Appraisal Technology - Appraisers Blogs

From Dealerships to AMCs: Tech Fees as the New Normal

Desiree Mehbod — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 13:30:23 +0000

Tech fees have spread so far and wide that even my oil change felt like a crash course in AMC logic. Last year I went to the dealership for a simple oil change. Nothing dramatic. I was prepared to drink bad waiting room coffee, scroll my phone, and leave. Instead, the service rep came out with the classic “while we had it up on the lift” routine and told me I needed new brakes. Fine. I approved the $1,200 estimate. Not fun, but expected. When the work was done, I went to pay and noticed a mysterious $60 surcharge added...

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The 24-Hour Appraisal Diet: Slim on Time, Light on Credibility

AppraisersBlogs — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 12:30:40 +0000

Brian Zitin’s declaration that the appraisal “bottleneck” has been obliterated by Reggora’s 24-hour turnaround reads less like a breakthrough and more like a tech startup’s victory lap around a profession it barely understands. According to the post, decades of valuation nuance, regulatory compliance, and boots on the ground expertise have now been solved, at no extra cost to the borrower, in every location, and without compromising standards. All it took, apparently, was a few million dollars and a launch video. It’s a bold claim, not because speed isn’t desirable, but because speed without substance is just marketing. The idea that...

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The Town With No Bank: How Rural America Lost Its Mortgage Lifeline

Dallas T. Kiedrowski, MNAA — Fri, 29 Aug 2025 12:30:24 +0000

For decades, we’ve been told that the problem is demand. That people don’t want to live in rural America anymore. That lending dried up because the buyers disappeared. That it’s just the market working as it should. But what if we’ve been telling the wrong story? Because when you look closely, when you actually follow the data, the decisions, and the people left behind, it turns out rural America didn’t walk away from mortgage credit. Mortgage credit walked away from rural America. The Collapse of Local Lending Up until the 1980s, a family in a small farming town could walk...

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Outrage Over Connect by ValueLink’s New Monthly “Junk Fee”

AppraisersBlogs — Wed, 27 Nov 2024 13:30:56 +0000

The recent announcement from Connect by ValueLink has sparked outrage among appraisers. Effective January 1, 2025, the company plans to institute a new $19.99 monthly user fee for all appraisers utilizing their portal to receive and submit appraisal orders. This fee will be in addition to the existing technology fees already charged on a per-appraisal basis. Understandably, many appraisers are up in arms over this development, viewing it as yet another “junk fee” that will only serve to erode their already-thin profit margins. What makes this particularly galling for appraisers is the fact that it is often appraisal management companies,...

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Automatic Review of Photos in Appraisal Reports

Dave Towne — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 12:30:05 +0000

It means the statements in your appraisal reports about the actual component material, and its quality and current condition, can be challenged by computer software. Folks, this news release (below) was in several publications on Wed, June 19, 2024. These kinds of releases are mostly factual, but are often embellished to present a particular ‘owner’ point of view to influence opinion about products. I remember listening to Jeff Bradford many years ago who discussed the early stage process to electronically review photos. He said it was pretty difficult then. But that was before we began hearing about “A.I.” – artificial...

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Fannie & Freddie’s AI Appraisal Photo Recognition

AppraisersBlogs — Tue, 07 May 2024 12:30:58 +0000

A colleague recently shared an important heads up regarding Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s plans to implement photo recognition AI to analyze appraisal photos. This technology can scan a single photo and extract over 100 data points related to quality, condition, and repairs. For example, it can identify flooring types, appliance models, and even assess light levels in a room. Later this year, the GSEs plan to run all appraisal reports through this AI and cross-check the appraiser’s stated quality and condition ratings. If the AI’s analysis differs significantly from the appraiser’s, it will automatically generate a complaint letter to...

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Bringing More People Into a Dying Profession!

Dave Towne — Mon, 23 Jan 2023 13:30:13 +0000

Some people want to bring more people (primarily of color, which is great) into a dying profession. But the profession is being killed off by (mostly white!) people who think technology is the golden spoon to accurate valuations. Appraisers, I’ve been studying, and writing about since 2006, all kind of issues surrounding our profession, and frankly some currently does not make sense. As many know, ‘we’ have been accused of not having “enough black people” in appraiser ranks. The claim is that blacks only represent 3% or so of the total population of appraisers. The people engaged in blaming appraisers...

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Who Is Thinking Hybrid Appraisal?

VaCAP Board — Wed, 22 Sep 2021 12:30:46 +0000

“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...

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Forms Redesign Extended Into 2023-24

Dave Towne — Thu, 25 Mar 2021 12:30:50 +0000

What once was a ‘three year’ project to redesign and implement revised appraisal forms has morphed into one taking far longer. Actual implementation and use of ‘new forms’ are not scheduled to happen until (presumably) early in 2024, but could be extended even further. By 2024, the currently used ‘forms’ will be 19 years old, and the current UAD overlay entering ‘teenage hood’ at 13. For context, the current Planet Mars Perseverance Rover mission to successfully plan and land scientific instruments took only 9 years! Details for the ‘forms redesign extension’ are based on the announcement from Fannie Mae (and Freddie...

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Opinion of an Insider on the New Form

AppraisersBlogs — Wed, 10 Mar 2021 13:30:04 +0000

An appraiser shared the following with us which was posted on one of the appraisers’ groups. There’s been a lot of mis-information about the new FNMA form posted so i thought i might clear the air a little bit. Being a software provider i’m in the loop but i can’t disclose every thing i know due to confidentiality. That being said i’m just the messenger and don’t shoot the messenger. the new form is not to put appraisers out of business. if they weren’t providing the new form, then i’d be worried. the previous forms were designed for a typewriter....

