equity - Appraisers Blogs

When Protecting Tenants Starts With Targeting Property Rights

Desiree Mehbod — Tue, 06 Jan 2026 13:30:24 +0000

When officials start treating property rights like a rounding error, every appraiser in the room knows the market’s about to need a stress test. New York City has never been short on bold ideas, but Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s latest appointment to the city’s Office to Protect Tenants has managed to ignite a firestorm before even warming the chair. His pick, Cea Weaver, arrives with a resurfaced video and a digital paper trail that would make any seasoned housing professional pause. Between her past social‑media proclamations like “seize private property” and her declaration that homeownership is “a weapon of white supremacy,”...

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Appraisers Freed from DEI Propaganda

AppraisersBlogs — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 13:30:35 +0000

This bold move immediately resulted in the removal of all appraisal bias propaganda from the official whitehouse.gov website. With a few swift strokes of the pen, President Trump has dismantled the divisive and misguided diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) apparatus that had taken root across the federal government. On just his second day in office, Trump ordered the closure of all federal DEI offices, placing their employees on paid leave and signaling a decisive end to the era of government-sanctioned social justice activism masquerading as fairness and equality. This bold move immediately resulted in the removal of all appraisal bias...

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Is a Horde of Deadbeat Borrowers Again Walking Among Us?

Jeremy Bagott — Mon, 04 Nov 2024 13:30:44 +0000

There are signs of a new horde of deadbeat borrowers, but the foreclosure filings are being delayed and masked by the government itself. Some of the current deadbeat borrowers will learn to expertly work the system… In 2022, a San Ramon, California, couple who hadn’t made a mortgage payment since 2009 was finally evicted. Anita and Mahesh Khurana had put on a masterclass in the use of the courts to keep foreclosure at bay. The holdouts had lived in their home payment-free for 13 years. A state court finally ruled they had exhausted all appeals, and they were ejected. In...

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United Appraisers Network Challenges Appraisal Institute

AppraisersBlogs — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 12:30:45 +0000

Ultimately, the United Appraisers Network would represent a bold and progressive alternative to the Appraisal Institute… The recent firing of Cindy Chance, the CEO of the Appraisal Institute (AI), has ignited widespread outrage and a profound sense of distrust among appraisers nationwide. In the wake of this controversial decision, discussions have emerged on industry forums about the potential creation of a new appraisal organization that would better serve the needs and interests of all appraisers, regardless of their specialization or credentials. Leading this charge is David Samnick, a Georgia-based appraiser, who has proposed the establishment of the “United Appraisers Network”...

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Objectionable Valuations Become Hate Speech, Inflating Home Prices

Jeremy Bagott — Wed, 21 Aug 2024 12:30:33 +0000

The censorship, scapegoating and sidelining of appraisers has done real damage to borrowers and the purchasers of bonds… Attacks on free speech are on the rise in the English-speaking world. A bill introduced in Canada to thwart online “anarchy and lawlessness” would create a Canadian Ministry of Truth empowered to punish authors Ottawa politicians find problematic. In response to the worst rioting in Britain in years, about 4,000 people have reportedly been jailed for online thought crimes. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has vowed to prosecute anyone his government believes is whipping up people’s emotions on the Internet. There’s even...

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Fight Unfair AMC Practices – Leverage State Authorities

AppraisersBlogs — Wed, 14 Aug 2024 12:30:38 +0000

Alarmed by predatory practices among AMCs, a peer has drafted letters urging appraisers to call on state authorities to address unfair AMC conduct and potential regulatory violations. As appraisers, we have faced an ongoing challenge with Appraisal Management Companies (AMCs) offering fees that are well below the customary and reasonable rates for standard appraisal assignments. This practice has created a troubling trend of “bid wars” where AMCs pit appraisers against one another, driving down fees to unacceptably low levels. In response to this issue, a peer has provided two draft letters that can be easily modified and used by other...

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Security Bars Removal Law Debunks Alleged Racial Discrimination

Mary Cummins — Tue, 18 Jun 2024 12:30:55 +0000

Complainant stated appraiser told them they should remove security bars from windows. Complainant stated this is evidence of “racist discrimination”… Security bars on bedroom windows is against code… This morning I received the results of a California State Information Act Request I made regarding an alleged case of racial bias in Allendale, Oakland, California which was settled May 2024. I requested any and all documents in the case involving the appraiser because I didn’t have the complainant’s name or property address. I only had the appraiser’s name which I won’t post in text. Complainant stated appraiser told them they should...

