Race is a big issue in this country, unfortunately.
After she concealed her race, Black Indianapolis owner's home value more than doubled
The homeowner suspected race played a role in her first two low appraisals. Now her experiences are part of complaints with federal housing authorities.
May 17, 2021, 8:28 PM EDT
By Antonio Planas
A Black Indianapolis homeowner who had a nagging suspicion that her house was lowballed in two appraisals last year went to great lengths to conceal her race in a third. She removed photos of herself and her relatives and had a white friend pose as her brother for the appraiser's home visit.
The result? The appraisal of Carlette Duffy's home more than doubled.
Duffy's home, which was assessed by different companies last year, was first appraised at $125,000, then $110,000 and finally $259,000 in November, according to the Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana. The nonprofit announced this month that it had filed housing discrimination complaints on Duffy's behalf with the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Amy Nelson, executive director of the group representing Duffy, said it's "heartbreaking" that she had to do so much to secure a fair appraisal.
"In order for the value of her home to be accurate, she had to remove herself completely from the home," Nelson said Monday. "She was at first ecstatic that she did in fact get the value that she thought her home deserved. ... But then almost immediately after, she was heartbroken with the fact of what she had to do in order to get that value."
more:
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/after-concealing-her-race-black-indianapolis-owner-s-home-value-n1267710?cid=eml_nbn_20210518&user_email=d60e03639eee858a9d1f722503050fb5c4c275d9e0d473a7e1f6182e26eccb3c&%243p=e_sailthru&_branch_match_id=613431375891389243&utm_medium=Email%20Sailthru
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