Pretending to be white will raise the value of your home

On the other hand there is an advantage to being a member of a racial minority with a history of discrimination for admission to college, grad school or a professional school.
Almost Black - The True Story Of An Indian American Who Got Into Medical School Pretending To Be An African American

 

No you didn't, you changed topics.

 

But you always do that. Why not acknowledge that racism remains a problem in America rather than deflect to the race which by comparison has rarely experienced it? By doing that, you might not be exhibiting overt racism yourself, but you’re certainly exhibiting racial insensitivity.

 

Guess that makes you the black sheep of the board.

Oh, the irony.

 

"Good people on both sides."

 

Whenever there’s a thread about racism, it makes him uncomfortable so comes in to deflect and derail. Like clockwork.

 

I have a few great examples of that. In Gainesville my fraternity brother and I got pulled over by GP for driving like asses; we were both extremely drunk; a cooler filled with beer and empties all over the back floor; I also informed them we had a trunk full of guns; two shotguns and a rifle; we had different stories; failed sobriety test and low and behold ; the cops( plural) said get some of your friends to pick you up and we don’t want to see this car move tonight; something like this could ruin your future career. I bet black guys get that treatment all the time.

Another, car reeked of pot, again in Gville; we were screeching up the Broward hall parking garage; pulled over and told by the black cop; take it to the track boys. Let us go. Bet that is a very common occurrence in the hood.

I was the single male white (straight, not so much) male at a very large well known networking company and brought in by the VP to deal with a racist, homophobic, misogynistic old ass from the family that owns Bayview Cadillac and many other dealerships. He laughed about part of this but asked me to see if the account was worth saving. I came back after diligently and objectively finding out the status and came back with a solid no. I’m sure that if I was black that would have been a different story.

This horse pucky that white guys are disadvantaged is a fallacy perpetuated by angry white guys who have real reasons why they aren’t getting a job. My WASPy looks and behavior as a young man gave me opportunities no black man would have ever had.

 

Oh you poor, unappreciated genius.

 

As they should. Sue them to the Stone Age then do it again.

 

I get that... I agree with your overall point.

 

There is definitely cases of racism in real estate. This may be one of them, I don’t know.
I do know that I have had appraisals come back vastly different on the same property just weeks apart.
There have been several of these stories stories pop over the last couple of years. This one seems to at least offer the most detail. I do not recall any of the other stories having an objective third party investigate to any conclusion. It would seem that if race was deciding factor someone would be getting fired/sued.
In this case, I think the lawsuit will force a third party investigation and some truth will be discovered one way or the other.

 

Real estate appraisals are not always accurate. Everyone should know not to use the appraiser recommended by their real estate agent. Pet appraisers are a known thing.

 

No, those appraisers should be fired. Problem solved. That's it.

I don't care if the house is co-owned by Stalin and Hitler's ghosts, it should be valued according to regular appraisal guidelines. Ignoring this should get you fired by your employer.

 

Absolutely. It’s one reason my company gets several from different appraisers.
We have had some very wildly…. Aand first couple of times it can be unsettling. Now.. it’s just part of the deal.

 

For purposes of a mortgage it is my understanding that appraisers are picked randomly so - to your point - no one can scam the game. If I’m wrong, please show me.

To carte blanche say “you never take the advice of a Realtor (in this situation)” is just silly. There are professional Realtors, con men/women, and the incompetent - just like any other profession. Key is finding a good one.

 

I remember GatorKnights posting about talking to black appraisers who routinely had police called on them when they were appraising homes. GK never had it happen to him.

 

Yes. I met a young African American at a continuing education seminar. It dawned on me that it was the first black appraiser I had met.

The job often requires appraisers to enter a house that is no longer occupied by the owner or sometimes when the owner is simply at work. This, of course, is done with an appointment and the lock box and/or combination box is used for entry.

The young black appraiser asked me about police showing up at the appraisal inspection and how I dealt with it. It took me a minute to figure out what he was talking about. He said that in his first two years working as an appraiser, on three occasions the police had been called and shown up to the house.

In twenty years in the profession, that has never happened to me.

 

Wouldn't a lower appraisal when fronted by a white couple be "the other side of the story"?

Or perhaps an higher appraisal when a white couple is fronted by a black couple?

Regardless, Freddie Mac was spurred by stories like the OP to conduct a study (2021) that included 12 million appraisals.

Freddie Mac Finds ‘Pervasive’ Bias in Home Appraisal Industry

 

Anyone read the complaint? Curious about the cause(s) of action. Most discrimination claims involve involve public accommodations or employment but I’ve seen a couple section 1981 and 1982 claims that might survive here.

 

That’s the kind of stuff that never occurred to me was happening.