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CFPB Crackdown: Unfair Practices Hurting Consumers

Guest Author — Wed, 05 Jun 2024 12:30:07 +0000

Bureau is currently investigating various fees associated with obtaining a loan, with the goal of identifying any that may be particularly burdensome or concerning for borrowers. As we all know many AMCs are not paying Customary & Reasonable fee as required by TILA. They have consistently pushed down the pay of Appraisers while making undisclosed profit off consumers and prioritizing cheapest and fastest over quality and competency. The CFPB has been in communication with individuals behind the scenes and are concerned with what has been shown enough to include AMCs in their data collection process. Now is the time to...

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Fannie Mae ‘Census Block Grid’ Adjustment Raises Redlining Concerns

AppraisersBlogs — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 12:30:24 +0000

“FNMA’s collateral underwriter tool has a line item adjustment it makes on every comparable called Census Block Grid.” In a recent discussion within the comments section of an article titled ‘The Censorship of Appraisers,’ an appraiser shared a concerning statement from an underwriter about an adjustment made by Fannie Mae’s Collateral Underwriter tool. The underwriter revealed that the tool uses a ‘Census Block Grid’ adjustment (CBG) to evaluate comparable property values. This adjustment, which modifies values based on median home values within specific census blocks, raises concerns for potentially reflecting practices akin to redlining – a discriminatory practice that is...

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The One-Mile Rule: Prudent Policy or Modern Day Redlining?

Dallas T. Kiedrowski, MNAA — Thu, 18 Apr 2024 12:30:24 +0000

…whether through redlined maps or implicit “one-mile rule,” the result can be undervalued properties in historically marginalized neighborhoods. Throughout the history of mortgage banking and lending in the United States, underwriting policies have significantly influenced the appraisal process for home purchases and refinances. Appraisers must follow underwriter appraisal review guidelines meticulously to ensure their appraisal reports are accepted by the lender. Unfortunately, in the past, these policies became the basis for redlining, wherein certain communities were systematically denied access to mortgage credit. In this article, we delve into the historical context of underwriting policies and their influence on the appraisal...

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The Censorship of Appraisers

Jeremy Bagott — Thu, 11 Apr 2024 12:30:46 +0000

Thirty-seven hours after President Biden took the oath of office, White House officials met with executives at social media companies. The officials threatened restraint-of-trade lawsuits and regulatory action if the companies failed to censor what the White House deemed “misinformation.” In a parallel development, we can now connect the dots that similar talks occurred among White House officials, employees of government-sponsored mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and private vendors to throttle the protected speech of individuals and firms in the mortgage industry engaged specifically for their independence. The latter serve as bulwarks in federally backed mortgage transactions. In...

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Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Is Overlooked by HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge

Dave Towne — Fri, 23 Jun 2023 12:30:16 +0000

Marcia Fudge, the Secretary of HUD, decided to convene a special meeting of master minds with absolutely no real diversity, equity or inclusion included, with the intent of “closing the racial gap and increasing access to homeownership in African American communities.” Appraisers, all the racial mud-slinging against appraisers by the current government is extremely disheartening toward our honored profession. The people ‘in power’ over the last few years have been fond of image building and acronyms, believing those items will have magical influence over property values, and how people conduct themselves. One of these is named DEI, which stands for...

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The New & Improved Fannie Mae “FRAUDULATOR 2.0”

Michael Ford — Mon, 15 May 2023 12:30:53 +0000

Originally known as Fannie Mae’s Collateral Underwriter (CU), and subsequently Collateral Underwriter 2.0 (CU-2)i this always dubious product of Fannie Mae is increasingly being referred to by some, if not many American Appraisers as The Fraudulator / Underwriter 2.0 (FU-2). To be clear it is not limited to the Collateral Underwriter (CU & CU-2) software. The new Fraudulator (FU-2) combines the CU products with their numerous improper uses. The end result of which includes OUTRIGHT FRAUD being perpetrated against banks via the repurchase letters Fannie Mae now issues on a quota based system rather than because of legitimate appraisal defects....

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Are the Courts a Remedy for Nation’s Financial Truth-Tellers?

