Tagged: appraisers

Appraisal Institute Releases Enhanced ‘Green’ Addendum

January 24, 2013

What is the Value of ‘Green’?

An academic study released last year found that homes with green labels provide a market premium of 9 percent compared to similar homes without the labels. The study, “The Value of Green Labels in the California Housing Market,” examined how green and energy efficient features impacted the sale price of homes in California. It was published by Nils Kok, Maastricht University, Netherlands/University of California, Berkeley; and Matthew E. Kahn, University of California, Los Angeles. The study also found: The premium associated with green labels is highest in areas with hotter climate. The premium is positively correlated to the environmental ideology...

AI / Appraisal / Appraisal Institute / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisers News

January 23, 2013

NCRC Statement on CFPB Appraisal Rules

Washington, DC Jan 18, 2013 – Today, in reaction to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) release of new appraisal rules, NCRC President and CEO John Taylor made the following statement: “The CFPB’s new appraisal rules promote transparency and fairness for consumers. In a step that NCRC has long called for, all consumers will now receive copies of appraisals and automated valuation model (AVM) reports and will be able to check them for errors. Further, consumers and industry alike will benefit from the use of responsible valuation professionals in high cost loan origination. We are very pleased that the CFPB...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Automated Valuation Models

January 23, 2013

CFPB Adopts Rule to Improve Consumer Access to Appraisal Reports

CFPB Rule gives consumers additional rights to information on how a home value is determined Washington, D.C., Jan 18 2013 – Today the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) adopted a new rule that requires mortgage lenders to provide applicants with free copies of all appraisals and other home-value estimates. The rule will ensure that consumers can receive information prior to closing about how the property’s value was determined. “This rule will guarantee consumers can receive important information on how a lender determines the value of the home,” said CFPB Director Richard Cordray. “Having this information available promptly makes it easier...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / CFPB / Consumer Financial Protection Bureau / Dodd-Frank Act / C&R Fees

January 22, 2013

There’s An App For That!

There’s An App For That! Finance Management Apps For Your Appraisal Business Americans love their mobile devices! We use them to browse the Internet for information, text our families and friends, email our business colleagues, post statuses in social media platforms, and much more. To put things into perspective, consider the recent data provided by Business Insider. It shows the landscape of the US smartphone market, its popularity, and usage. Let’s look at the numbers. There are approximately 310 million people in the United States. Comscore.com says 114 million used smartphones in July 2012. Flurry.com reports that there are at least 165...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisal Technology / Appraisers News / Business Development

January 22, 2013

Final Rule on Appraisals for Higher-Priced Mortgage Loans

Agencies Issue Final Rule on Appraisals for higher-priced Mortgage Loans Washington, D.C. – Six federal financial regulatory agencies today issued the final rule that establishes new appraisal requirements for “higher-priced mortgage loans.” The rule implements amendments to the Truth in Lending Act made by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (Dodd-Frank Act). Under the Dodd-Frank Act, mortgage loans are higher-priced if they are secured by a consumer’s home and have interest rates above certain thresholds. For higher-priced mortgage loans, the rule requires creditors to use a licensed or certified appraiser who prepares a written appraisal...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / CFPB / Consumer Financial Protection Bureau / Dodd-Frank Act / C&R Fees

January 21, 2013

Ann O’Rourke Launches Appraisal Today Blog

Ann O’Rourke, MAI, SRA, MBA, Appraiser and Publisher of Appraisal Today newsletter, recently launched the Appraisal Today Blog. In an email to her subscribers, she writes: I have been wanting a place where readers can post comments for quite a while. Several years ago I tried using wordpress. But, my newsletter web site and wordpress were hosted on a shared server with my ISP, and I had lots of problems – hundreds of spams, very slow connection, etc. So I gave up until now and use wordpress.com to host my blog. WordPress is not easy but is very flexible, and...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News

January 17, 2013

FloodInsights Provides National Flood and Florida Sinkhole Reports

Sinkholes have become a very hazardous and costly risk in Florida. There are certain counties: Pasco, Hernando, and Hillsborough where the land is inundated with sinkholes. However over the last few years the risk of sinkhole and subsidence events has been spreading geographically. According the state of Florida, 211 property insurers noted that claims increased from 2,360 in 2006 to 6,694 in 2010. The total dollar amount of those claims was near $1.4 billion dollars. There has not been a simple answer to why sinkhole incidents have been on the rise in Florida. It is believed that

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisal Technology / Appraisers News / Business Development

January 16, 2013

Solidifi & Kirchmeyer Join Forces

Solidifi and Kirchmeyer complete deal positioning Solidifi as 3rd largest independent provider of residential real estate appraisals Companies consolidate offices in Buffalo, New York Solidifi Inc., Buffalo, New York, January 7, 2013 — Solidifi and Kirchmeyer, two leading independent real estate appraisal management companies, have joined forces in a deal that will see Solidifi become the third largest independent provider of residential real estate appraisals in the country. The company is a trusted, well-capitalized alternative to traditional appraisal management companies servicing more than 50% of the nation’s top lenders. “Following a $22 million financing in 2012, Solidifi is in growth...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Solidifi

Petition Concerning the Interim Final Rule on Appraiser Independence

January 11, 2013

Petition RE the Interim Final Rule on Appraiser Independence

The National Association of Independent Housing Professionals (NAIHP) led by Marc Savitt is petitioning the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and is asking those harmed by the Interim Final Rule on Appraiser Independence to sign and forward the online petition. To Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Richard Cordreay, CFPB Director: Allow NMLS loan originators to order appraisals directly from appraisers Consumers and small business are being significantly harmed by the Interim Final Rule on Appraiser Independence. Consumer costs have increased by over 2.8 Billion dollars a year; thousands of small business residential appraisers have gone out of business, as the rule diverts...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / CFPB

January 9, 2013

AQB Releases December 2012 Q&As

TJ’s Rant… Almost all of the questions deal with Supervisor – Trainee issues that will change in 2015. If like me, you believe it is difficult enough to find people to become appraisers today, just wait until you read all of the new requirements. I don’t understand where the AQB is coming from with all these new requirements. Do they really believe that someone will want to go to college (at an average cost of about $120,000) to get a degree and then become a Certified Residential appraiser who would be lucky to make $20,000 for their first few years...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisers News / AQB / E&O