The National Fair Housing Alliance, along with other Fair Housing agencies, is investigating whether the upkeep of REO homes in minority neighborhoods receives inadequate care in comparison to REOs in predominantly neighborhoods.
"HUD has issued regulations saying the failure and delay of maintenance or repairs on REO properties because of racial composition of a neighborhood" is an actionable offense under the Federal Housing Act, Steve Dane, an attorney with Relman, Dane & Colfax, said in a recent press conference held by NFHA and other fair housing organizations leading the probe.
In the investigation, the agencies are comparing REO properties in predominantly minority and white neighborhoods in Connecticut, Maryland, Ohio, and Virginia, and evaluating the neighborhoods using a scoring system that rates the REO properties on upkeep, maintenance, and curb appeal.
The overwhelming number of failing scores were identified in primarily African-American areas in Dayton, said Jim McCarthy, president and CEO of the Miami Valley Fair Housing Center in Ohio, another agency also conducting the investigation.
I'm sure they would find a much stronger correlation if they looked at it from the standpoint of neighborhood income and home values rather than race. But that would mean less money and influence for the racial grievance industry. Minority neighborhoods have disproportionately high crime rates as compared to white neighborhoods overall. That means higher rates of burglary and vandalism that make it harder and more expensive for banks to maintain those homes. If a comparison were made between similar white and minority neighborhoods, I have no doubt their would be little or no difference in the condition of those REO's.
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