Tagged: FNMA

What is Gross Living Area and What Does it Include 29

What is Gross Living Area (GLA)?

What is Gross Living Area and What Does it Include? Appraisers, There are certain properties where aspects of Gross Living Area (GLA) might not be obvious. It’s more confusing when the selling real estate agents lump all “living space” together, because that’s what they are selling, or when the county assessor includes basements with upper level areas. These include homes with a detached ADU, additional rec room or sleeping space above a garage, additional living space with roof attached to the primary dwelling via covered breezeway, basement living spaces with separate entry, etc. Fannie Mae has a giant book called...

American Measurement Standard / American National Standards Institute / AMS / ANSI / Appraisal / Appraisal News

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It’s Not a Comp, It’s a Sale; Stop Fannie Mae Lies!

It is merely a SALE… Appraisers, Something’s been gnawing at my craw ever since January when FNMA’s wonderful Collateral Underwriter (CU) was unleashed to the world. And before that, when FNMA’s Appraiser Quality Monitoring (AQM) process was introduced to judge the work of appraisers. No one else has written about this. No one has even mentioned it. So I will:  It has to do with the word “Comp” which is used liberally by Fannie Mae (FNMA). What exactly is a “Comp?” In FNMA’s world, it’s any property that they obtain, either by their vast AVM process which examines millions of...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisal Quality Monitoring

Thank you Wall Street 3

Thank You Wall Street for Killing off my Hallmark Moments

Thank you Wall Street, your mothers must be very proud of you! I’m not sure when it happened, but sometime in my lifetime the family home stopped being where you chose to live to raise your family and put down roots and became an investment asset. It seems this transformation began when investment bankers on Wall Street first realized residential mortgage lending represented a potential source of huge profits. Prior to the Great Depression, a typical mortgage loan was for 50% of the cost of a home, was interest only, was for 5 years with a balloon payment due at...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / E&O / Errors & Omissions / Fannie Mae - Freddie Mac

Tutorial webinar video 6

New Fannie Mae CU Training Video

Training admits that CU use of CENSUS BLOCK GROUPS Appraisers, FNMA has released a new training video that helps lenders understand how to PROPERLY use Collateral Underwriter, which in some cases has not been happening since Jan. 26, 2015. By reviewing this info, you can learn how to write reports that pass the CU evaluations, and make your reports more complete and accurate. But keep reading. One thing I find interesting is CU assigns a unique ‘appraiser number’ for every appraiser who has reports submitted by Lenders to the CU. They don’t just use the appraiser’s license number by itself. Secondly, this...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisal Quality Monitoring / Appraisers News

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“Should CU be Transparent” Survey Results

FNMA’s CU is causing a big industry ruckus. ICAP member Keith Wolf, SRA, AI-RRS, created a survey in January because opinions being posted across multiple message boards and blogs are fragmented. The results of this survey are out and show that a vast majority of appraisers believe Fannie Mae CU should be transparent. Nearly 70 percent of appraisers said that they will increase fees to cover the extra work CU may cause and 80 percent believe that CU risk scores will cause lenders and AMC clients to request appraisers to fit comps to the CU model. Also 73 percent believe that...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisal Quality Monitoring

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Fannie Mae ‘Lender Letter’ About the CU process

Lender Letter explains CU process Appraisers, The latest FNMA Lender Letter was released on February 2, 2015 (see PDF below). You really should print and read this new Lender Letter. It attempts to smooth over lots of ruffled feathers among appraisers, AMC’s, Lenders, Underwriters, etc. To be honest, I find a bunch of ‘pipe dream’ info in this document. Items such as: CU is a Fannie Mae–only risk management tool. ==> Freddie Mac is said to be working to implement this or a similar process very soon CU does not accept or reject appraisal reports or characterize an appraisal as “good” or “bad.”...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisal Quality Monitoring / Appraisers News

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Other Appraisers Peer Reports

Now Appraisers Must Conform to the Opinions of Other Appraisers/Unknown Persons of Unknown Competence! Appraisers, Many of you know I scan various sources for appraiser/appraisal related info, and send out items I think are important. Well, today Collateral Underwriter (the extraordinarily SECRET process developed by FNMA and given ONLY to LENDERS for report review) started. As predicted by many appraisers, it already generated responses appraisers are forced to deal with, primarily because the reporting appraiser’s data (in the report) is different from “peer” reports. As a poster to one of the forums said:

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisal Quality Monitoring / Appraisers News / AQM / Collateral Underwriter

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Should CU be Transparent?

FNMA’s CU is causing a BIG industry ruckus. Opinions are fragmented, being posted across multiple message boards and blogs. Please complete the attached survey created by ICAP member Keith Wolf, SRA, AI-RRS so we can tabulate the responses and distribute to all. We are reaching out across the country, so please feel free to forward the survey. The survey will remain open until January 31, 2015. The Appraisal Industry as a consolidated group thanks everyone for their participation in completing the survey. This survey has expired surveymonkey.com/s/S6DDVJN

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisal Quality Monitoring / Appraisers News / AQM

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The Network Letter RE CU Program

Network of State Appraisal Orgainzation’s letter to FHFA Director Watt Regarding Fannie Mae Collateral Underwriter (CU) Program For over the past couple of months, VaCAP has participated with 18 other State Appraiser Coalitions in drafting an unified response to Fannie Mae’s Collateral Underwriter Program. Their letter to FHFA Director Watt briefly outlines their concerns, offers recommended solutions, as well as asking for a meeting to discuss the issue for the benefit of all vested parties. Please take a few minutes to peruse the letter below: Dear Director Watt: On behalf of the independent state professional appraiser organizations signing below, I...

AAREA / ACOW / AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News

Census Tract as Neighborhood Boundaries in Appraising 3

Census Tracts & Appraising

CENSUS TRACTS are based primarily on POPULATION density… The latest ‘buzz word’ in our profession is an indication from Fannie Mae that as of Jan. 26, 2015, their Collateral Underwriter electronic review software (made available only to Lenders/AMC’s for 1004 and 1073 reports)  will be able to compare your report info to other property reports and data narrowed down to a local CENSUS TRACT. In my previous messages, I’ve asked a basic question: When’s the last time you actually researched comparable sales or other property info based around local CENSUS TRACTS? I would guess for the vast majority of (residential)...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisal Quality Monitoring / Appraisers News

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