Dr. Zakk Varughese Leads the Gulf Coast Association of REALTISTS® as Chairman and President

Dr. Zakk Varughese (second from left), broker and owner of HomesRX in Brandon, Mississippi, accepts his NAREB Top 100 award on stage at the Realtist Royale, July 28, 2026, in Las Vegas. Photo courtesy of HomesRX.

Mississippi's No. 1 REALTIST® leads the new NAREB board serving 10 Mississippi Gulf Coast cities

BILOXI, MS, UNITED STATES, October 16, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Gulf Coast Association of REALTISTS^® (GCAR) announces Dr. Zakk Varughese as its Chairman and President. Dr. Varughese, broker and owner of HomesRX in Brandon, Mississippi, ranked No. 1 in Mississippi and No. 9 nationally among individual agents and brokers on the National Association of Real Estate Brokers' (NAREB) 2026 Top 100 REALTIST^® list.

GCAR received provisional approval from NAREB in October 2026 and is welcoming members across the Mississippi Gulf Coast, including Bay St. Louis, Pass Christian, Pascagoula, Waveland, Long Beach, Gulfport, Ocean Springs, Moss Point, D'Iberville and Biloxi.

A Legacy of "Democracy in Housing"

On July 29, 1947, twelve pioneers — one woman and eleven men from seven states — met in Tampa, Florida, to found the National Association of Real Estate Brokers. They gathered in an era when racial segregation and discriminatory housing practices still kept Black Americans from equal access to homeownership, and they committed themselves that night to the principle of "Equal Housing Opportunity for All."

Today NAREB is recognized as the oldest minority professional trade association in the United States. Its members, known as REALTISTS^®, have helped advance some of the most important fair housing and equal opportunity measures in American history, including the first local fair housing legislation in New York City in 1962, California's 1963 Rumford Fair Housing Act, the national Fair Housing Act of 1968, and the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. addressed NAREB's Mid-Winter Conference in San Francisco in February 1968, only months before his death.

NAREB's mission is "empowering minority real estate professionals to promote fair housing, build generational wealth, and expand opportunities for underserved communities." More than a trade organization, NAREB describes itself as "a movement dedicated to 'promoting democracy in housing,'" with a special charge to ensure that African Americans are treated fairly as land use and urban planning policies are developed.

GCAR's Mission

The Gulf Coast Association of REALTISTS^® carries that mission forward locally. GCAR is committed to ensuring that all people, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, disability or familial status, have equal access to housing opportunities. As a NAREB affiliate, GCAR promotes democracy in housing by advancing fair housing, building generational wealth and expanding opportunity for underserved communities on the Mississippi Gulf Coast through advocacy, education and community service.

"NAREB was born because people were shut out of homeownership, and REALTISTS^® have been opening those doors ever since," said Dr. Varughese. "Bringing a NAREB board to the Gulf Coast is how we make sure that work reaches every family here."

No. 1 in Mississippi

Dr. Varughese was honored at NAREB's Top 100 Realtist Royale on July 28, 2026, at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas during the NAREB Annual Convention, where he was the only Mississippi REALTIST^® in the individual Top 10.

He specializes in residential, commercial and land sales.

"My motto is simple: SELL with Success and BUY with Confidence," Dr. Varughese said. "My sellers deserve a successful sale, and my buyers deserve to move forward with confidence. I deliver that through honesty, loyalty and hard work, and I bring ethical and moral consideration into every transaction. That commitment is what earned the No. 1 spot in Mississippi, and it's the standard I hold myself to every day."

Educational and Career Achievements

Dr. Varughese's career spans real estate, healthcare, higher education and publishing. He holds a Doctor of Education (EdD) and a Master of Business Administration (MBA), and he is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. He also holds the Certified Distance Education Instructor (CDEI) designation and the Accredited Buyer's Representative (ABR), Seller Representative Specialist (SRS) and Commitment to Excellence (C2EX) real estate designations.

A licensed Mississippi real estate broker, Dr. Varughese founded HomesRX, which serves buyers, sellers and investors across Central Mississippi and the Gulf Coast. Beyond real estate, he is a healthcare executive and a professor of business and healthcare.

Dr. Varughese is also the author of "Breaking Barriers: Confronting Racism in American Real Estate," which examines the historical significance of racism in American real estate. He wrote the book to put real estate's quiet discrimination on the record and to challenge the industry to take a closer look at who gets access, who gets opportunities and who gets left out.

"The gate still exists. The gatekeeper has changed," Dr. Varughese writes. "This is more than a conversation about real estate. It's about dignity, opportunity and the path to homeownership."

Above every title, Dr. Varughese counts his family as his greatest accomplishment. He raised nine children, and he says the values he taught them — honesty, loyalty and hard work — are the same ones he brings to every client.

A Commitment to Giving Back

Dr. Varughese's philanthropy reflects the REALTIST^® tradition of service. In support of the Central Mississippi Association of REALTISTS^® (CMAR), he has personally:

- Donated $15,000 in school supplies to CMAR's Back-to-School Supply Drive
- Contributed $7,500 toward CMAR's REALTISTS^® Restore Day
- Contributed $1,500 toward CMAR's Scholarship Drive
- Paid to feed approximately 200 people experiencing homelessness at Shower Power as part of CMAR's community service initiative

As an approved Mississippi real estate continuing education provider, Dr. Varughese also offers free continuing education training to licensed real estate agents, helping professionals across the state strengthen their knowledge and serve consumers better.

"This is only a small part of what we're called to do," Dr. Varughese said. "When we invest in children, families and fellow professionals, we're building the kind of communities where everyone has a real chance at a home."

About the Gulf Coast Association of REALTISTS^®

The Gulf Coast Association of REALTISTS^® (GCAR) is a local board affiliated with the National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB). Guided by the mission "Promoting Democracy in Housing," GCAR advances fair housing, generational wealth and opportunity for underserved communities in Bay St. Louis, Pass Christian, Pascagoula, Waveland, Long Beach, Gulfport, Ocean Springs, Moss Point, D'Iberville and Biloxi, Mississippi. Learn more at gcarealtist.com.

Dr. Zakk Varughese
HomesRX
+1 601-667-8414