Posted on 06/02/2024 2:15:26 PM PDT by lowbridge
A molecular biologist says she was prevented from buying the Virginia Beach condo of her dreams after the white owner learned that she was black, it is alleged.
Dr. Raven Baxter, 30, was prepared to buy the home after a virtual tour of the property. It had everything she wanted: a private foyer, wainscoting, exquisite crown molding, and a marble fireplace.
Baxter offered the asking price, $749,000, which was promptly accepted by the seller. The molecular biologist, who works remotely for Mt. Sinai hospital, then sent over a down payment and the condo went into escrow.
But then she received a call late at night from her broker, who told her that the seller, Jane Walker, 84, now wanted to back out of the deal.
'He said, "I don’t know how to tell you this, but she doesn’t want to sell the home to you, and it’s because you’re black,"' Baxter recalled.
Earlier that day, the biological scientist and her long-time boyfriend, Dr. Ronald Gamble Jr., a theoretical physicist who works for NASA, made the three-hour drive to the condo from their apartment in Alexandria, Va.
For the first time, the two scientists explored the property in person.
When Baxter had previously toured the condo virtually, her camera had been off. Jane Walker, the seller, was unaware of her race.
After concluding their inspection of the property, which is near the beach and features a view of the Atlantic, they bumped into the seller.
As the couple prepared to leave, Walker appeared and her agent, Susan Pender of Berkshire Hathaway RW Towne Realty, introduced the two parties.
Moments after the scientists left, Baxter said Walker confronted her agent, telling her that she was not willing to sell her condo to a black person. Walker ordered Pender to terminate the sale.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
I have nothing against people who are who they say they are, but your credentials should back you up. You can’t just say, “oh that sounds impressive, put that in.”
Here’s her wiki page.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raven_Baxter
I wouldn’t call her a molecular biologist from what I’ve read. Maybe she was as an undergrad?
***In 2021, she earned her Ph.D. in curriculum, instruction, and the science of learning from the University at Buffalo, and was awarded the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence. ***
I wonder if that’s even the property. That place looks like it would easily be twice the price if in Virginia Beach with an ocean view. But what do I know? Maybe prices are way down over there.
I wonder if someone left a leading 1 off of the asking price, as in $1,750,000.
Maybe that’s what this was really all about. A typo in a listing
Could it have happened? Sure, had a lot of crazy flagrant racist convos with older folks…. If this was a guy, I’d say odds are lower this happened as they know there are legal ramifications… with this seller being female I’d say odds are higher it may have happened.
It could also be a completely manufactured story.
The articles continued referencing of the buyers jobs shows the motivation of the paper.
Fair housing act makes it illegal to refuse to sell to anyone base on race, so what the buyers do for a living is utterly irrelevant, and any agent would know that a buyer refusing to sell because of race is illegal and would inform the seller of this if they give that reason to them.
So, could it have happened as reported.. sure, but I highly doubt the story as reported
I have a feeling that the story line, the headline is a lie. I mean, it could happen, but I seriously doubt that he is preventing her from buying his condo because of her race.
In May 2024, while she was in the process of buying a condo in Virginia Beach, Baxter's broker informed her that the seller rescinded the agreement because she learned that Baxter was Black. Baxter shared the news on Twitter, and following advice of commenters, filed discrimination claims with the Virginia Fair Housing Office and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. Baxter's broker later said that the seller changed her mind, and The New York Times reported that the sale was set to close later in the summer.[19]
The next day, Loftis reached out to Baxter, telling her that while it was 'unfortunate that the seller' brought 'race into the process,' her kids were 'able to turn her around.'Baxter is now expected to proceed with her purchase of the condo, which will occur later this summer.
It’s kinda like remote housekeeping.
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