Jeremy Bagott — Fri, 28 Apr 2023 12:30:55 +0000

Politicized boards and commissions with little accountability to the electorate want to deplatform these truth-tellers at every turn. This month, the U.S. Supreme Court dealt a blow to the Regulatory State. Financial analysts, fiduciaries, auditors and appraisers should take heart. Those targeted by a growing number of independent agencies, boards and commissions may now immediately challenge an agency’s constitutionality in federal court without having to submit to a drawn-out administrative process that frequently serves only the interests of the agency being challenged. The decision couldn’t have come soon enough, as an army of assorted technocrats, believers, grand viziers, cronies, hustlers...

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HUD’s Private Inquisitors Will Chill Protected Speech of Appraisers

Jeremy Bagott — Mon, 03 Apr 2023 12:30:14 +0000

HUD awarded $54 million to 182 nonprofits to serve as posses in a a Spanish Inquisition-style drive. The deep pockets of the federal government will be used to help the nonprofits chill the protected First Amendment rights of appraisers to develop disinterested opinions of value of the properties they appraise. In the early 1990s, the Texas Legislature established an unusual nonprofit known as the Boll Weevil Eradication Foundation. The times were dire. A near-biblical plague of weevils had descended on the state’s cotton crop. So, state lawmakers granted the private organization the powers of government to combat the malevolent creatures....

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Freddie’s Study, NPR Story Recall Notable Academic Hoax

Jeremy Bagott — Tue, 28 Feb 2023 13:30:45 +0000

NPR topped the online edition of its article with the headline, “Black and Latino Homeowners are About Twice as Likely as Whites To Get Low Appraisals.” The problem? Freddie never called the appraisals “low.” While the Freddie Mac study finds no evidence of undervaluation, the NPR story about the study somehow does. Almost 30 years ago, Alan Sokal, now a professor of mathematics at University College London, perpetrated a memorable hoax. He submitted a pseudoscientific article to a cultural studies journal called Social Text. By design, his paper was strewn with nonsense. Titled “Transgressing the Boundaries: Towards a Transformative Hermeneutics...

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Under-Valuations Unrelated to Racial Bias

AppraisersBlogs — Tue, 21 Feb 2023 13:30:52 +0000

Under-valuations that more accurately reflect the homes’ “true” value as opposed to the contract price will also alert the buyer, not just the lender, that he or she may be over-paying, which often triggers a renegotiation… when the seller and buyer settle on a new price after the appraisal, the new lower price reduces credit risk, costs to the borrower, and ultimately results in greater wealth for the buyer. The AEI Housing Center recently released an analysis revealing that reports by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and by Brookings, attributing the greater prevalence of under-valuations in home purchase appraisals...

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Racial Targeting Under the Heading of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Jeremy Bagott — Thu, 18 Aug 2022 12:30:18 +0000

This time around, the racial targeting is masked as a virtue under the heading “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion,” or “DEI.” Valuation Jiu-Jitsu Will Lead to Future Addie Polks Addie Polk was a 91-year-old African-American widow who shot herself in the chest in 2008 during a Fannie Mae-initiated eviction in Akron, Ohio. It marked the low point in Fannie’s embrace of toxic mortgages. Fannie, now in federal conservatorship, bought or guaranteed subprime loans made to vulnerable borrowers in the years leading up to the 2007-2008 financial crisis. There are now signs of new abuses. Under the banner “equity and inclusion,” some...

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FHA Extends Appraisal Validity Period

AppraisersBlogs — Mon, 18 Jul 2022 12:30:35 +0000

On July 12, 2022, the FHA announced that it is extending the initial appraisal validity period from 120 days to 180 days and the appraisal update validity period from 240 days to one year. This applies to case numbers assigned on or after June 1, 2022. This just seems like a bad idea at a time where many markets are seeing price declines. FHA INFO 2022-71 — July 12, 2022 In this Announcement: FHA Implements Revised Appraisal Validity Period Guidance Appraisal Logging Changes in FHA Connection See below for details. FHA Implements Revised Appraisal Validity Period Guidance Today, the Federal...

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Appraisers Should Closely Watch Probe of Departed Brookings Boss

Jeremy Bagott — Thu, 14 Jul 2022 12:30:16 +0000

The chief of the Brookings Institution, a retired four-star general, resigned last month under investigation of lobbying on behalf of a foreign government and then covering it up. If the allegations are true, it means the think tank, under the general’s watch, was secretly taking illicit cash from at least one outside interest group at a time it was engaged in research that irreparably damaged the reputation of the nation’s real estate appraisers. Astute appraisers wondered whether Brookings might have also been influenced by any well-placed donations from other groups, such as the powerful lobbies of the Realtors, home builders,...

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