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Open Letter to Mortgage Lenders

Guest Author — Wed, 27 Jan 2021 13:30:47 +0000

How much vetting have you done on the appraisal management company? How involved are you as the lender in the day to day activities of the appraisal management company?… The world has changed and most everything in our lives involves technology. The technologies available to each of us are tools. They are not a more reliable means, merely more convenient. Human thought and analysis is still required in every aspect of life. When the Final Rules of the Dodd Frank Legislation went into effect, many lenders chose to use appraisal management companies with the false idea they had no liability for...

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Verifying MLS Shown Sales Price

Dave Towne — Wed, 07 Oct 2020 12:30:04 +0000

Verifying property sales data is a key element and requirement in doing appraisals correctly… Verifying property sales data is a key element and requirement in doing appraisals correctly. We cannot just assume the MLS reports sale prices correctly. One aid to help do this is by using one of the ‘data download’ software providers which prefill many property data items in the report comparable grids. These companies have direct interties with the local MLS (most, not all across the US), and public data from either your jurisdiction recording or assessor office, or an amalgamation company such as Realist. Two ‘data...

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Appraisers Continue to Be an Asset

VaCAP Board — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 12:30:04 +0000

The appraisal community has come together… stand strong, be resilient and continue to be an asset to your clients during these challenging times… The appraisal profession came about because of the Great Depression and our relevance is still strong today. Exceptional circumstances such as the current pandemic create a need for temporary allowances for information gathering for the valuation of collateral. The appraisal community has come together to insure our clients’ needs are met. Be it extra precautions with masks and gloves or owner assisted property inspection software. Appraisers have once again adapted to market conditions in order to provide...

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SFREP Does Not Collect Your Data

Guest Author — Fri, 13 Dec 2019 13:30:42 +0000

What Exactly Can SFREP Software Offer for Real Estate Appraisers? Are you working as efficiently as possible? In this day and age, appraisers need to be quick on their feet and utilize every tool under the sun to help streamline the process. That’s where SFREP comes in. This company is creating software designed to make the appraisal process digital while keeping it as fast, accurate, and straightforward as possible. But how exactly does SFREP work, and can it really make your job easier? For many real estate appraisers, the answer is a resounding yes. Software by Appraisers, for Appraisers SFREP...

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Is There an Art in Science?

George Dell — Mon, 06 May 2019 12:30:17 +0000

We know there is science in art. Musical scales. Perspective and the golden ratio. The ordered sequence of a good novel. It’s difficult to be a good artist without knowing, or at least intuitively applying the truths found in the logic. Both science and art reflect our search for the truth. Our primal human nature is to resist the truth, even as it hits us in the groin. Resist the change. Fear. Give up something that has protected you. Something that gives you a place. A belonging. A prestige. An ego. A place where you are respected. Then someone or something comes along and says there is a better way. I...

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Is SmartExchange Not USPAP-Compliant?

Guest Author — Wed, 30 Jan 2019 13:30:58 +0000

Is Smartexchange Resulting in USPAP Non-Compliance? This blog is likely going to stir up controversy. It is likely going to have a few folks calling me a loyalist to a la mode, or other similar things. Am I a loyalist? I do not see myself as such, but a la mode has been the only software that I have used in my career for residential form reporting. I do use ACI in the corporate setting as a reviewer and manager in my firm. I like and consider many of the staff at a la mode to be my friends, and I have had long relationships...

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Shifting Narrative of Appraisal Modernization

VaCAP Board — Wed, 23 Jan 2019 13:30:36 +0000

…the reasoning for changing the appraisal process has shifted… Is there are Crisis? Rahm Emanuel eloquently stated “You never let a serious crisis go to waste. And what I mean by that it’s an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before.” There has been a narrative that there is a shortage of appraisers. Interestingly, this is not coming from lenders that engage appraisers directly. This is coming from Appraisal Management Companies otherwise known as “Middlemen” and the lenders that employ the Middlemen. These Middlemen will shop an appraisal assignment by blast emails to as many appraisers...

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The Possibly Just Became Reality!

Guest Author — Wed, 24 Oct 2018 12:30:46 +0000

Using SmartExchange? You May Have Violated State Law & USPAP I will not drag this out. I will simply be direct and to the point. IF YOU OPTED IN TO ALAMODE’S SMART EXCHANGE, YOU MAY HAVE JUST VIOLATED STATE LAW AND USPAP ON EVERY APPRAISAL YOU HAVE EVER COMPLETED. Let me repeat that so it sinks in a bit… If you opted in to alamode’s Smart Exchange, you may have violated State Law and USPAP on every appraisal you have ever completed. Now that it has sunk in, let me explain. Each state statute may define an appraisal differently. Some...

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Is Smart Exchange Really a Smart Idea?

Guest Author — Wed, 03 Oct 2018 12:30:30 +0000

Alamode recently launched Smart Exchange to its users. The idea is appraisers can see what others have stated as property characteristics and transfer that information directly into your report. The system is based on mutual sharing, so if you participate, you will share all your comparable data with everyone else that is using Smart Exchange and you can see their data. The last update from alamode installed the programming and changed the way the side by side screen looks. Now I must make a disclaimer here, I am in the over 50 category and my kids are all grown. It...

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The Evil Octopus

Michael Ford — Wed, 20 Jun 2018 12:30:59 +0000

Appraisers, it’s not paranoia when ‘the bastards’ really are out to get you (end us as a profession). …Find each octopus and how they relate to our jobs. Look at MISMO Directors list… An Open Letter to Appraisers: Residential & Commercial This started as a response to a blog post by a respected appraiser concerning the influence of AMCs. During drafting it was clear that trying to explain AMCs was only part of the bigger struggles we face today. Picture a violent “all in” three-way gang fight among Octopi. Say a dozen on each side. That’s 36 Octopi x 8 tentacles...

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