>> thank you for being here on this friday. today you will be getting a first look inside the all-new documentary our america streaming today on the streaming app and hulu. if you follow my reporting over the last couple of years, you know a lot of it has had to do with the home appraisal process and how black and latino families have been hit with a process -- appraisals hundreds of thousands lower.

this all started in the north bay with a wonderful black family sharing their story of how their home value skyrocketed after they had a white family stand in. we will also be hearing from another family in the documentary about their perspective working as a real estate broker and appraiser but still finding themselves on the other end of a lowball appraisal. finally, we will speak with a representative from housing and urban development. we will also hear what you can do to push back against a lowball appraisal. first, look at the documentary. >> i went through whitewashing my home. then i got the appraisal back.

the only thing bringing down the value of my home was me. >> it appraised for 1.482. >> almost $500,000 more. >> it becomes bigger and bigger. >> we pay our taxes like everybody else, so why my being treated this way? >> that's not what you call regulation or oversight. it's not what you call fairness. how does that happen? >> because i live in a black neighborhood. >> our america lowballed is streaming live.

thank you for being here is afternoon. >> thank you for having us. >> it is been almost two years since you received that appraisal. you've become the faces of appraisal discrimination and last night, we at to see. what was it like to see that documentary and realize you have the platform to create change in our country? >> we are honored but also we feel a sense of responsibility to the other folks in this country who have this experience. we are appreciative to you for amplifying the story and doing such a fantastic job with the movie. we feel a sense of responsibility and honor simultaneously. >> absolutely. it was heartwarming.

it was a little bit emotional. it speaks loudly to what's going on around appraisal issue. >> as we know, this is still ongoing for you all. you were able to beat the lowball appraisal, but the challenges you are facing are still ongoing. what have you learned about yourselves in this process that has lasted more than two years? what have you learned? >> we learned a lot. it was never our plan to get thrown into this appraisal issue. we knew we had to stand up against it to make sure our children can have a better opportunity at life by chasing that american dream. one thing that i learned is the system needs to be blown up.

we need to start over with the system that is fair for everybody. hopefully, we can see some true change come down the line. in order for that to happen. >> what about you, what have you learned about this process over the last two years and fighting for what's yours but also being the faces of this issue? as folks will see in our did -- documentary, you went all the way to the white house. he spoke directly to the vice president and other cabinet members. what have you learned from this process? >> that's exactly right. it's a battle. we are on television so it might seem glamorous, but it's not. what we've also learned is that we are resilient and strong.

we will keep pushing ahead and fighting. >> i don't want to -- i want underscore what it takes to be able to tell your story with confidence courage and poise as you do every time you speak with me or so many of the other media outlets across the country that have reached out to you as a follow-up to my initial reporting. i want to talk more about a positive note. what has it been like to receive this outpouring of support from the community? my heart is so full seeing the reaction. how are you all feeling? people came out to give you flowers and thank you for what you have done. >> it's a little overwhelming. i want to say thank you to all of the supporters and those who have been here to support us

through this time. we feel good about it. the documentary, it pours life and education into people. something that is captivating, something that will hold you and grip you we met a bunch of people that i did not know yesterday. i also saw a bunch of familiar faces that came out to support us with the premier of the documentary. it feels really good. >> what is your message to families out there who feel that they have been hit with a lowball appraisal or other types of housing discrimination? as we started this journey two years ago, there was no way i could have imagined, that you will could have imagined the spot you are in today. what is your message to folks who find themselves in a similar situation? >> i would recommend that people fight. we didn't know we had recourse.

never the stories out there, there are more opportunities, people have awareness about their recourse. fight back. i know you have some ways or opportunities to get in touch with folks who feel like they have been discriminated against. it's on your webpage. don't give up. keep fighting. the more we raise awareness around this issue, the faster things will change. >> be in conversation with people. >> that's so important. we have to go, but thank you so much for your bravery and courage for being here this afternoon and being a part of this documentary. we cannot have done it without you. next up, you will hear from dominique and rod another family featured in our special.

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>> welcome back to getting answers. you will no doubt be struck by an east bay couple story. we're talking about dominique and ron. they are joining us live. it is so good to see you.

i hope you have seen a chance to see the documentary. how is this created a platform to make real change? >> it has been a process, a journey. we feel good that we are using our story so that other people can come out and express their biased appraisals as well. >> what about you? you will have gone through a long process of fighting the lowball appraisal with the state of california. how does it feel to have this platform? parks it feels good to be heard and not to be ignored like we are so much of the time. what i want to do is shout out

to the austin family for standing up and you also. you guys did things that you didn't have to do. i don't really think people understand the level of courage it takes to receive threats, to go back to work, to face coworkers in everyday life. the things that come along with standing up for what's right. i just wanted to say thank you. >> thanks to you all for having the courage and bravery, the things i said to the austins to be able to put your faces, your names potentially like you said your livelihood . we talked about as one of many

few latina appraisers, what has it been like for you having your own appraisal business? >> there are pros and cons. starting off, the appraisal road is hidden. you have to be able to do the research and do things on your own. i tried to do as much research as i could put myself in a position where i'm doing a lot of footwork. business is business and real estate has its ups and downs. >> you've also been doing your part to encourage women and people of color to get into the industry. >> i did a few for sonoma, i

spoke and i met a few women who had kids, daughters and sons. when they see me, there like how can i get my kids into this what can i do? one of the things of being able to go to the meetings and speak about it, i'm able to give them the vision of we can do it also. >> seeing it is the first step of believing that and being it. i want to talk about something else in the documentary, you are pushed back on the appraisal that was $250,000 lower than expected. he found report with the state of california and you were successful. the state find the appraiser. now they have to pay a fine and take additional courses. what do you make of the find that the appraiser received?

