“Digitizing the entire appraisal process”… what does this even mean? No more tape measures? No more typing? What exactly is being digitized that is not already digitized?… This is what Class Valuation appears to be doing to justify their actions. According to the article written by Richard Torne in Mortgage Professional America, Class Valuation has announced the acquisition of DataMaster. From the article: “We’re not replacing the appraiser, we’re empowering them” We share a common belief in the true path to the future, which is not to replace the appraiser but to empower them. Appraisers have had their fair share...
Could this be another reason why so many real estate appraisers refuse to do bifurcated hybrid appraisals? Recently, a Mueller Services ‘inspector’ posted a comment on the article titled “Mueller Sample Report. You Decide!“. Could this be another reason why so many real estate appraisers refuse to do bifurcated hybrid appraisals? It goes without saying that bifurcated hybrid appraisals are uniformly performed by very low paid, with third grade level writing skills, untrained property ‘inspectors’ using a checklist – but with no appraisal training and skill. Tbhiitsch: Ah yes, Ive worked for Mueller services. It’s an easy job kind of,...
Brian Stevens of NREP discusses vaccines mandates in a video blog and whether real estate companies have the right to mandate vaccinations for agents who see see themselves as independent contractors. The video got a fair amount of attention. A good deal of comments were unfavorable to the vaccines mandate. COVID, our current seven day average right now with COVID cases is 145,724 cases with 36,953 cases on September 12 alone. These numbers are about half of the COVID high back in January 9 which was 253,946 cases… Here is the thing, RedFin, Warburg Realty, Remax and Coldwell Banker Bain,...
What we got, was 30+ years of complaints from the lenders and politicians who blamed appraisers for all of the lenders and political wrong doings… I retired 2 months ago, and I am SO GLAD I did. I’ve had enough. I decided on an appraisal career because I found real estate, and especially the valuation of homes to be extremely fascinating and challenging, and although I had heard that the appraisal profession was making changes back 30+ years ago, I “assumed” it was becoming a more upstanding, professional occupation, in the eyes of the lenders, politicians and general public,...
When you work with UWM Appraisal Direct… if a borrower pays $500 for an order, the entire fee goes to you. UWM doesn’t make $1 on the order. No appraisal management fees… This announcement just popped into my email, from HousingWire: UWM launches AMC-free appraisal program UWM to coordinate appraisals in-house United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) announced today that it will no longer require its brokers to use appraisal management companies to complete appraisals. The Pontiac, Michigan-based wholesale lender will instead coordinate appraisals in-house, contracting with appraisers directly, offering appraisers and brokers a way to bypass AMCs altogether, which UWM CEO...
Appraisers, if your license renews in 2022, you will need to take the ‘new’ USPAP 7hr Update course. See below. The Update class you have already taken for the 2020-21 book, which has been extended to Dec. 31, 2022, cannot be used for CE credit again. However, I’m somewhat confused as to the effective dates of this ‘new’ Update class. It says “2022-23” which implies it will be valid through the end of (or into?) 2023. But the ‘current’ USPAP is presently undergoing Exposure Drafts for the proposed changes, which will be effective as of Jan. 1, 2023. Normally, the Update...
Join George Dell & Craig Gilbert for a free 2-hour webinar on Market Price Indexing: For Peaking Prices… Price indexing is also known by other words, such as time adjustments or market conditions adjustments or trend analysis. A number of techniques have been recommended over the years. Most are flawed. Oddly, the algorithm mechanics of calculating are fairly simple and intuitive. Best of all, once done correctly, the payoff is really high: You effectively increase the data available for comparison. For example, a very similar property is perfect, but is say 20 months ago, it becomes your best comp. It makes other adjustments easier to...
Dear HUD, recently, within the past year or so, you have been on a crusade to prove discrimination and racism in the appraisal process. Your actions haven’t gone unnoticed by many within the appraisal profession as well as outside it. It’s become clear that you are the go to organization for complaints. Ok. Please read this in its entirety and see my thoughts at the end before making a judgement. The reason I am writing you this letter is for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, I am writing this letter to ask you what your TRUE intentions are...
Appraisers should avoid using words that lend themselves to bias judgments. Instead, the appraisal report should document objective facts. “Bias” in appraisals has been a ‘hot topic’ around nationwide water coolers since about 2018, and even earlier. The GSE’s are particularly wary of any commentary in appraisal reports that appear to inject ‘bias’ into the value conclusion. In the June ’21 FNMA Appraiser Update newsletter, there is this article: Avoiding problematic phrases Stories in the media about racial bias in appraisals have been on the rise. The Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) expects appraisers to “not perform...
The exclusion of the appraisal profession from events looking at valuation bias sends the message – intentional or not – that the input of appraisers is unwanted by those seeking to address issues relating to valuation bias… This was in a news release put out on Aug. 2, 2021 by the American Society of Appraisers which reveals the ‘secrecy’ behind the government’s efforts to attempt to continually help smear real estate appraisers: “RESTON, Va., Aug. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ –The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) held a virtual event today looking at bias issues surrounding the home valuation process....
