Marinscope
A Marin couple filed a fair housing lawsuit in federal district court last week against appraiser Janette Miller, her appraisal firm Miller and Perotti Real Estate Appraisers, Inc. and national appraisal company AMC Links, LLC.
The situation, first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, alleges racial bias in the home appraisal process.
Here is what is alleged in the suit.
Paul Austin and Tenisha Tate-Austin, a Black couple who live in Marin City, had their home appraised and were surprised that it came in at just under $1 million. That is about $500,000 less that they were expecting based on previous estimates.
So, the Austin’s “white washed” their home and sought another appraisal. This time, they had a white friend sit in to pretend to be the owner. Personal pictures or anything that said “Black” in the house was removed. The second appraiser estimated the value of the home at $1,482,500.
The $487,500 discrepancy is the basis for the federal lawsuit.
Austin said “We believe the white lady wanted to devalue our property because we are in a Black neighborhood, and the home belonged to a Black family.”
The Chronicle said that Miller’s firm and AMC Links, LLC did not respond to requests for comment.
The Austin’s bought their Marin City home in 2016 for $550,000.
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