>> the punishment was somewhat minimal. ethic we have to keep our eyes on the structural part of. i say that because there are already checks and balances put into place. we initially took that appraisers report and we submitted a 60 page rebuttal to the lender to quicken loans and they did nothing. they left it as is and they said the appraiser was right. even though the appraiser received a fine, the big company got off scott free. >> there are still avenues for change. your story is a step in the right direction. we appreciate you. >> clearly after hearing from

the families, there is so much more work to be done when it comes to fighting against this issue of appraisal bias. what's being done about it? i take those questions to the director with the department great gifts at this price? is this for real? not exactly that's bargain bliss setting in you're basking in the glow of great gifts at deep discount prices.

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the issue of appraisal bias has been front and center for the biden harris of administration. earlier they released the results of a task force. the findings were largely recommendations, but how much action has been taken to protect these families? earlier today i spoke with the executive director of the task force and the deputy assistant secretary for enforcement compliance at hud. thank you so much for joining us today. >> thank you for having me.

>> i imagine at this time you have had a chance to view our documentary. what goes through your mind when you hear these personal stories? >> let me first say i want to thank you for allowing hud and the task force to be a part of a significant effort to increase awareness around the issue of equity. this is deeply embedded in the biden harris administration agenda. so many nuggets were in the documentary. i want to applaud you for serving as a catalyst. your documentary amplifies the impact this has on the individual and the community at large. discrimination in the home

buying process has a history. families have been impacted by the loss of wealth. >> i want to talk about acts of discrimination. a report just out details a sharp increase in the number of housing discrimination complaints reaching an all-time high in 2021. to what degree have you seen an uptick in those reports filed with hud and has there been an uptick in housing commission reports and is hud prepared to handle the increase? >> that's a good fair question. aligned with the uptick we have seen in the discrimination complaints so has hud with regard to our fair housing assistance program agencies. we have seen a rise in the number of complaints in the past couple of years. however, the extent of the problem we believe could be far larger.

the taskforces learned that many consumers are unaware of the channels available to them. if they believe they have been discriminated against. we believe that more consumer education and in turn more data is needed to understand the full extent of inequity in the appraisal process across the country. >> that was one of the key things that you all called for with the formation of the task force which was unprecedented. can you spell out some of the headline findings of the task force report? >> one of the most significant findings and what we establish in the plan is it represents the most wide-ranging set of reforms forward to advance in the process. task force has transitioned to implementing actions using existing authorities. we focused on pillar areas that

we believe in a short time we were able to evaluate appraisal bias. those areas we focused on were around empowering consumers, making appraisal industry more accountable by way of enforcement, compliance, and governance. cultivating an appraisal got -- workforce that is well-trained and looks like the communities it serves. leveraging data and expertise. that was one of the big-ticket issues and concerns. the access to data and making it available and transparent is critical and a finding we determined that we can work around and galvanize. then ensuring that technology doesn't perpetuate bias. >> you mentioned the measures that agencies can take.

a number of things that was called for is acts of congress. we know that congress is been working with maxine waters and others. where does that legislation stand and what could it accomplish in making sure families of color from across the country are not hit with lowball appraisals? >> great question. currently, a number of the members of the task force are working to put forward legislation. they worked in tandem with as you mentioned maxine waters office and others to number one educate. there's education around this work that is required and has been catalyzed with congress and others. that's the first thing. second to that is the notion that we are working toward establishing clear guidance

around reconsideration of value and making sure that consumers in the process of seeking a second opinion are able to have a clear set of standards around that. what we believe will happen when successfully implemented, it will impact lenders appraisers and most importantly provide a process for consumers to address potential loss of wealth during a purchase or refinance. >> we have a couple questions that we want to sneak in. hud is working with members of congress. how can hud expedite the investigative process? so many families i have interviewed, they filed complaints but they are waiting to get rulings on their cases. how can hud make the process faster so they can get the recourse they deserve? >> great question.

statutorily, we are given 100 days to investigate complaint. these are complex issues we are working around and we want to make sure we get it right. establishing good case law is important. the department has currently through its office of systemic investigations has created a toolkit that we are working with internal to hud and external to hud to make sure we have consistency across the enforcement agencies to conduct these investigations. recognizing that families want to get a quick response to this from hud perspective, we want to get right and make sure we are establishing good case law in these investigations. >> i want you to quickly if you can give the website for where the spokes who feel that they have been impacted by appraisal

termination or any other form of housing scrim and nation can file the complaint with hud. >> they can go to pave.hud.gov. >> thank you so much and congratulation on your work. after my car accident, i wondered what my case was worth. so i called the barnes firm. when that car hit my motorcycle, insurance wasn't fair. so i called the barnes firm. it was the best call i could've made.

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the benefits you deserve for 2023. you can receive extra benefits for a zero dollar monthly premium, like dental, vision, hearing and prescription drugs. call 1-866-336-3448 and make sure you're not missing out. thank you so much for joining us. remember we are streaming. you can find more at lowball. abc. i will have more coming up tonight.

world news tonight with david muir is up next. tonight, tracking a major weekend winter storm sweeping across the country. snow, dangerous windsing alerts already at this hour from colorado all the way to new york. two dozen states under those heavy snow and wind alerts. gusts up to 80 miles per hour expected. and the stunning vote tonight showing a truck falling off a from a, kraring on to cars below. what's coming right behind it all as well. rob marciano standing by to time this out. the economy tonight, and there is news on gas prices and on jobs. the new numbers, gas prices falling and and what they're predicting by christmas. the new jobs numbers tonight. wages going up. president biden signing the bill avoiding the pot