These Three Women Are Finding Solutions to Combat Discrimination Against Black Homeowners

The home appraisal industry is plagued by a lack of diversity, and that misrepresentation has led to decades of racial discrimination and a widening affordability gap which these three female appraisers are working to resolve

January 12, 2023

Of roughly 75,000 home appraisers in the United States, 97 percent are white, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and that lack of representation is exacerbating a racial gap in which homes with Black homeowners are devalued. In order to address and resolve appraisal bias, two certified female appraisers and one in training are creating opportunities for underrepresented groups to join the industry.

From a homeowner rights consultancy to equity training programs, Jillian White, Ayako Marsh, and Yetunde Oshodi are offering resources for greater diversity and inclusion in the home appraisal sector and beyond, The New York Times reports.

In the event that a Black homeowner has an appraisal that comes in low and they don’t have a family member who is a Black appraiser, the information they have available to them usually comes either from someone who isn’t an actual appraiser, but is trying to offer advice on the appraisal process. Or if that person is an appraiser, they might be concerned about bias, but they aren’t a person of color themselves. Black appraisers in this space are generally still only talking about how to become an appraiser in the first place.

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