Housing
Appraisal discrimination in Marin City
A case of home appraisal discrimination that recently received national media attention was successfully overseen by San Rafael- based Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California (FHANC), an organization that helps thousands of clients every year in their complaints of being discriminated against when seeking housing. The case revealed that a real estate company had appraised a Black couple’s home in Marin City at almost a half-million-dollars less than when a white friend of the couple posed as the homeowner for a second appraiser who went through the property. The couple were seeking to refinance their mortgage, and the appraised value would determine whether they would qualify or not for a loan. Tenisha Tate-Austin and Paul Austin, who are Black, said for the second appraisal they “white- washed” their home, removing all evidence of their race. Their white friend then added photos of her own family before the second appraisal was conducted. The first appraiser, Miller and Perotti Real Estate Appraisers, assessed the Austins’ home at $995,000; the second appraisal, arranged by the lender, valued the home at $1,482,500. The Austins sought the help of FHANC to back
their lawsuit against Miller and Perotti for low- balling the home’s value due to discrimination. The case was settled last year in the Austins’ favor for an undisclosed monetary amount, and the appraisal firm was directed to attend a training session provided by FHANC about the history of racial discrimination in real estate—and a promise that it would not discriminate in the future. “Even decades after the Fair Housing Act of 1968, we still find evidence of housing discrimination fairly often,” stated Julia Howard-Gibbon to the media last year. She is the Northern California supervising attorney for FHANC who handled the case for the Austins. “Having to erase our identity to get a better appraisal was a wrenching experience,” said Tate- Austin in a prepared statement. Her husband Paul added, “Being able to tell our story and knowing we had legal recourse helped. If you experience discrimination you can go to your local fair housing agency so they can investigate your case and if you want to file a complaint.” “The crux of this case has much more to do with the indignity of what the Austins believed to be a racially-biased appraisal rather than the monetary damages,” said Howard-Gibbon.— JSD
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December 2024
NorthBaybiz 57
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