Category: Fannie Mae – Freddie Mac

Suburban Inside Urban City Limits 26

Suburban Inside Urban City Limits – Really?

Pre-filled template with ‘Suburban’ already checked… Appraisers, Another appraisal report was delivered by a homing pigeon to my windowsill the other day. After leaving a ‘deposit’ on the sill that kind of matches the goop I observed in the report, off it went. The subject property is within a built-up neighborhood area within the largest city in this particular area; it is within city limits. The neighborhood was developed in the 1950’s and 60’s. It is fully built out (i.e., all subdivided lots are developed) and has a couple of neighborhood parks. Population density is similar to other areas within...

Reform America's Broken Housing Finance System 12

Reform Our Broken Housing Finance System

Hensarling Lays Out Principles for Housing Finance Reform, Expresses Support for Bipartisan Approach “I stand ready to negotiate….with any other stakeholder that shares my belief that America deserves a sustainable housing finance system, and deserves one now.” WASHINGTON – House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) today outlined reforms to fix America’s broken housing finance system. During a speech at a conference on the future of the U.S. housing market, Chairman Hensarling said he would work on a bipartisan basis to come up with a reform package provided it included certain key principles. He also pointed to a proposal authored...

Quit Overreporting 12

Quit Overreporting!

Why Do Appraisers Keep Overreporting…? Appraisers, Another friend has provided a copy of an appraisal on the friend’s home. Good golly, miss Molly… Why do appraisers keep overreporting comparable property data, which really isn’t comparable? This subject property is an 1,100 sq.ft. single story home, in a near-beach side community, with partial marine view, not on WFT, in a suburban location. Similar ‘comps’ are extremely limited (no more than 6 sales and 2 listings) due to its GLA, location, age, etc., based on the appraiser’s report, and my own research from multiple searches which proved similar comparable properties are almost non-existent. The report...

Hacked! Are We to Rely on FNMA to Keep Our Private Tax Info Protected? 12

Is Your Private Tax Info Protected?

Even the Pentagon gets hacked! Do Consumers really KNOW how their loan application data is being handled? Having worked for IRS, I know it is against the law for any government employee to divulge specific (identifiable) taxpayer information without exceptional effort to get advance approval. There is no legal way for that personally identifiable taxpayer information to get into the public domain without the taxpayers specific written permission for it. Even inside IRS, we were required to protect the identification of the taxpayer in any case related situational discussions where we sought each others advice. We could talk about the...

Markets & Big Data Fool Proved Forecasting 10

I Got It Wrong…

“…after forty years of studying markets, I got it wrong…” As time goes on, the one thing that appears to be both a societal and financial markets constant, is our inability to learn from our past mistakes. Late, a couple of nights ago (10/23/17), while channel surfing, I happened on an economics program intended to explain the financial crisis of 2008. My apologies for referring to a programming without its name or network. Instead, I had to consider the person who was the primary focal point of the program: Hyman Minsky (see link to The Economist here). Before reading the...

Comps Sharing & Big Data By Appraisers For Appraisers 28

Big Data Assisting Appraisers

Big data comps sharing assisting appraisers… I admit to having a dog in the fight. Maybe even a pony, camel, or even a pure bred Clydesdale horse… On 10/09/2017, the owner of alamode software informed customers of a significant new change in how ‘comps’ can be added to a current report – which will be implemented sometime early next year. Read his message here. This is significant because the ability of ‘Big Data’ is being put to work ASSISTING appraisers, rather than being withheld from us as is done with the GSE’s highly touted Collateral Underwriter – even though ‘we’...

Properties Editing Tool of Collateral Underwriter 4.2 Misinterpreted 17

Misinterpreted CU Update Message

Where the EDITs are used, they are within the "model properties"… Folks, This is the message many appraisers have seen over the past week or so, which came from FNMA: “During the weekend of Dec. 9, we will implement Collateral Underwriter® (CU™) 4.2, (which includes) the ability to edit the subject and appraiser-provided comparable sales property characteristics. CU 4.2 will also provide mortgage insurers (MIs) with access to CU. Lenders will be able to give their MI risk partners access to appraisal-specific data by providing them the Doc File ID generated at the time of appraisal submission.” As so often happens...

Greedy Players Engaged in Illegal Activities, Lie-Ability & Tax Payers 30

Lie – Ability

Tax payers should not be LIE-ABLE for the actions of greedy bad players! Michael Simmons, Principal and founding Director of AXIS Appraisal Management Solutions, a national AMC had an article published in Appraisal Buzz titled  “What If?” on October 2, 2017. The article, which I believe was intended to spark interest and membership in the Collateral Risk Network (CRN), is an epic failure. Thank you Appraisal Buzz for shedding some light on the garbage being discussed at a CRN meeting! Of course no independent appraiser even remotely gives any credibility to this group. We all know who and what they are. First, let...

Housing Finance Reform Must Be Tackled by Congress 5

Congress Must Act

The “Sustainable Housing Finance” hearing took place yesterday morning. Please take a minute to read and / or listen to what is being said. Hensarling: Congress Must Tackle Housing Finance Reform WASHINGTON – House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) delivered the following opening remarks at today’s hearing on sustainable housing finance reform: Today we welcome back our former colleague and committee member Mel Watt, the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Director Watt served with distinction on this committee for many, many years and was respected on both sides of the aisle. Sir, it is good to...

Increasing use of AMS to replace AMCs 15

Increasing use of AMS to replace AMCs

AMS on fast track to replace AMCs… Well, it looks like the detritus of HVCC has finally come full circle. AMS (services vs companies) are on the fast track to replace AMCs. AMCs that foster their use haven’t realized that yet. They have given the lenders the tools needed to avoid costly appraisal management oversight departments while at the same time giving them the ability to use only those appraisers willing to make the deals work. They mistakenly believe that by delegating to an AMS or AMC they have met their due diligence requirements.Quality control? Sure. Just ignore the FNMA...

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