Tagged: Fannie Mae

May 16, 2019

Appraiser Imposters!

AMC sends a “non-appraiser” to photograph, measure, sketch, and observe a property, it’s quality, condition, and surroundings instead of using a qualified appraiser… I’m not an Appraiser, You just think I’m one Ever see the AT&T commercial where the surgeon walks in and he says “I Just got reinstated, Nervous? That’s ok so am I”. If not see here: Or the late 1986 commercial with Peter Bergman that states I’m not really a doctor but I play one on TV. Well get ready Consumers because the person that is about to visit your home IS NOT an appraiser...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Fannie Mae - Freddie Mac

Should We Real Estate Appraisers Stop Making Adjustments?

April 2, 2019

Should Adjustments Actually Be Done?

How much credit should we give ourselves when it comes to making adjustments? Making adjustments is controversial. USPAP says nothing about adjustments – it does not require us to make them. They are a GSE construct. So, should we real estate appraisers stop making adjustments? Clients pay us for opinions of value, so our adjustments are really opinions based on what the market tells us (or that’s what we should base them on), but they are still opinions we form; they are not facts we find. So, maybe, should we stop making adjustments? We derive our adjustments from sources such...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Automated Valuation Models / AVM / Trending

Let Appraisers Train their Own Inspector Personnel for Desktop Appraisals

March 25, 2019

Let Appraisers Train Their Own Inspectors

If we are to make a third party inspector liable for the data they provide… FNMA’s recent newsletter states that a third party inspector should be hired to deliver photos, sketches, etc about a property to them. After their review, if they believe an appraisal is needed then they can forward that information to the appraiser and a desktop can be performed with ease and accuracy. In their words, this is no different than an appraiser relying upon other forms of data in the report such as public records, MLS, etc. I really do appreciate the perspective of some who...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Fannie Mae - Freddie Mac / Trending

The Truth is Hybrid Hucksters Don't Hire Professionals!

March 21, 2019

The Truth is They Don’t Hire Professionals!

Hybrid hucksters always argue “Why can’t trained professionals like brokers or insurance inspectors” perform the appraiser’s field inspection. The answer is because ‘trained professionals’ like those noted don’t work for $25 an inspection; are unwilling to give up their day jobs for a chance at a single $25 inspection one or two days a week, AND if they are truly trained professionals, to begin with, they are unwilling to work for part-time income of $0 to $25 a day in vain hope of having a periodic 8 or 16 inspection day (assumes all 16 are side by side since there’d...

AGA / AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations

March 19, 2019

Verisite Photo Appraisal

Appraisal Photo Report for use on loans, pick and choose pictures… Is the Welcome Mat Down and the Door Opened Wide for Fraud? “What Appraisers Need to Know about Property Data Collection” is a topic of discussion in the latest Fannie Mae Newsletter. The article describes how property data is being collected and being sent to Fannie Mae to determine the type of valuation that is needed on a property. It discusses Appraisal Modernization, Desktop appraisals, Scope of Work and USPAP. It even references The Appraisal Foundation Video on Inspections & Hybrid Appraisal Assignments. Well, Fannie Mae is the last entity that should be discussing...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisers News / Fannie Mae - Freddie Mac / The Appraisal Foundation

Subject Street Scene Photos' Policy - Appraisers Blogs

March 5, 2019

Street Scene Photos of the Subject Property

Appraisers, the discussion of subject photos occurred recently on a forum I read. How many of you know the street scene “view” policy of FHA and FNMA? How many of you were trained to just take ONE photo from the very front of the subject, looking down the street in one direction or the other (without having the subject in the photo)? Is that ‘good enough’ for a lender to know the context of where the subject is on the street? If a ‘street view policy’ between agencies is more strict for one, would it be appropriate to adopt that policy for...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Fannie Mae - Freddie Mac / Federal Housing Administration / FHA

February 21, 2019

Faster Cheaper Appraisals!

An appraiser shared the following with us. Vintage Mortgage Firm is offering faster cheaper appraisals. New Faster Cheaper Appraisals! Three points: One: We run automated approvals with both DU (Fannie) and LP (Freddie) with the click of one button. This gives us the best chance for appraisal waivers. Have you done a purchase transaction recently with NO appraisal needed? We do them all the time. Two: As of Feb 1st, we will have access to a completely different kind of appraisal if one is needed. First step is a much cheaper $145.00 abbreviated appraisal. This information is put into our...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Automated Valuation Models / AVM / Collateral Underwriter

February 19, 2019

COD at The Door?

Can Appraisers Collect at the Door (COD)? In the past, it was common for appraisers to collect their fees directly from the borrower at the time of the property visit (i.e., at the door). I would take credit cards, checks, or cash while at the door. Many years ago, this was common. Now, however, that rarely happens and we usually have to wait 30- to 60-days for payment from the AMC client. So recently, when I got a COD order from HUD, I was really surprised. In fact, I thought something was bogus. I needed to check this out since...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Fannie Mae - Freddie Mac

February 5, 2019

What’s Happening With the New Forms?

Many of you are aware that the GSE’s are in the process of evaluating the entire appraisal process, including the existing ‘forms.’ This initiative was announced in 2nd Qtr 2018, and reps from both FNMA and FrMac made presentations at various appraiser conferences and other places through the year to gather info and suggestions from all appraisal forms users. This new initiative was never intended to be an immediate make-over; instead, the GSE’s said it was to be an approximate 3 year process. In December 2018, the GSE’s released their Executive Summary (see PDF below) describing what’s been accomplished so...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Fannie Mae - Freddie Mac / UAD / Uniform Appraisal Dataset

Is SmartExchange a Problem & Resulting in USPAP Non-Compliance?

January 30, 2019

Is SmartExchange Not USPAP-Compliant?

Is Smartexchange Resulting in USPAP Non-Compliance? This blog is likely going to stir up controversy. It is likely going to have a few folks calling me a loyalist to a la mode, or other similar things. Am I a loyalist? I do not see myself as such, but a la mode has been the only software that I have used in my career for residential form reporting. I do use ACI in the corporate setting as a reviewer and manager in my firm. I like and consider many of the staff at a la mode to be my friends, and I have had long relationships...

a la mode / ACI / AI / Appraisal / Appraisal Institute / Appraisal News