Condos without unit number Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have added a new requirement for condo reports (form 1073/1075) in the updated UAD Appendix D, issued June 19, 2012 (see below): Unit # The appraiser must enter the address unit number/designator. During the appraisal process if an appraiser determines that a unit number is not available for a property known to be a condominium, the appraiser must put a “-“ in the unit number field. The “-” symbolizes that the appraiser has researched the property address and was unable to identify a unit # for the given condominium unit. This...
common sense needs to take the place of algorithms and automated valuation models… I dealt with an old question recently that I felt was pertinent and worthy of repeating. The question arose in Brooklyn, NY when an underwriter demanded that the appraiser include the basement area as part of the gross building area when comparing the subject to the comparable sales. After all they reasoned, Fannie Mae guidelines, i.e. Property and Appraisal Guidelines, XI 405.07 state, “Gross building area, which is the total finished area (including any interior common areas, such as stairways and hallways) of the improvements based on...
Fannie Mae released an updated version of Appendix D of the Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD). Updates include: Date 2/18/2011, Version 1.1, Minor formatting changes Date 8/11/2011, Version 1.2 Updates: Added additional clarity in Introduction and Purpose and Overview Sections Added notation in multiple sections that additional Information can be provided elsewhere in the appraisal report Added clarification to Overall Condition rating Provided clarity on View and Location factors on how to report multiple factors Provided additional notation on Basement & Finished Rooms Below Grade Provided additional notation on Price of Prior Sale/Transfer Date 4/10/2012, Version 1.3, Clarifications relating to the selection of...
Can we stop crime by making it against the law? If you want to stop crime, make it against the law! It is this type of thinking that has made it increasing difficult for honest appraisers, while providing a buffer for the true criminal that seeks to manipulate the system. Is it really as simple as the best appraiser is the one who is always on time, always fills out the form according to UAD, and never strays from a Fannie Mae guideline? The report reads clean, passes review and never makes the slightest ripple when place in the loan...
Once again I find myself harping on the original intent of USPAP. The purpose of the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) is to promote and maintain a high level of public trust in appraisal practice by establishing requirements for appraisers. It is essential that appraisers develop and communicate their analyses, opinions and conclusions to intended users of their services in a manner that is meaningful and not misleading. (quoted from the Preamble of USPAP). Why is it then that GSE’s can then dictate forms, like the MC Addendum (or affectionately known as the Market “Confusion” Addendum)? Of course...
Excluding additions which may require permit issued by an agency of government… OK, it isn’t Shakespeare, but, it is something of interest — and concern — to licensed appraisers in Illinois. The concern begins with an appraiser accepting an unusual assignment condition. An AMC, acting on behalf of a lender is demanding that appraisers exclude from the Gross Living Area areas of the subject residence, additions to the original construction unless it is proven that the additions were legally permitted. We must understand that what is asked of the appraiser is not couched in terms of a guideline; this is...
There is a lack of consensus or understanding among appraisers regarding concessions paid to a buyer in a sales transaction. The focus here is on appraisals communicated via a current Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac form. The intent of this article is to bring some clarity to this topic, whether you’re appraising the property as a purchase transaction or using it as a comparable sale after it has closed. First, in your appraisal due to purchase, a concession to the buyer of the subject of your appraisal must be reported in the contract section of the appraisal report. However, you must remember...
Request For Public Comment for the 2014-15 Edition of the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice The goal of the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) is to promote and maintain a high level of public trust in appraisal practice by establishing requirements for appraisers. With this goal in mind, the Appraisal Standards Board (ASB) regularly solicits and receives comments and suggestions for improving USPAP. The possible issues and alternatives discussed in this document are intended to improve USPAP understanding and enforcement, and thereby achieve the goal of promoting and maintaining public trust in appraisal practice. The ASB is...
Last week the Obama Administration unveiled its plan to help homeowners refinance to take advantage of historically-low interest rates. We are going to focus on the valuation side of the plan. If you want the rest of the details you can go here. The program includes refinance options for GSE (government sponsored enterprises, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) and Federal Housing Administration (FHA) borrowers. Both programs forgo the appraisal requirements in the refinance process. According to the White House Fact Sheet, “the GSEs would be directed to use mark-to-market accounting or other alternatives to manual appraisals for any loans for which...
Follow the Money Some appraisers are being paid less than half the fee, while the balance flows to an appraisal management company. Washington – The new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is working on a real estate issue that gets to the core of the agency’s purpose: Bringing clarity and better disclosures about the often opaque and costly fees that homebuyers, sellers and refinancers are hit with at closings. One of the disclosures now under review might surprise you: appraisal charges. Why do they need clarifying? Doesn’t just about everybody who applies for a mortgage, whether it’s to buy a house...
