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  • Comment Detail

  • Date: 02/18/21
    First Name: Wesley
    Last Name: Howell
    Email: wesley.howell11@gmail.com
    Organization Type: other
    Organization: Private Citizen

  • Comment

    I live in San Jose, CA where I have seen how rising and unequal home values have affected the amount of affordable housing and the growing racial wealth gap.

    I recognize at the root of these problems is increasingly unequal home values. Given this, I support the FHFA implementing the following:

    1. Standardized measures. Adopt new smartphone applications that provide more consistent estimates of gross living area, number of rooms, and home amenities.

    2. Define neighborhoods. Modernize the uniform appraisal form to automatically define neighborhood boundaries and characteristics to decrease racial and class bias in neighborhood definitions.

    3. Change comparative method. Reform the comparable sales approach and/or introduce an alternative method that does not rely on past sales which are directly tied to racist redlining practices.

    4. Democratize data. Make the federal data on appraisals available so that individuals and communities can identify experiences of racial and class discrimination.

    5. Provide federal mortgages. Partner with other governmental agencies to address the legacy of redlining by providing affordable federal mortgages based on family wealth and income.