Appraisal Bias Mantra is Largely False Reporting

Appraisal Bias Mantra is Largely False Reporting

Just How Commonplace Is Appraisal Bias? 

Folks, about the only entity examining in depth the details behind all the allegations about appraisers being inherently biased is the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) Housing Center. They are proving that most of the allegations are mostly a dump truck load of bovine substance.

Click here for their latest expose.

Report: Just How Commonplace Is Appraisal Bias? – theMReport.com

Within this report are these statements from AEI:

“When comparing appraisals for people of color to those for non-Hispanic white people within the same geographies, a new study by the American Enterprise Institute’s (AEI) Housing Center finds that there are no or hardly any differences.”

“The study suggests that commonalities in people’s experiences in buying a home (e.g., first-time home buyer status) or local market conditions (e.g., the presence of a market frenzy or seller concessions) are far more important than differences in people’s race or ethnicity when it comes to determining who receives an under-valuation and who does not.”

AEI is debunking all the comments about Census Tracts and Race used against appraisers that have been so prevalent the past few years.

I’ve written multiple times during that time period about the attackers, including Freddie Mac, who have relied mostly on personal demographic Census Track data in slamming appraisers up against the mortgage lending wall.

What these attackers have been doing is comparing the appraised subject property characteristics to other pinpointed properties where the RACE of occupants is found using the Census data, and then denigrate appraisers by using racial demographic info which we appraisers are forbidden to use when doing our analysis and reports.

This situation is very ugly. It is precipitated by identity politics surrounding race promulgated by one individual, with the underlings falling all over themselves to please the master, and promote and perpetuate the ugliness.

A once respectful profession is being nearly obliterated by this ugly situation. Appraisers caught up in mortgage lending assignments might be wise to examine their long term viability in this line of work.
 

opinion piece disclaimer
Dave Towne
Latest posts by Dave Towne (see all)
Image credit flickr - Rob Larsen
Dave Towne

Dave Towne

AGA, MNAA, Accredited Green Appraiser - Licensed in WA State since 2003. Dave Towne on e-AppraisersDirectory.com

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16 Responses

  1. Shawn Vanderhart on Facebook Shawn Vanderhart on Facebook says:

    Ridiculous what’s going on in our profession nowadays. Never thought it would get like this 🙁

    10
  2. Avatar Rick Daniel says:

    Please forward to Marcia Fudge, HUD Secretary !!

    9
    • Tobias testified at one of the hearings, Fudge heard this first hand, Maxine Waters was the chair at this hearing, and it was a big joke. Let’s hope ABC news makes another special in apology, I won’t hold my breath.

      6
    • Baggins Baggins says:

      Appraisers have already won the argument. The PAVE task force, TAF, AI, FHFA, the various GSE’s, they simply refuse to listen. The end game of appraisal modernization is not to protect consumers, but rather to finalize the shifting of a billions of dollar a year industry which employs all told hundreds of thousands of licensed and ancillary non licensed persons, shifting all that earnings potential towards a small group of tech and service management companies.

      6
  3. Avatar Seneca says:

    Need a new source if we are going to get the message across. The AEI is the opposite number to the Brookings Institue. AEI is a conservative organization with over 150 contributors with only one being African American. And that was just as a guest writer. Hard sell there is no bias with 150 white authors.

    2
    • Avatar Eric Kretz says:

      “Hard sell there is no bias with 150 white authors”

      Just like a good appraisal report, the facts don’t care about your feelings. If all of the findings in the above report are factual, it shouldnt matter what color the author or their organizational makeup is. Isn’t this the point, that race shouldn’t matter?

      4
      • Avatar Seneca says:

        But race does matter. That is the topic. Just saying, If our only source of rebuttal is always the AEI that is very limited arsenal.

        0
        • Baggins Baggins says:

          Please do us all a favor. Grab your mouse, scroll up to the search bar in the upper right corner of this screen, enter the term; race. 14 pages of articles on this matter, on this website alone. ‘If our only source of rebuttal is always the AEI’… Well, if you don’t know how to read, that’s your problem. Literally tens of thousands of human man hours on the matter. And our only defense this entire time has been two singular AEI reports? Part time armchair activism has it’s own unique set of limitations.

