Photo courtesy Fox 59.
Carlette Duffy filed a discrimination complaint after her home was appraised at $100,000 more when she used a white male at the appraisal.
Duffy told FOX 59 in Indianapolis that she had mixed feelings upon learning that she could get an extra $100,000 for her house by having a Caucasian man front as the homeowner. She also didn’t reveal her race to the appraisal company after reading an article about race discrimination in the housing market.
“I decided to do exactly what was done in the article. I took down every photo of my family from my house. I took every piece of ethnic artwork out, so any African artwork, I took it out. I displayed my degrees, I removed certain books, said Duffy. “I get choked up even thinking about it now because I was so excited and so happy, and then I was so angry that I had to go through all of that just to be treated fairly,” said a teary-eyed Duffy.
The first two home appraisals Carlette Duffy received were for the same amount she’d paid for her house years ago. She filed a complaint with the Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana and said that she believes home appraisal discrimination happens more than it’s reported.
Housing discrimination is illegal but happens regularly. Homes in Black neighborhoods are on average appraised by $48,000 less than their value.
As Newsonyx previously reported, a California couple’s house was appraised for $500,000 more when they had a white friend front as the homeowner. A Chicago woman was also discriminated against with an appraisal. Christina Jordan was offered $1000 less than she spent on her condo six years prior for her first appraisal. After she left her race off of the appraisal forms, her condo’s worth went up by $62,000.
Neither the appraisers or mortgage companies named in Duffy’s discrimination complaint cared to comment on their treachery.