One John Hopkins University professor received a shock after teaching lessons to students about redlining or the act of refusing to loan or insure someone because they live in an area deemed to be a “poor financial risk.” Now, he is experiencing housing discrimination himself, reports AfroTech.
Indeed, sometimes there is a thin line between work and real life.
Professor Nathan Connolly teaches the history of redlining in America by day. Unfortunately, by night his own family has become the target of housing discrimination, reports the New York Times.
Although the professor and his wife, Dr. Shani Mott, were optimistic about the value of their home increasing after conducting new renovations that totaled $35:000, on top of another $5,000 for a new tankless water heater, the couple was met with an underwhelming offer.
When they bought the home in 2017, it was worth $450,000, which is why the pair was floored when Maryland appraisal company 20/20 Valuations estimated the current value of their home at $472,000. They were also shocked when they were denied a refinance Ioan from mortgage lender LoanDepot.
Since the pandemic, home prices have spiked and in the Baltimore area neighborhood where their home is located, Zillow reports that the houses have gone up 42 percent over the last five years.
After writing a letter to the lending officer at LoanDepot to challenge the appraisal, the pair was met with silence. After four months they decided to apply for another refinance loan. This time, however, they removed all family photos from their home.
They also had a colleague who is White stand in their place for the second attempt at landing the loan.
This time, the house was valued at $750,000. That gave the couple all the ammunition they needed to file a lawsuit against LoanDepot, as well as 20/20 Valuations.
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