MLS - Appraisers Blogs

From Data to Value: How Mass Appraisal Delivers Fair Market Assessments

Guest Author — Tue, 13 Jan 2026 13:30:54 +0000

Behind every annual notice of assessments is a complex valuation system most property owners never realize exists. The Appraisal Foundation defines mass appraisal as “the systematic appraisal of groups of properties as of a given date using standardized procedures and statistical testing.” In practice, mass appraisal is a method used to value large numbers of similar properties at the same time consistently. Properties may be grouped by physical characteristics, location, or property type. Mass appraisal is mostly used for ad valorem (property tax) assessments. Mass Appraisal in Henrico County To understand how mass appraisal functions in practice, it is helpful to look at how the process is applied at...

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New UAD Overhaul: What Appraisers Can Expect in 2025 & Beyond

Dave Towne — Thu, 19 Sep 2024 12:30:42 +0000

Folks, I recently attended a Train the Trainer 1.5 day class about the new UAD/URAR, jointly facilitated by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Aloft. About 20 other instructors from across the US were also present. This class is required before this new UAD material can be taught to other appraisers, under contract with the GSEs. My info below is a limited high-level summary for the new UAD and URAR of what was presented, and what the appraiser community can expect to see, from now into 2026. It is not meant to be comprehensive; I may send out other info as...

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Seller Filed a Racial Bias Complaint Against Me

Guest Author — Tue, 07 Nov 2023 13:30:08 +0000

So what’s caused the sudden loss of income? Could it be because of the racial bias complaint filed against me by an unhappy Seller… Fannie Mae accomplished what they set out to do in July 2011, when they initiated their Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD) and the Uniform Collateral Data Portal. The goal was to collect enough property data to effectively remove appraisers from the home buying and refinancing process. It all started with Dodd-Frank Act, a several hundred pages Act signed into law by then President Obama, sold to unsuspecting Americans as a protection from the corrupt business practices of...

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PAREA Program & Its Negative Impact on Diversity

Guest Author — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 12:30:04 +0000

The study also found that the PAREA program is not as effective in providing a more accessible pathway to licensure as the traditional apprenticeship model. Practical Applications of Real Estate Appraisal (PAREA) is a program that aims to revolutionize the real estate industry by increasing the number of appraisers. However, after listening to the Appraisal Institute speaker at yesterdays board meeting it quickly became evident that this initiative is a complete failure. You cannot start PAREA until you have received all your real estate appraisal education. 94 hours = $1,700 per McKissock Appraisal Institute speaker said that most AMC’s/banks won’t...

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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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Tenant in Distress… What Would You Do?

Dave Towne — Thu, 02 Feb 2023 13:30:23 +0000

These situations apparently caused a severe depression to engulf the tenant. Appraisers, last week I received a call from an appraiser who was very upset about an encounter at the Subject dwelling, within city limits, not long before, and wanted to know ‘what to do.’ The appraiser scheduled an inspection for a dwelling being sold, and uses a ‘MLS Key’ for entry to homes with a lockbox, without having an agent present. The appraiser had previously been told by the listing agent that the tenant of the dwelling might be present, in a state of distress, because that person had...

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House Measurement by Property Data Collector Gone Wrong

Guest Author — Tue, 24 Jan 2023 13:30:12 +0000

The lender allowed an unlicensed property data collector give bad data to the appraiser… I work for this lender and they will not let my trainee inspect. The owners are now underwater by more than $100,000… I’m sad and I’m mad! I recently took on a measure job for a client who was questioning the square footage of their home. The couple bought the house at the height of the market last year. They paid 12% over list price to get the house. They put an appraisal waiver in the contract which meant they could not walk away if the...

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Visualizing Market Activity Using Graphs & Trendlines

Dave Towne — Fri, 18 Nov 2022 13:30:03 +0000

Spreadsheets and graphs are powerful tools for appraisers. With proper data, and incorporated into reports, they can enhance your professionalism and decision-making ability. Appraisers, this article will highlight the process I use to bring clarity to my research and analysis of ‘comparable’ properties. This completed process becomes an exhibit in all my appraisal reports because it helps the Intended User(s) visually see what the market has been doing over a known time period. The exhibit graph also indicates a daily rate of change for the sales over the time period, which can then be applied as a ‘time’ (market) adjustment...

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ANSI Measuring Standard Required in 2022

AppraisersBlogs — Fri, 17 Dec 2021 13:30:35 +0000

On December 15, 2021, Fannie Mae announced that it will be adopting ANSI Measuring Standard in 2022. Appraisers will be required to use the Square Footage-Method for Calculating: ANSI® Z765-2021 (American National Standards Institute®) Measuring Standard for measuring, calculating, and reporting gross living area (GLA) and non-GLA areas of subject properties for appraisals requiring interior and exterior inspections with effective dates of April 1, 2022 or later for loans sold to Fannie Mae. For more information, watch this video and check out this fact sheet. Here are some items for appraisers to consider when using the ANSI standard Measurements...

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Is ANSI for Appraisers Really the Answer?

Hamp Thomas — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 13:30:46 +0000

The real estate industry has a square footage credibility problem. ANSI has been out since 1996 with no new pages added and very few changes. In a constantly changing industry with new home styles and designs, change is a requirement. We have to remember that ANSI was originally created to be simple enough for a teenager to understand. It’s a great basic tool but falls well short of solving the real estate industry’s square footage problems. The first problem is that mandating ANSI for all appraisers may be a good first step, but fixing the whole problem requires two additional...

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Who Is Thinking Hybrid Appraisal?

