Category: Appraisal

Occupy Wall Street and the Appraiser 0

Occupy Wall Street and the Appraiser

“All Day… All Week… Occupy Wall Street” I only pay enough attention to the news to know that there are a whole lot of angry people on Wall Street (and scattered across the country) right now. “All Day… All Week… Occupy Wall Street,” is their chant. Okay, so it doesn’t technically rhyme, but I think we get the point. Or do we? Come to think of it… I am not really sure what their point is. Oh, I know they are upset at the “Big Banks”, but beyond that; Does anyone really know what is making them so angry… or more importantly, what they want...

Appraisers Not to Blame for Distressed Market 1

Appraisers Not to Blame for Distressed Market

Don’t Shoot the Messenger: Appraisers Not to Blame for Real Estate Woes / Distressed Market Many in the real estate industry have tried to blame the market’s distressed condition on appraisers, saying that appraisers are at fault for producing opinions of value that don’t match a home’s contract or sales price, delaying a recovery in the housing market. But appraisers don’t set the market; they reflect what’s happening in the market. It’s important to keep in mind that appraisals completed for mortgage transactions are not provided to confirm a sales price; they are used to assist lenders in making lending...

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Playing the Violin and your Company’s Image

If I said to you the name Joshua Bell, would it mean anything to you? No fair Googling. Well, it did not mean anything to literally thousands of commuters in a Washington D.C. subway terminal recently either. Neither did the music he played mean much to them as they hurried past. Here, watch the video: So, who is Joshua Bell? He is a Grammy award-winning violinist who is considered by some to be the best in the world! The experiment you just viewed was sponsored by the Washington Post. They placed one of the best violinists in the world, holding...

Caving in to CAIVRS 2

Caving in to CAIVRS…

As if the economy isn’t difficult enough, now appraisers are facing financial ruin through CAIVRS. CAIVRS is a Federal government database of delinquent Federal debtors that allows federal agencies to reduce the risk to federal loan and loan guarantee programs. CAIVRS alerts participating Federal lending agencies when an applicant for credit benefits, or for a position of trust in support of the administration of a Federal credit program, has a Federal lien, judgment or a Federal loan that is currently in default or foreclosure, or has had a claim paid by a reporting agency. In short, this is a database...

Builders Advised Not to Hold Back From Giving Relevant Information to Appraisers 1

Builders Advised Not to Hold Back From Giving Relevant Information to Appraisers

Guidelines to help builders communicate with appraisers… November 7, 2011 – NAHB has developed a set of guidelines to help builders communicate with appraisers and lenders to ensure that they receive an accurate valuation of the new homes they are selling. The two-page document advises builders to meet with the appraiser on the site of where the home has been or will be built and provide direct support for the price with whatever relevant information they can. For example, builders should provide the appraiser with all appropriate comps, market and absorption data, specifications of the property, materials in the property...

Fatal UAD edits 0

USDA Adopts Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD)

The US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Development announced that the Uniform Appraisal Dataset will apply to the Single Family Housing Section 502 Guaranteed and Direct Loan Programs effective January 1, 2012. The purpose of this Administrative Notice (AN) is to announce the USDA Rural Development Single Family Housing Section 502 Guaranteed and Direct Loan Programs will adopt the new Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD) effective September 1, 2011. To allow sufficient time to make any necessary data system changes, the requirements of this AN will be mandatory for all appraisals completed on or after January...

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FDIC Sues 29 Appraisers Over Loans By Downey Savings

In the two weeks leading up to Thanksgiving Day, the FDIC sued 29 more individual residential appraisers. All of the appraisers sued in this round reside in California. The FDIC’s complaints against them uniformly allege that the appraisers were professionally negligent by overappraising the value of properties securing loans by failed Downey Savings in 2004-2007. The average claim against each appraiser is for approximately $350,000. The complaints concern both origination and review appraisals. One of the recently sued appraisers has now been sued twice by the FDIC. This is the third appraiser to be sued twice by the FDIC. Another...

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AI Calls for Transparency

Appraisal Institute Calls for Transparency on Home Buyers’ Forms saying that consumers deserve to know what they’re paying for, the Appraisal Institute asked the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Nov. 16 to require more transparency on home buyers’ forms. In a joint letter with the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, AI asked the CFPB to separate appraisal fees from administration and processing fees on the settlement forms that consumers receive when purchasing a home. Created by Congress, the CFPB oversees consumer disclosure laws and is authorized to develop new forms to inform consumers and charges assessed...

Fuzzy Math Of Home Values 0

The Fuzzy Math of Home Values

Fuzzy Math In a housing market that’s been mostly a cause for gloom, so-called home-valuation technology has become one of the few sources of excitement. After years of real estate pros holding all the informational cards in the home-sale game, Web-driven companies like Zillow, Homes.com and Realtor.com are offering to reshuffle the deck. They’ve rolled out at-your-fingertips technology via laptop and smartphone to give shoppers and owners an estimate of what almost any home is worth. And people have flocked to the data in startling numbers. Vigilant homeowners check their values to help decide whether it’s worth the hassle of...

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Appraisal Institute Launches Opinions of Value Blog

The Appraisal Institute launched its new blog, Opinions of Value, on November 14. Content will feature the appraiser perspective on legislative and regulatory issues, enhanced discussion about recent industry media coverage and thoughts from AI leaders about upcoming trends. While a great deal of content exists in the blogosphere, the Appraisal Institute is uniquely qualified to provide expert analysis on all appraisal-related topics because the organization is the nation’s oldest and largest professional association of real estate appraisers with more than 24,000 members in 60 countries.

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