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Black CA couple's home appraisal value goes up $500K after changing family photos to a white family

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Vex

Vex

Member
Oct 25, 2017
22,213
When it comes time to sell my home, whenever that may be, this is what I am most afraid of. Being a PoC, I am wondering if I can hire someone to stand in my home as the "owner". I wonder if anyone has thought up a sort of service where you can pay someone like 50 bux to stand there and act like a HO.

I know, I know it is sad af that I should have to think like this. But literally losing thousands of dollars off of my appraisal because I look a certain way vs losing 50 bucks..? I'll do what I can ffs. :'c
 

Deleted member 22630

Member
Oct 28, 2017
10,000
Spinluck said:
Me selling my future house

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giphy.gif
 
Slayven

Slayven

Never read a comic in his life
Moderator
Oct 25, 2017
93,184
Nepenthe said:
So what you're saying is that whenever I get my own property, I need to pull in one of my white friends for the weekend to stand in for me while appraising it?
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I am shocked there isn't already a side hustle. Rent a white person to stand in for you to get a good deal.
 
Nepenthe

Nepenthe

When the music hits, you feel no pain.
Administrator
Oct 25, 2017
20,711
Slayven said:
I am shocked there isn't already a side hustle. Rent a white person to stand in for you to get a good deal.
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Slayven, we can't even have more of our dollars float out of community. That's why you get a friend; you can bribe them with food or an IOU or something.
 
el jacko

el jacko

Member
Dec 12, 2017
947
A black home is worth 2/3 a white home? Well, the US constitution says a black life is only worth 3/5 a white life, so they weren't that far off

this is a joke plz don't kill me
 
el jacko

el jacko

Member
Dec 12, 2017
947
Jeremy said:
This is sad and unacceptable.

Generally speaking, though, isn't dumping $400k into your home not likely to result in > $400k in home value? I wonder how much the property itself went up in value since the last appraisal... Does anyone have a sense of what home improvements literally pay for themselves or more in an appraisal?
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In all seriousness, given the absurdity of the California housing market, you're right! The newspiece says they paid 400k in improvements - after this, the initial appraisal put the house value at 100k higher, then the white-ified reappraisal put the house at another 500k higher, so 600k in home value improvement, a 200k return on value.

My guess is that, a lot of houses built in the 1960s aren't the best quality, and an even older house (say, 1920s) would command a higher base value? So the building itself might have been a lemon, despite their (real) improvements through the renovations.

EDIT: shit, double post, I'm so sorry!
 
Trup1aya

Trup1aya

Literally a train safety expert
Member
Oct 25, 2017
21,385
Dekim said:
I swear I heard this story before.
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there was a similar story not to long ago.
Jeremy said:
This is sad and unacceptable.

Generally speaking, though, isn't dumping $400k into your home not likely to result in > $400k in home value? I wonder how much the property itself went up in value since the last appraisal... Does anyone have a sense of what home improvements literally pay for themselves or more in an appraisal?
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The type of improvements that cost 400k should definitely increase property value. I'm assuming they significantly boosted the square footage of the house.
 
Trup1aya

Trup1aya

Literally a train safety expert
Member
Oct 25, 2017
21,385
Vex said:
When it comes time to sell my home, whenever that may be, this is what I am most afraid of. Being a PoC, I am wondering if I can hire someone to stand in my home as the "owner". I wonder if anyone has thought up a sort of service where you can pay someone like 50 bux to stand there and act like a HO.

I know, I know it is sad af that I should have to think like this. But literally losing thousands of dollars off of my appraisal because I look a certain way vs losing 50 bucks..? I'll do what I can ffs. :'c
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when you go to sell your home, remove all traces of your blackness and do your best to ensure potential buyers never see you.

it's sad, but 100% necessary.
 
Jeremy

Jeremy

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,639
Trup1aya said:
The type of improvements that cost 400k should definitely increase property value. I'm assuming they significantly boosted the square footage of the house.
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Makes sense... in basically every place where I've owned a home (i.e. in places where the lot itself is > 75% of a given home's value) only increasing square footage could meaningfully bump an appraisal. Most other improvements are marginal, at best.
 
Darknight

Darknight

"I'd buy that for a dollar!"
Member
Oct 25, 2017
22,846
Jeremy said:
Makes sense... in basically every place where I've owned a home (i.e. in places where the lot itself is > 75% of a given home's value) only increasing square footage could meaningfully bump an appraisal. Most other improvements are marginal, at best.
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Also, in the Bay Area, renovations can easily drive the price up a lot. The Bay Area is kinda crazy how different the housing market can be compared to other places.
 
mikeys_legendary

mikeys_legendary

The Fallen
Sep 26, 2018
3,009
I guess when I have a house to sell I'll have to hide all of the pictures and get one of my white friends to stand in for me.

