Category: Appraisal Organizations

Reforming the Appraisal Review Process: The Illogical Reality of Mortgage Appraisal Reviews 27

The Illogical Reality of Mortgage Appraisal Reviews 

Reforming the appraisal review process is essential to maintaining the integrity of the real estate market and protecting consumers and homeowners.  In mortgage financing, the appraisal process is often seen as the foundation of accurate property valuation and market stability. However, beneath this façade of reliability lies a troubling rift: while real estate appraisers must navigate stringent licensing protocols and scrutiny, the individuals reviewing the appraisals often operate with minimal oversight, instead leaning heavily on automated systems and algorithms. This stark disparity not only undermines the credibility of the review process but also revives the threat of past missteps, once...

Appraisal Fees & Value: Lessons from Picasso & Steinmetz 26

Appraisal Fees & Value: Lessons from Picasso & Steinmetz

Picasso answered “$5,000 madam.” “But it only took you five minutes.” “No, madam, it took me my whole life.”  The Appraisal Institute has been a source of frustration and criticism within the appraisal profession for quite some time. I must admit that I have also expressed my dissatisfaction with them. Nevertheless, I must acknowledge that the new CEO, Cindy Chance, appears to be a positive change and is making some valuable points about our profession from her new position. In particular, she recently discussed appraisal fees in a piece she wrote. In this excerpt, she shares two stories that provide...

AI to Counter the Flawed Appraiser Bias Narrative 29

AI to Counter Flawed Appraiser Bias Narrative

In reality, appraisers have a great story to tell, but we have a long way to go to refocus the terribly flawed “appraiser bias” narrative onto facts and science.  Last week’s email from Cindy Chance, the CEO of the Appraisal Institute, marks an important and long overdue shift in the organization’s approach to addressing accusations of bias in the appraisal profession. For too long, appraisers have faced sweeping claims that their valuations are biased against certain groups, despite appraisers’ ethical standards, rigorous training, and lack of financial stake in transactions. As Chance acknowledges, the Institute should have done more to...

Obscure Federal Official Has Hatched ‘Sick Chicken’ in Housing Sector 18

Obscure Federal Official Has Hatched ‘Sick Chicken’ in Housing Sector

The case eventually found its way to the U.S. Supreme Court, where it came to be known to the public as the “Sick Chicken Case”  It was the Great Depression’s bleakest year – 1933. At President Roosevelt’s urging, Congress passed the National Industrial Recovery Act, a New Deal bill that partially ceded lawmaking authority to private organizations and industry boards to develop codes of conduct that would then be enforced on citizens as binding law. The owners of poultry producer Schechter Poultry Corp. were indicted for violating the new private business code for the poultry industry. The chicken men lawyered...

The Lack of Transparency in Appraiser Compensation 20

The Lack of Transparency in Appraiser Compensation

The current system of bundling appraiser compensation with third-party fees can lead to confusion and frustration for both appraisers and consumers.  In their letter to the ASC, NAR highlighted the importance of appropriate compensation for appraisers. They stated that fair and reasonable compensation is critical to attracting and retaining high-quality appraisers, as well as allowing them to invest in their skills and education. However, the current system lacks transparency when it comes to reporting appraiser compensation. The issue lies in the TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosures (TRID) form, which requires an aggregate appraisal fee to be reported. This means that the fee...

Recap of the 4th Appraisal Bias Hearing 11

Recap of the 4th ASC Appraisal Bias Hearing

On February 13th, 2024, the fourth ASC appraisal bias hearing took place. For those who were unable to attend, the video of the hearing has been included below. The hearing was a crucial event for the appraisal industry, and it is important for all appraisers to be aware of the discussions and topics addressed. The panel of witnesses included: David Bunton, President, The Appraisal Foundation E.C. Neelly IV, Executive Director, Mississippi Real Estate Appraisal Board Maureen Sweeney, Principal, Maureen Sweeney, Real Estate Appraiser Ltd. Melissa Tran, Director, Texas Appraiser Licensing and Certification Board Jillian White, Chief Executive Officer, Appraisal Insights...

It’s Just Responsible Journalism! 49

It’s Just Responsible Journalism!

Not reporting complete and accurate information is nothing more than irresponsible journalism!  The local television station WWBT, NBC 12 in the Richmond market is airing a story on Thursday February 22 during the 6 pm News Broadcast, about racial bias in real estate appraisals. We know this is not a new topic and previous stories that have aired have been extremely one sided and not from the appraiser’s perspective. VaCAP was not contacted for information, nor were any appraisers that we know. We have seen the negative impact this type of story has on our profession and we need your...

Limitations for Damages Against Appraisers 0

Limitations for Damages Against Appraisers

Why would any damages against an appraiser be more than the actual fee paid to the appraiser?  House Bill 53 has been introduced into the 2024 Virginia General Assembly, directly impacting Virginia Real Estate Appraisers. The legislation introduced by R. Lee Ware places a statute of limitations for damages against appraisers and appraisal management companies at 5 years. SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED: Actions against real estate appraisers or appraisal management companies; statute of limitations. Provides that no action for damages or other relief alleging that a certified general real estate appraiser, a certified residential real estate appraiser, a licensed residential real...

Racial Bias Complaint Filed Against Me 47

Seller Filed a Racial Bias Complaint Against Me

So what’s caused the sudden loss of income? Could it be because of the racial bias complaint filed against me by an unhappy Seller…  Fannie Mae accomplished what they set out to do in July 2011, when they initiated their Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD) and the Uniform Collateral Data Portal. The goal was to collect enough property data to effectively remove appraisers from the home buying and refinancing process. It all started with Dodd-Frank Act, a several hundred pages Act signed into law by then President Obama, sold to unsuspecting Americans as a protection from the corrupt business practices of...

Reality of Today's Appraisal Environment; Discriminatory Falsehood 10

Reality of Today’s Appraisal Environment

Proving discriminatory activity is hard, which is probably one reason HUD is dragging their collective feet in resolving the filed complaints.  The real scourge of what’s been happening to appraisers for the past 5 years (yes, it started prior to the last election) has been revealed by Mr. Isaac Peck, in this article. You really need to read it, perhaps again, if you saw it come through your email on Wednesday October 25. Isaac has allowed me to “re-broadcast” his article. Yes, it’s a ‘sales promotion’ but it contains critical information appraisers need to know about. The first paragraph, contained...

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