color is not likely to be shown the home and it appears a matter of chance at best whether such a tester will get the same direct service as a white tester.”

The testing was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, 12 pairs of testers called and visited real estate offices in January of last year, making general inquiries about housing availability and meeting with whoever was available to assist them. The testers were pre-qualified but not pre-approved for mortgages to cover the homes advertised in the communities they were testing.

The first phase of the investigation revealed that white homebuyers received greater access to agent services, were able to see more homes, and received more listings of for-sale properties than black and Latino homebuyers. In addition, the black and Latino testers were steered to other communities than those where they sought to live.

In the second phase conducted between January and May of this year, 24 pairs of testers called and met with the same agents requesting to see specific homes. The testers of color were pre-approved for a mortgage that would cover the house and at $15,000 more than their white counterparts. The white testers were pre-qualified but not pre-approved for a mortgage.

The second phase yielded similar results, with real estate agents sharing more information with the white testers.

‘Considerable Variation’

David J. Harris, director of the Fair Housing Center, said one of the more troubling findings of the study was the inconsistent way that agents within the same office treated the testers who posed as buyers. In some cases, for example, agents would only show homes after seeing a mortgage pre-approval letter, while other agents in the same office showed homes to those who were only pre-qualified. At least four agents stressed that the black tester needed pre-approval while not asking the white tester about mortgage qualifications at all.

In two cases, white testers left messages and received return calls from an agent, but their more qualified black counterparts never received a return call. In another case, the real estate office gave the white tester an agent’s cell phone number but the same office informed the Latino tester that the company policy was not to give out the cell phone numbers of their agents.

“I think one of the most significant findings is that there appears to be considerable variation within offices” in how the homebuyers were treated, he said.

Harris said larger real estate companies should reinforce the fair housing training that they provide and make sure that agents in their offices are acting consistently. “They should have their own policies and require that people adhere to them,” he said.

Harris said his advice to agents is to provide the same information to all buyers. “If your inclination is to give a hot prospect an e-mail address and your cell phone number, then do that with everyone,” he said.

The release of the study, entitled “You Don’t Know What You’re Missing,” comes at a time when the number of minority households is growing and first-time homebuyer programs are making it easier for them to purchase residences. In addition, the economic status – and, as a result, the purchasing power – of minorities has strengthened over the last 20 years, according to a report by Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies.

In light of such statistics, Harris said that real estate agents should “redouble” their efforts to reach out to minorities and first-time homebuyers instead of withholding information from them.

Given that minority homeownership rates are climbing and the minority population is a significant market for Realtors, it makes “good business sense” to be aware of and sensitive to minority groups, according to David Brais, director of education and career development for Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage.

“From a business perspective, it’s just bad business to go down that pathway,” Brais said, referring to discrimination. “Most folks should realize that diversity is a business opportunity for us.”

Large real estate companies often provide training on diversity and fair housing to agents. Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, for example, requires all new agents in New England to undergo training that includes a three-hour session on fair housing.

Even though she hadn’t seen the study, Laurie Cadigan, a broker with Barrett & Co. in Concord who serves as president of the Greater Boston Association of Realtors, said she was “disheartened” and “saddened” by the findings.

Cadigan said real estate companies and GBAR provide extensive training on fair housing issues.

“I think most of our members, our broker-owners especially, are very good at making sure that agents get ongoing training,” she said.

“I’m hoping that we can use this [study] as a learning experience,” said Cadigan.

Maggie Tomkiewicz, president of the 23,000-member Massachusetts Association of Realtors, refused to comment specifically on the study findings because she had not seen the report yet.

But she said, “Our organization is very committed to fair housing and [has] a long history of providing programs that promote fair and equal treatment to all consumers.”

The study released today follows two other studies conducted by the Fair Housing Center that revealed discrimination in the rental housing market.