Or...hear me out...I'll put away all the pictures and pretend to be a divorce attorney representing my future wife.
 
mutantmagnet

mutantmagnet

Member
Oct 28, 2017
12,401
This type of story isn't new though I wish in one of these they interviewed the original appraisers as well.

Make them squirm.
 
gozu

gozu

Member
Oct 27, 2017
10,345
America
I westernized my name the first chance I got after 7 years in th country when I read African sounding names get shafted.

I am STILL surprised by this. Racism is truly strong if it's worth $500k.
 
Booya_base

Booya_base

Member
Oct 31, 2017
747
Jersey
Wait, so as a white man, can I hire my face out for Ā£250,000?
In all seriousness though that is so fucked up and unsurprising.
 
FaceHugger

FaceHugger

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
13,949
USA
When I go to flip my rental property I am going to pay a blonde-haired, blue-eyed actress to do it on my behalf.
 
JoeHisaishi

JoeHisaishi

Banned
Jan 30, 2021
122
Don't worry the black owners will hit their next stage of racism in the housing market when attempting to buy their next property in a "nice" part of town.

Estate Agents that won't turn up. Good offers that won't be accepted. Being denied viewings. The "House has been sold" but is still online a month later and still up for viewings.
 
Trup1aya

Trup1aya

Literally a train safety expert
Member
Oct 25, 2017
21,385
Jeremy said:
Makes sense... in basically every place where I've owned a home (i.e. in places where the lot itself is > 75% of a given home's value) only increasing square footage could meaningfully bump an appraisal. Most other improvements are marginal, at best.
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yeah, the only explanation is they made the house larger in addition to modernizing it. Otherwise they'd be wasting money sinking that much into renovations in order to flip it.

edit:
The couple added an entire floor and more than another 1,000 square feet of space.
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Yup. This explains the couples actions. That appraiser needs to be under investigation.
 
Steel

Steel

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
18,220
Fucked, but genuinely unsurprising. Wonder if there's a brown-skinned hispanic equivalent effect?
 
Tokyo_Funk

Tokyo_Funk

Banned
Dec 10, 2018
10,053
This is actually super gross. Is there actually any accountability when it comes to this kind of thing or is this just going to be swept under the carpet like it usually is.
 
Powdered Egg

Powdered Egg

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
17,070
Tokyo_Funk said:
This is actually super gross. Is there actually any accountability when it comes to this kind of thing or is this just going to be swept under the carpet like it usually is.
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Has always happened nationwide.

Shit before Federal Housing laws even applied to Black people, it was common for Blacks to pay double in value in order to buy or rent, with no legal way to be compensated. Blacks were paying double to rent in ghettos while Whites were buying homes with the same or less amount of income.
 
Tokyo_Funk

Tokyo_Funk

Banned
Dec 10, 2018
10,053
Powdered Egg said:
Has always happened nationwide.

Shit before Federal Housing laws even applied to Black people, it was common for Blacks to pay double in value in order to buy or rent, with no legal way to be compensated.
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What the actual fuck? That is actually horrible.

We have services in action here in Australia so that no one can be discriminated against for housing or pricing of housing/rent due to race. Knowing this is just par-for-the-course in America is depressing.
 
Bjomesphat

Bjomesphat

Member
Nov 5, 2017
1,821
I'm white and sold my house in a majority black neighborhood. I was under contract for an agreed upon price (which the appraiser knew) and the appraiser came in and appraised it for $10k less. The selling price was perfectly in line with the rest of the community not to mention we had literally just sold the house! This was the final step.

Thinking about it now, he wouldn't have known our race since we didn't have pictures. Not to mention our realtor said he hardly looked at the place. Needless to say our realtor filed a complaint and we got a new appraiser that gave us the right price. It's just crazy that one person has so much power with a lot of "subjectivity".
 
APerfectOrganism

APerfectOrganism

Sky Van Gogh
Member
Dec 23, 2018
1,315
Washington State
Exactly. This is the kind of shot I try to explain to my libertarian brother-in-law, and he just refuses to get it.
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Explaining systemic racism to in-laws has basically ruined my relationships with then outside of very vapid conversations.

I too have this libertarian brother in-law who, of course, has no job and is on welfare.
 
Sunster

Sunster

The Fallen
Oct 5, 2018
10,021
Grug said:
More proof of whiteness being the "Easy - Just Want To Experience the Story Without Being Challenged" mode in the game of life.
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In games there's "normal (white) mode" and then there's "political (non-white) mode" you're either white or political. choose your fighter.
 
Culex

Culex

Banned
Oct 29, 2017
6,844
Seems like an untapped job - real estate color efficiency expert"

"sell or buy your dream home without colored opinions"
 
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