Author: Dave Towne

AMCs Appraisal Report Reviews - Validox Appraisal Review Document 20

AMCs Appraisal Report Reviews

AMCs are legally required to do appraisal report reviews… Appraisers, an appraiser shared AMC appraisal report review documents with me, which the appraiser was given. I have not seen these before. See the PDF embedded below for an example. Per state laws in the various states, AMCs are legally required to do appraisal report reviews per provisions of their state AMC license on up to 5% of the reports they process. AMCs must keep the results of those appraisal report reviews on file for a specified time period, and of course, send the review document to the client lender pertaining to the...

Latest Bid Scam for Fee & Turn Time Quote via Mercury Network 26

Latest Bid Scam for Fee & Turn Time Quote

Lately, I and other appraisers who are ‘members’ of Mercury Network have been getting emails with what ‘looks like’ individual “bid requests” to quote fee and turn time for residential properties. I say ‘looks like’ because the email only has the singular appraiser’s email address showing. What’s actually been happening is the client is sending multiple emails to individual appraisers via Mercury Network. These emails always have an acceptance window of several hours, which is acceptable (unless 4 hrs or less). But they are not honoring the time frame window to present a bid, and withdraw the potential assignment, after...

Multi-Display Efficiency on One Curved Monitor During Report Production 9

Multi-Display on One Large Curved Monitor

Hi folks and Happy Thanksgiving! If you’ve been considering replacing multiple individual computer monitors with ONE large screen monitor, you may want to have software which allows individual ‘monitors’ showing different screens to be displayed on the one monitor. As most of us know, multiple monitors allows us to be more efficient during report production, reducing or eliminating the need to switch back and forth between various web sites we need to use. I first learned about this technology from Brandon, at SPARK, i.e., www.choicevaluation.com, who moved from 4 individual monitors to one large screen high def TV used as...

Hard Fixed Appraisal Fee in TRID - Possible Changes by CFPB 19

TRID – Possible Changes by CFPB

For appraisers and lenders, a key sticking point is the ‘appraisal fee’ has been hard-fixed, quoted up front, and difficult to change, at the time the assignment is given to the appraiser… Appraisers / Lenders, the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (CFPB) has opened a comment period soliciting written comments on the current TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure (TRID) process applying to consumer mortgage loans. Comments can be submitted to the following addresses, until Jan. 21, 2020. You may submit comments, identified by Docket No. CFPB-2019-0055, by any of the following methods: Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments....

Inappropriate Use of GSE Forms for Private Appraisals - AppraisersBlogs 5

Inappropriate Form Use

Why oh why do appraisers who should know better do private assignment appraisal reports using the mortgage lending GSE forms? Here’s an “observation” from an actual report I just happened to see: Do the appraisers who do this not read the parameters (Intended Use & User) of the form?? INTENDED USE: The intended use of this appraisal report is for the lender/client to evaluate the property that is the subject of this appraisal for a mortgage finance transaction. INTENDED USER: The intended user of this appraisal report is the lender/client. Note the “Assignment Type” on the first screen shot. “Marital...

Data and Verification Sources Are Critical 11

Data and Verification Sources Are Critical

The genesis for this essay began when I heard from another appraiser that a VA report reviewer rejected the comparables “DOC Number” on the Verification Source(s) line. The reviewer said the “DOC Number” was not acceptable as a Verification Source. In fact, VA has said in a newsletter to appraisers that “… Assessor’s File Number may never be used as a Verification Source.” I disagree with that position, and this essay explains why. It also explains what appraisers should do to provide credible Data and Verification Source(s) in reports. Caveat: I don’t do VA assignments. I decided that a deeper dive...

National Appraisers Forum - Join Highly Qualified Peers - AppraisersBlogs 17

National Appraisers Forum

National Appraisers Forum is one of the best appraiser groups with a wealth of info participants share freely on a wide number of topics… Appraisers, if you would like to learn from highly qualified peers (other than me! :), post questions, or offer your own comments, consider joining the FREE group, National Appraisers Forum (NAF). Use this link. This group used to be one of the Yahoo groups, but Yahoo is shutting down groups, so National Appraisers Forum has moved to ‘groups.io’ as its home base. If you are not already a ‘participant’ of NAF, the sign-up is easy. If...

Loans Affected by the $400,000 Appraisal Threshold Increase 2

Loans Affected by the De Minimus Increase

NCUA is advocating for an increase in the de minimus to $400K for loans provided by Credit Unions… The $400,000 de minimus is now ‘official’ but it doesn’t apply to most appraisals. Here’s an article from HousingWire, published on 10/8/2019, which correctly states when this change took effect, which you should read. From the article: Now, it’s important to note that the new rules do not apply to loans wholly or partially insured or guaranteed by, or eligible for sale to, a government agency or government-sponsored agency. What that means is that loans sold to or guaranteed by the Federal...

Forward and Reverse FHA Condo Mortgages - Zoning and Solar Photovoltaic 2

FHA Forward & Reverse Mortgages

FHA appraisers, you may begin seeing more appraisal assignments for both FHA ‘Forward’ and ‘Reverse’ mortgages on condos, starting in October 2019. “Forward” is the slang term for a standard mortgage with a set term, paid off during that term. HUD/FHA has changed the eligibility requirements for condo properties to allow senior (seasoned) citizens to apply for a reverse mortgage if that is their primary residence. The change takes effect in October. The change also affects standard ‘forward’ mortgages on condos, making it easier for condo projects to quality for FHA guaranteed mortgages. FHA clamped down on these in 2008,...

The Raising of the De Minimus and Its Impact on the Appraisal Industry 11

De Minimus Impact on the Appraisal Industry

THREE changes to the de minimus have been experienced, with very little negative impact to appraising as a whole… Folks, anytime there is a major change proposed or activated within the appraisal profession, many appraisers go into hyperventilation mode. The action taken on August 20, 2019, by the FDIC to raise the de minimus LOAN VALUE from $250,000 to $400,000 has had such an effect among many, but it may not be as dire as anticipated. An appraiser sent this 2018 HousingWire article to me earlier today: Within the body of the article, this is stated, which is taken from...

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