It will change the trajectory of her kids' lives because a house is something you can hand down. If you have $3,000 to pay a landlord, you have a mortgage payment. She lives in New York, where prices are much higher, and looking at paying $3,000 a month for a four-bedroom apartment. My sister used to say she never planned to buy, but over the last year her perspective has changed. I talk to anyone who will listen about the advantages of owning property. Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. Early on, one of my Assembly colleagues came to a panel I organized and then used the Realtor and the mortgage lender on the panel to become a first-time homeowner. I want to take the mystery out of how the process works. The other type is cash rich, and they already have money or a property they're using to buy another one.
One type is piecing together the money to buy property either with a tax return or a little money they have saved up, and they have a cousin who is going to do the drywall and someone else who's going to do the electric. Q: What successes have you had that keep you going?Ī: I founded Building Blocks Together while I was at the Land Bank because it was there my eyes were opened to the real estate world. Anything (such as the new legislation) that pushes the needle further, faster, is great. Bringing fairness to housing is long overdue but it's better late than never, and getting property into the hands of Black and brown people is how we rebuild our neighborhoods. Eric Garner's death sparked interest in criminal justice reform it's unfortunate there has to be yet another African-American killed for it to be said, we need to have this conversation now, and we need to back it up so people feel human, feel equal. The Legislature is reactive, and politics plays a big role in what gets pushed to the top. There's been progress with new renter protection laws passed last year, and now they're looking at this. Seeing the Legislature finally acting makes me feel both optimistic and frustrated. Another New York city, Buffalo, has the third-largest gap.
It's a fact Albany has the second-biggest gap between white and Black home ownership in the country - 68.9% compared to 20.1%. I haven't seen the obvious acts of discrimination like in the Newsday article, but I am confident the same thing exists in Albany, Schenectady and Troy, where agents are steering clients away from certain places. On top of that, there's a lot of turnover, foreclosure, a high concentration of renters. It's a two-pronged problem because properties in our worst neighborhoods - Arbor Hill, West End, South End, don't appraise for as much as in other neighborhoods so banks aren't racing each other to get mortgages in those areas. Do you see discrimination in Albany?Ī: I don't think a lot of people know why they're not getting approved for mortgages, but I know there are real estate agents who refuse to show properties in certain areas because they're not comfortable there. Q: The Legislature passed a bill that would discipline real estate agents found to use discriminatory practices, following a three-year investigation by Newsday that revealed Realtors on Long Island steered people of color to certain homes and neighborhoods. It was in that role I saw that was my niche, my thing - it defined how I was going to help people.
Q: How did you get into this line of work?Ī: As a housing service counselor at the Land Bank, I was directly assisting people buying property, getting them through the application process, connecting people with grants and explaining bank information.
0 kommentar(er)
