Tagged: housing market

April 28, 2022

Sales Comparison Approach is Racist

“…the modern appraisal industry perpetuates racial inequality through its continued use of the “sales comparison approach”… the sales comparison approach persists as the dominant method of assessing home value… the sales comparison approach — the most used method for contemporary residential appraisals — perpetuates inequities through maintaining historical hierarchies and current racialized definitions of comparability…” Appraisers, here’s a YouTube video that you MUST view. This person’s, Dr. Elizabeth Korver-Glenn, PhD, work is one of the key reasons why there is so much chatter about racist appraisers in the US. Her discussion of her book ‘Race Brokers‘ begins at the 8:30...

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

NAR Paints a Different Picture: Appraisers Among the Least Discriminatory Practices

March 7, 2022

NAR Report Paints a Different Picture

The study also shows the appraisal was the LOWEST scored item on the list of discriminatory practices… On February 23, 2022, NAR published the “2022 Snapshot of Race and Home Buying in America” report. The study examines homeownership trends and challenges by race and location to explain current racial disparities in the housing market. Using data from the 2021 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, the report looks at the characteristics of who purchases homes, why they purchase, what they purchase and the financial background for buyers based on race. The study noted that for those who said they witnessed...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / NAR / National Association of Realtors / Trending

January 25, 2022

ASC Blaming Appraisers

The Appraisal Subcommittee, because they were directed to do so, has produced a report, which frankly and explicitly lays the blame for low market values of homes in ‘communities of color’ directly at the feet of independent appraisers involved with mortgage lending. You will start seeing accusatory slanted media reports about this report. ABC news already has distributed it. A TV station in San Francisco has aired a story already. Yes, the report casually mentions actual facts that GOVERNMENT policies and procedures promulgated segregated and extraordinarily unfair housing issues in the US, from the 1930’s into the early 1960’s. The...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisal Subcommittee / Appraisers News / ASC

Racial Bias in Real Estate: Is it the Property Appraisers’ Fault?

June 22, 2021

Racial Bias in Real Estate: Is it the Appraisers’ Fault?

In the past year, the appraisal industry has been under attack from various academics who claim “racial bias” on the part of real property appraisers providing appraisal services to lenders who provide home mortgages. These academics do not fully understand various types of valuation specialties, the appraisers who practice in these specialties, and the myriad of laws that must be followed. Help is needed to explain the appraisal industry, including the specialties and the types of reports. An understanding of the different components of the appraisal industry is necessary to assist various academics, journalists, the media, the public, and the public...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisal Subcommittee / Appraisers News / ASC / Automated Valuation Models

Zestimate vs Appraiser... Will Zestimates Put Appraisers Out of Business?

July 13, 2020

Will Big Data Put Appraisers Out of Business?

Part of the boom in the availability of data has led to companies such as Trulia and Zillow who claim they can “Zestimate” a home’s value instantaneously. But can your potential customers trust such value? In the old days, if a homeowner really wanted to find out how much their property was worth in the current market, they called an appraiser. Our customers understood that a licenced and qualified appraiser is trained, experienced, knowledgeable, and unbiased in his or her own marketplace. In the past few years, the Information Age has flooded us with data; lots of data. Big data...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Automated Valuation Models / AVM / Online Estimates

June 19, 2020

Potential Changes to GSEs Gaining Steam

Folks, if you have not been hiding under a rock since 2009, you know that both FNMA and FrMAC have been under ‘conservatorship’, regulated by FHFA for over the past 10+ years. If you’ve been paying attention, you also know that over the past few years there has been increasing talk to end the conservatorship, and now, to add competitors to the GSE’s in the mortgage loan purchase arena. That prospect is outlined in the latest Report to Congress by Mark Calabria, Director of FHFA, summarized in this article posted Tues, June 16, 2020, in Mortgage News Daily: The Federal...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Fannie Mae - Freddie Mac

April 20, 2020

Ocwen Financial Is in Trouble

VaCAP concerned about Ocwen financial deteriorating condition… We have all been there; you are busy and you lose track of your accounts receivables. Suddenly, you have 45, 60 and 90 day past due invoices. VaCAP wants to remind you to pay attention not only to your receivables, but industry news to make informed decisions going forward. Two days ago HousingWire reported Ocwen Financial is in trouble with the New York Stock Exchange. According to the article, Ocwen stock has been trading below $1.00 for more than 30 days in violation of the NYSE rules. Ocwen runs afoul of NYSE after stock stays below...

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

VaCAP Is Concerned for the Safety & Soundness of the Housing Market...

October 10, 2019

VaCAP Expresses Concerns to Legislators

The safety and soundness of the housing market is the back bone of local economies, the national economy and yes, the international economy. We have barely recovered from the major financial crash of 2007/2008. Let’s not do it again! Last week we shared with you Maxine Waters and Sherrod Brown’s inquiry to the Appraisal Subcommittee inquiring on the parameters used to determine the North Dakota Appraiser Waiver approval. We encouraged each of you to take advantage of the attention on our profession and contact your representatives. VaCAP has sent letters to both the US House of Representatives Committee on Financial...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisal Subcommittee / Appraisers News / ASC

Credit Worthiness Based on Magazine Subscriptions

September 16, 2019

Low Credit Score? Don’t Fret Over It

Got a low credit score and can’t get a loan? Don’t fret over it, just subscribe to a magazine. Sounds absurd doesn’t it? According to an article on MSN, banks are using other means to determine your credit worthiness. We all understand alternative credit, such as phone and power bills, but companies are now considering consumer data such as magazine subscriptions, the stores your shop at, what you purchase, what restaurants you eat at and how much you spend at them. Based on your consumer data a risk score on your ability to repay a loan is determined. For decades,...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisers News / Fannie Mae - Freddie Mac / Federal Housing Finance Agency

August 13, 2019

Zillow in Crosshairs

Steve Eisman, the hedge-fund manager famous for betting against the US housing market in 2008 explains why he is shorting online real estate company Zillow. “I would say Zillow has one of the most flawed business models I’ve seen in a very, very long time,” he said during an interview on CNBC. “They had a good business which was their internet real estate platform. The growth in that has slowed dramatically so that now the growth is zero… The most problematic is what they call their, I believe, iHome business, an internet buying business where they actually go out and...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News