Tagged: data

Will the Cost Approach be Required in the Redesigned UAD Forms? 50

Returning to Requiring the Cost Approach

…the Cost Approach is the most INACCURATE of the three current ‘Approaches’ we use… Appraisers, for the past few weeks, emails have been sent by a third party asking appraisers to complete a survey about the appraisal process and the current forms. I did so; you should also. But I wanted to expand on one aspect of the survey. Two separate questions, on different survey pages, related to the Cost Approach (CA). These questions wanted appraisers to state their opinion about 1) if the forms provide adequate detail to develop a CA, and 2) if it is or is not...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Trending / UAD / Uniform Appraisal Dataset

Science & Art Reflect our Search for the Truth - Is There an Art in Science? 8

Is There an Art in Science?

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...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisal Technology / Appraisers News

Appraiser vs Machine - The Appraiser Cannot be Replaced by a Machine 5

Appraisers vs. Machines

Collateral risk analysis (appraisals being a key element of that) is partially art, partially science. Those two facets are blended inseparably, like a soup…the ingredients can’t be separated. While computers can undeniably perform certain tasks better than humans (such as the handling of large amounts of data) appraisers can perform other absolutely critical aspects of the process better than a machine. The appraiser can actually see the property to be valued, they can utilize their human senses, they can use their judgement based upon what they observe by physically being at “ground zero” (the Subject property), and can then apply...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisers News / VaCAP / Virginia Coalition of Appraiser Professionals

USPAP Everyday Violation... Are You Violating USPAP Every Day? 15

Are You Violating USPAP Every Day?

Are you in “violation” of USPAP? If you pick comps the old way, you may be violating USPAP every day! The old way of selecting data worked well for the old days. Gather seven or eight that look good, go look at them, make a couple of phone calls, and pick four or five for your report. That was the way I was trained. That was the way the Appraisal Institute courses taught me. When I took the AI demo report course, three words were drilled into me: Explain, Justify, and Support. Then I took the required USPAP course. (Back then it still belonged...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice / USPAP

Hybrids' Indicated Value & USPAP Coup de Grace, Better off at McDonalds 29

I’d Be Better off at McDonalds

…they provide no documentation as to how their algorithm produces this indicated value… I had to “jump in the pool” and see what these bifurcated appraisals are all about. The names have been withheld to protect the guilty. I recently completed a “bifurcated” report for one of the AMC’s providing this type of service. The form is to be completed on their site and they recently upgraded to the “new and improved” report on their portal as of January 1, 2019. The subject is sited in an urban location and while not an anomaly per se, does display features such...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Trending

AGA Objects De Minimis Increase Proposal - It is Time to Call out the Liars 40

AGA Objects De Minimis Increase Proposal

We object to the proposal to increase the de minimis threshold at which no appraisal is required… Sirs: The American Guild of Appraisers (AGA), of the Office Professional Employees International Union (#44 OPEIU) of the AFL-CIO represents the members and extended family and retirees, taxpayer and consumer real estate appraisal interests of nearly Twelve and a half million citizens and voters. We object to the proposal to increase the de minimis threshold at which no appraisal is required from $250,000 to $400,000. Respectfully, if anything is done with it at all, lowering it to a range not to exceed $100,000...

AGA / AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations

What is Truth or Accuracy for Appraisers? How Do We Find Accuracy? 12

What is Truth or Accuracy for Appraisers?

Are we supposed to be paid truth-seekers? The appraiser is supposed to be accurate. What is “accurate”? Dictionary meanings say accuracy is “the condition or quality of being true, correct, or exact.” Tell the truth. Can it be? Hmmm. A search for truth. OK. So how do we come to know the truth? Are we supposed to be paid truth-seekers? Cool. I read that there are four ways to “know” truth: Tradition, Authority, Insistence, and Science. Wow! Let’s look at these briefly. This sounds serious! Let’s look at USPAP and The Appraisal of Real Estate. Appraisers have long been steeped in the...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice / USPAP

How Zestimate Works - Accuracy Is an iIsue with Zestimates 8

How Zestimate Works

Accuracy is an issue with Zestimates… I happened to find this article, which explains the processes used to generate Zillow’s Zestimate, the estimate of residential property value: Inside the Zestimate: Data Science at Zillow I found it interesting that they use the ‘R’ spreadsheet for doing some number-crunching, not Excel. ‘R’ is what George Dell has been demonstrating in his classes. But the graphs are generated by a different software. Accuracy is an issue with Zestimates, according to Zillow, per the article:  “Nationally, the median error rate is 8.3 percent, the company says.” However, they don’t define what ‘error rate’ means. Is...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News

Is It Possible to Prove an Adjustment 5

Is It Possible to “Prove” an Adjustment?

We read articles and advertisements on how to prove an adjustment. Is this possible? How wonderful it would be. To prove an adjustment, just push a button and bam! Out comes the correct answer. How could we have we missed this? …prove an adjustment, just push a button…Of course, if such a simplistic and exact answer was possible – anyone could push that button.  An AVM run, a BPO agent, an “evaluator”, or anyone else. Who needs all that USPAP competence and integrity stuff? Even a lender-appointed hybridized “field inspector” could just push the button. The whole process could even skip working with the licensed appraiser completely!...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / AQB / Automated Valuation Models / AVM

Stolen Appraisals Class Action - Theft of Appraisers' Data 87

Theft of Appraisers’ Data

…they charge appraisers an upload fee for the privilege of having their data stolen… I would never allow my data to be used for or by a service that specifically uses to create, modify or enhance products designed to compete with my professional services to the detriment of my business and profession. THAT is something that the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals identified when they found that CoreLogic’s subsidiary FNC STOLE appraisers data after promising them data security. FNC stole data. We now know FNMA also stole data. Alamode is delving into individuals own personal databases in order to even...

a la mode / AGA / Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisal Software

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