Author: Dave Towne

Census Tract Info Used Against Appraisers 5

Census Tract Info Used Against Appraisers

“Census tract boundaries do not necessarily define the subject’s market…” Appraisers, of all the issues I’ve written about or questioned since 2006, this topic about your knowledge of, and concern about, Census Tracts has overwhelmingly been the largest response ever, several hundred within just a few hours of posting!  To refresh, the questions were these: Do you know where the Census Tracts boundaries are in the areas you work? When you research and select comparables for your reports, do you pay any attention to Census Tracts? Do you know the racial composition of Census Tracts in the areas you work?...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice / USPAP

Sales Comparison Approach is Racist, as per Academics 26

Sales Comparison Approach is Racist

“…the modern appraisal industry perpetuates racial inequality through its continued use of the “sales comparison approach”… the sales comparison approach persists as the dominant method of assessing home value… the sales comparison approach — the most used method for contemporary residential appraisals — perpetuates inequities through maintaining historical hierarchies and current racialized definitions of comparability…” Appraisers, here’s a YouTube video that you MUST view. This person’s, Dr. Elizabeth Korver-Glenn, PhD, work is one of the key reasons why there is so much chatter about racist appraisers in the US. Her discussion of her book ‘Race Brokers‘ begins at the 8:30...

AI / Appraisal / Appraisal Institute / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisers News

Refuting the Negative Race Bated Accusations 12

Refuting the Negative Race Bated Accusations

We will sink under the weight of all the so-far unproved accusations. Appraisers, Tobias J. Peter, Assistant Director, AEI Housing Center Research Fellow, American Enterprise Institute (AEI), has weighed in on all the negative press and faulty ‘studies’ (by both GSE’s and others) that have been promulgated about how appraisers, as a whole, have systemic racism built-in when doing property inspections and appraisal reports. Faulty Evidence and Misdiagnosed Solutions Why centralizing appraisal standards and criteria under a new federal agency as proposed under the Fair Appraisal and Inequity Reform Act is not justified His well-written report, as testimony in a...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News

Solving the ANSI Measuring Dilemma - A Simple Work Around 39

Solving the ANSI Measuring Dilemma

…a brilliant ‘work around’ to solve the subject & comps adjustment issues, which Fannie Mae thinks is no big deal… Appraisers, I was chatting with an appraiser buddy last week about the ANSI measuring dilemma we all face when doing Conventional lending reports, which ultimately will wind up with Fannie Mae. In my view, my appraiser buddy has a brilliant ‘work around’ to solve the subject & comps adjustment issues, which Fannie Mae thinks is no big deal, but we all know will cause considerable consternation among users of our reports, and with appraisers trying to figure out how to...

American National Standards Institute / ANSI / Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Fannie Mae - Freddie Mac

First Known Racial Bias Court Case Against Appraiser 28

First Known Racial Bias Court Case Against Appraiser

It may mean that this will turn out to be the bellwether test case for other similar lawsuits against appraisers… Folks, a San Francisco, CA US District Court Judge has ruled that the bias suit against an appraiser can proceed. This link has the story: Judge finds plausible race discrimination in Black couple’s lawsuit over lowball appraisal | Courthouse News Service Appraiser Janette Miller with Miller and Perotti Real Estate Appraisers was hired by appraisal services company AMC Links to do the inspection in January 2020. The Austins’ lawsuit, filed this past December, claims Miller valued their home at $995,500...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Trending

Is This Room a Bedroom? 3

Is This Room a Bedroom?

I often see discussions on various forums about “is this room a bedroom”, or similar comments. In case you’ve never seen the IBC requirements, I found this on a set of building plans for a new house: IN EVERY SLEEPING ROOM, PROVIDE AN EMERGENCY EXIT WINDOW WITH MIN. HT. OF 24″ AND MIN. WIDTH OF 20″ AND NOT LESS THAN 5.7 SQ.FT. OF OPENABLE AREA AND NOT MORE THAN 44″ FROM FLR. TO SILL So to decipher: A BEDROOM egress window sill must be no more than 44” above the floor. The opening height of the window must be no...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Federal Housing Administration / FHA

PAVE May Pave Over Appraisers. The Blame Game Against Appraisers 19

PAVE May Pave Over Appraisers

The blame game against appraisers is continuing the fast and furious start, evidenced by the PAVE report. A synopsis is in the link: PAVE task force delivers plan on appraisal bias – Lexology Key info from the PAVE report. “Relevant agencies have also committed to addressing potential bias in the use of technology-based valuation tools through a rulemaking related to automated valuation models (AVMs), including the addition of a nondiscrimination quality control standard in the proposed rule.”  And, “In the coming months, the Task Force will assess: (i) the “expanded use of alternatives to traditional appraisals as a means of reducing...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Automated Valuation Models / AVM / Political Action

Sketch or Floor Plan? 13

Sketch or Floor Plan?

The FLOOR PLAN has all the elements of a SKETCH… Appraisers, I was given some ‘inside info’ about DESKTOP assignment reports being submitted to the GSE’s – incorrectly. The FLOOR PLAN exhibit in these DESKTOP reports, in some cases, is not being done correctly. Let’s examine what is actually required as a diagram showing the dwelling: First, when the appraiser certified that they, or their trainee, have/has made an on-site personal visit to the property and has measured the dwelling, only a SKETCH is required – unless interior design problems are noted, in which case the SKETCH must be upgraded to...

American National Standards Institute / ANSI / Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisal Software / Appraisers News

VA Unofficially Says NOPE to ANSI Measuring Protocol 16

VA Unofficially Says NOPE to ANSI

The other agencies, Freddie Mac, HUD/FHA, USDA, ONAP, VA have NOT (yet) adopted this ANSI measuring protocol. Appraisers, an appraiser I know sent an email to the VA asking if VA was going to require appraisers to adhere to the ANSI Z765-2021 Measuring Standard as of April 1, 2022. The appraiser received an ‘unofficial’ response back from a person within the VA connected to processing appraisals, which said: “The short answer is, no.” I say this is ‘unofficial’ because to-date, I have seen nothing “official” from VA about this topic. Only officials from within VA know whether or not they...

American National Standards Institute / ANSI / Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Fannie Mae - Freddie Mac

Proposed Design of the URAR 25

Proposed Design of the URAR

Here’s the link to the ‘slide show’ the GSE’s have produced showing proposed design of the future, revised, URAR appraisal form. In my initial very quick observation of the proposed changes, there is FAR MORE INFO REQUESTED about the subject and comparable sales than the ‘current’ 2005 URAR form has on it. If this is what the final version will be like, the appraiser’s time to ‘complete the form report’ may increase exponentially. It may mean that the cost of the appraisal will increase. I hope people involved with this will be more sensitive to this aspect, unlike what was...

1004MC / Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Fannie Mae - Freddie Mac / Trending

xml sitemap
blank