Tenisha Tate-Austin and her husband became suspicious when the Northern California home they spent years renovating was valued by an appraiser far lower than they expected. When they asked for a second opinion last year, a White friend pretended to own their home and they removed all artwork and photos that could show that it actually belonged to a Black family.
The new appraisal for their home in Marin County was nearly half a million dollars higher than the previous estimate.
Last week, the couple filed a lawsuit in federal court in San Francisco, arguing that racial discrimination played a role in the low valuation of their home.
The Austins say, the first appraiser violated the Fair Housing Act when she took into account the family’s race and the racial demographics of the house’s location for her appraisal.
Article submitted by, Ball Peen Hammer.