          What does the parrot say? Red Blue Red Blue!

          1
          • Avatar Seneca says:

            Thanks for proving my point. Not a lot of other entities or studies out there defending appraisals apart from AEI

            0
    • Baggins Baggins says:

      There is that narrative again that white people can not be trusted, well, because they’re white. No we do not need a new source from a different racial composite of researchers to prove anything. Facts and reliable studies which follow the scientific method provide adequate counters to illogical suppositions where researchers contrived results because they were personally blinded by their own bias and greed. All consumers are equal, but some are apparently, more equal than others. The Brookings findings are statistical deviations in purchase and sales outcomes as that relates to appraisal results hitting the sales agents numbers or not, the data parsed by the governments own census tract data and race of the borrower, which appraisers do not even utilize and are not allowed to consider.

      We continue to argue that the realty community should have the spotlight, not the appraisers, as appraisers apparently protected minority tract populace groups at a higher degree from becoming involved in excess purchase scenarios where price exceeds rational indicators of market value. Indicating ongoing predatory engagements by lenders and sales agents alike, predominantly focused on non white populace groups. Why? Likely because they are more susceptible to the pressures of predatory engagements, having insufficient financial education on how to maintain better credit, avoid debt traps, and recognizing the bias and risk inherent with commission based sales agency. Something about Addie Polk…

      Besides, the whole thing falls apart if you parse out the impoverished white people whom represent the largest body of poor people in this country, there is hardly any statistical difference because if predatory interests can get the people on a hook, they will. We don’t need complex statistical analysis to see what’s right in front of everyone. Simply put the appraisers presence protects the most financially vulnerable people in this country. That’s not racism, that’s compassion and responsible application of ethical principals, aka checks and balances being in place. In the government bureaucrats and FHFA’s infinite wisdom, they’ve decided that removing one of the last checks and balances which actually protects consumers, is in the consumers best interests. We are from the government, and are here to help.

      And no, the AEI is not the opposite or inverse of the progressive jukebox known as the Brookings Institute. Try reading and researching the issues before making as many suppositional statements based on pure assumption. Here, please allow me to help, link provided. Brookings should just fire Andre already, he’s really ruining the brand label. There are a lot of great things that Brookings does accomplish but how can we give them any credit for anything if they’re apparently willing to slander an entire industry and place tens of thousands of people in real harms way, just to get another government contract?
      https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamandrzejewski/2017/06/02/brookings-institution-the-progressive-jukebox-funded-by-u-s-taxpayers/?sh=13f437485e53

      4
      • Avatar Seneca says:

        With Dave Towne white people can be trusted, such as the all white AEI, but has a problem with lack of diversity with others…

        https://appraisersblogs.com/diversity-equity-n-inclusion-is-overlooked-by-hud-secretary-marcia-fudge

        And yes, AEI & Brookings are similar right leaning & left leaning entities.

        0
        • Baggins Baggins says:

          https://www.brookings.edu/about-us/leadership/
          https://www.aei.org/our-scholars/page/7/
          It’s almost as if the people are a fair reflection of the demographic make up of their respective political groups and locations where they live. Curious. Must be racism.

          https://www.aei.org/about/annual-report/
          ‘AEI does not take institutional positions on any issues. We are supported by donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations. AEI does not accept any funding from US or foreign governments, including state-owned or state-operated subsidiary entities, and does not perform contract research.’ That’s one difference.

          The Brookings report slandered every one of us and mischaracterized the appraisal industry, leading to a woke bounty placed on all of our licenses and insurance, accelerating the consumer risk by removing essential checks and balances systems which many argue are the last line of consumer defense. The AEI report refuted this with facts and logical analysis. You’re missing the root cause why trust is extended to some places, but not others. If you support the HUD equity movement, get out your wallet and subsidize an interest point buy down for a complete stranger today! That’s not my responsibility and is called taxation without representation.

          2
  4. Donna Beck on Facebook Donna Beck on Facebook says:

    So done with this after 23 years

    2

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Appraisal Bias Mantra is Largely False Reporting

by Dave Towne time to read: 1 min
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