Tagged: appraisers

Marijuana and Appraising 5

Marijuana and Appraising

Should appraisers notify client about marijuana growing on property? This topic is sure to elicit many opinions. Both “fer & agin”. Should you notify your lender client about marijuana plant growing prior to completing an appraisal of a property if you observe such activity? Especially if you see more than the MAXIMUM allowed in your state. See the chart in the PDF article below. I’ve had this discussion with Washington State appraisers after our initiative was successfully passed. Some appraisers frankly don’t give a rip about potentially illegal or property damaging activities. They only believe they are there to ‘appraise...

Collateral Underwriter Stew & Hedonic Regression 5

Census Tracts, Hedonic Regression and the CU Stew

Bet you didn’t know that the adjustment grid is a form of Hedonic Regression! Appraisers, The new Collateral Underwriter electronic review process developed by Fannie Mae has many appraisers on edge. This will become the ‘ultimate authority’ or gold standard for reviewing appraisal reports as of January 26, 2015… at least as far as FNMA is concerned.  Your reports will either ‘pass’ or ‘fail’, depending on many factors.  Some of those factors are outside your immediate control. “Big Data” is one giant pile of stuff that is being put into the CU pot, stirred together like a stew. Except there...

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Can You Use a Sale That Closes the Day After Your Inspection Date?

So, here’s the situation; you are appraising a unique property in a limited area with few sales. You inspect the subject on Wednesday and finally get to the write up on Friday morning. As you are searching the neighborhood for sales, you notice a fairly comparable home that sold on the same street. It happens to be the very best comparable you have. The problem? It sold on Thursday…the day after the inspection date. Bummer! But, can you still use it? In order to answer this intriguing question, let’s step back for just a minute and look at the bigger picture....

Fannie Mae "CU" Scoring is a Danger for Appraisers 5

Fannie Mae “CU” Scoring is a Danger for Appraisers

Appraisers, Many know by now that the GSE’s, primarily Fannie Mae, have instituted a new ‘appraisal scoring’ procedure based on an electronic read of your reports, specifically on a SFR 1004 or the Condo 1073. Those are the only forms currently being analyzed by the CU process. On Nov. 18, 2014, FNMA released a document named “UCDP Fannie Mae Appraisal Messaging Change Notification” which you can find here. I encourage all appraisers to actually read this document … all 11 pages. When you do read this document, you will learn that your reports are being compared to your peer’s reports, and...

Online Petition to Allow appraiser Access to UAD Data 1

Online Petition to Allow appraiser Access to UAD Data

Online Petition to Allow appraiser Access to Data They Provided Through the Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD) Fellow appraiser, I am asking that you to take a moment to participate in this important industry effort. Fannie Mae’s Collateral Underwriter (CU) will be available in the first half of 2015. The CU performs automated risk assessment of appraisals submitted to the Uniform Collateral Data Portal based on information that you provided through the Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD). The CU provides a risk score, flags, and messages to the lender. The GSE’s have mandated that all appraisals be submitted in the UAD format; however, currently...

HOA not equal to PUD 3

HOA Does Not Necessarily Equal PUD

HOA Fees but no PUD? It happened again this week. An appraisal was done, the report was turned into the AMC, and this was the revision request: “A preliminary review of your appraisal indicates that the HOA fee was filled out, but the PUD box and PUD section was left blank. Please fill out the PUD information and resend the report at your earliest convenience.” Ugh! I opened up the report and wrote a quick sentence or two in the Additional Comments section explaining that the subject has HOA fees for the private road maintenance, but it was not located...

FNMA Big Data to Check Appraisals 2

FNMA Big Data to Check Appraisals

FNMA New Collateral Underwriter to Check Appraisals Using Fannie’s Big Data FNMA Collateral Underwriter Flyer showing info about the FNMA Collateral Underwriter process they will make available to lenders (NOT APPRAISERS) in January 2015. You should review it. It has to do with their Enhancement of Risk Controls. This is what we know as Appraisal Quality Monitoring (AQM), which was announced almost 2 years ago. FNMA has already been using the ‘scope’ on your reports, but will soon allow the lenders to have access to the software so that they can do pre-submittal exams prior to uploading the loan file,...

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Appraisal Management Company Sued in Consumer Class Action Complaint

A consumer class action complaint has been filed against a lender and its AMC relating to the subject matter of a prior CFPB investigation and settlement. Last August, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced that it had taken action against Amerisave Mortgage Corporation, its affiliated AMC Novo Appraisal Management Company, and one of the owners of both companies Patrick Markert. Part of the CFPB’s action concerned alleged overcharging for appraisal services by the AMC and failure to disclose the AMC’s affiliation with the lender. Under a consent order, Amerisave and Novo agreed to pay $14.8 million in refunds to consumers and a $4.5 million...

Down the Rabbit Hole with the Form 1004MC 5

Down the Rabbit Hole with the Form 1004MC

OK, I admit it. I am old school. I still think you need to understand how to do something manually before you throw caution to the wind and buy into new technology to replace a good, old-fashioned, hands-on process that has worked fine for years. I honestly believe the use of technology without a complete understanding of how to do the basic process manually just lets us make more frequent and more complicated mistakes faster. In other words, if you can’t drive a Chevy Nova very well, don’t buy a Maserati Ghibli and expect it to fix your driving problems....

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Appraiser and Client Trust Factor

We are professionals and should be treated with the same respect and trust that other professionals are afforded. Relationships are important. The bonds we form with a spouse, children, friends, or business associates can be powerful and a strength. When trust is broken, however, deep challenges emerge.  Divorce, separation, or permanent dissolution can be the end result when someone’s integrity is on the line. The trust factor between an appraiser and the client is essential if professionalism and continued business is to be amicable. Last month, I wrote an article about taking drive-by and comp pictures. The comment boards lit up. Most appraisers agreed...

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