VaCAP Board — Wed, 22 Sep 2021 12:30:46 +0000

“Digitizing the entire appraisal process”… what does this even mean? No more tape measures? No more typing? What exactly is being digitized that is not already digitized?… This is what Class Valuation appears to be doing to justify their actions. According to the article written by Richard Torne in Mortgage Professional America, Class Valuation has announced the acquisition of DataMaster. From the article: “We’re not replacing the appraiser, we’re empowering them” We share a common belief in the true path to the future, which is not to replace the appraiser but to empower them. Appraisers have had their fair share...

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Being Liberal with Values Hurts Homeowners

Dustin Harris — Mon, 28 Jun 2021 12:30:25 +0000

Why can’t it just be accurate instead of “conservative” or “liberal?” Just be precise in the way you do your job… Some people might say a public forum isn’t the place to air this dirty laundry, but this is not really a public forum. Of my thousands of readers, very few of them are not in real estate appraisal. Right now, I’m talking to the bad apples. Maybe you’re in a situation where you want a lot of volume and want to be the go-to person for the local mortgage company or local bank, and you want to keep them...

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Train Us and Trust Us

Hamp Thomas — Fri, 12 Mar 2021 13:30:38 +0000

The most weighted technique in most automated valuation programs comes down to one over-simplified formula, based on a guesstimation from an outside source that has no interest in the real estate system… Dear FHFA: Please accept the following comments in regard to Question A1.4. The response also includes comments on several additional questions. Thank you for taking the time to review these thoughts. Technology has made so many improvements in the last decade and we now have the chance to truly improve our home valuation system. With that being said, the last piece of the quality puzzle starts at the...

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Bids to Acquire CoreLogic

Dave Towne — Thu, 18 Feb 2021 13:30:39 +0000

I heard from a number of appraisers about their adverse situations involving CoStar… It was announced on Feb. 4, 2021 that CoreLogic will be sold, with the transfer happening in the April-June 2021 time frame. See Inman news service article, “CoreLogic Acquired By Stone Point Capital, Insight Partners For $6B – Inman”. From the article: The deal is expected to close in the second quarter of 2021, subject to shareholder approval. See another news source here. CoreLogic currently owns several companies with ties to appraising: A la mode – appraisal report software Columbia Institute – appraiser education service provider Matrix...

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Why is Only One Side of This Story Being Told?

Guest Author — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 12:30:03 +0000

There are always two sides to every story; however, understanding is a three-edged sword: your side, their side, and the truth in the middle. Recently there has been a wave of news stories about racism in the appraisal profession brought on by a couple in Jacksonville, Florida. That couple, Abena Horton, a black woman, and her husband Alex Horton, a white male, made claims that an appraiser who first appraised their home came in low on the appraisal due to her race. You can read one of the numerous stories here. Before anyone here accuses me of being racist etc.,...

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Photos in Gated Communities Can be Tricky

Dustin Harris — Fri, 09 Oct 2020 12:30:36 +0000

Let’s talk about assignments in private neighborhoods, gated communities, or secure communities. Rich folks buy, sell, and refinance their homes, too, so they need appraisals. You have an assignment in a security community. There is security at the entrances, you must be on security’s authorized visitor list to get in, and your permission to enter this private community extends solely to visit your subject. So, here is the question: while inside this gated, secure community, do you also drive around and take photos of the comps? Now, even though you are reading this, I can see you looking at me...

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Verifying MLS Shown Sales Price

Dave Towne — Wed, 07 Oct 2020 12:30:04 +0000

Verifying property sales data is a key element and requirement in doing appraisals correctly… Verifying property sales data is a key element and requirement in doing appraisals correctly. We cannot just assume the MLS reports sale prices correctly. One aid to help do this is by using one of the ‘data download’ software providers which prefill many property data items in the report comparable grids. These companies have direct interties with the local MLS (most, not all across the US), and public data from either your jurisdiction recording or assessor office, or an amalgamation company such as Realist. Two ‘data...

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Is That an Arm’s-Length Transaction?

Dustin Harris — Mon, 23 Dec 2019 13:30:16 +0000

USPAP does not define the term arm’s-length transaction. Fannie Mae also lacks such a definition. Yet, both of them call for the appraiser to use only arm’s-length transactions as comparable sales… How often do we appraisers get into the mode where we think we know it all? Occasionally, do we need to step back and look at the way we do things, just to make sure we are not missing something? Is what we know to be true and correct really true and correct? I raise this issue relative to the concept of what an arm’s-length transaction is. Are we...

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Skipping Comp Photos, Suicidal Shortcuts

Michael Ford — Wed, 02 Oct 2019 12:30:17 +0000

I refuse to undermine my own profession by pretending that time saving shortcuts are always acceptable just because they are ‘more modern and progressive’. I know how long it takes to produce USPAP compliant, credible appraisal results. I charge accordingly for my time. I make no effort to compete on fees with half assed hybrids, evaluations, or single approach partially performed field work. Respectfully, neither should anyone else. Please stop undermining our own profession…. Recently The Appraiser Coach posted an article and links to a podcast suggesting its no longer necessary to photograph our comparable sales. I wrote a counter...

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Appraisers, did you Shoot yourself in the Foot?

Guest Author — Mon, 30 Sep 2019 12:30:23 +0000

When I explain the rules many of the appraisers start complaining: “An MLS photograph depicts the house at the time it sold so it’s more accurate than my photograph would be”… There’s a lot of yelling and screaming about bifurcated appraisals. Unfortunately, appraisers may have shot themselves in the foot when it comes to this issue. Allow me to provide an analogy to help explain the issue. I’m not sure if this happens in other areas of the country but in Seattle there is a strange “left leaning” way they do things: State and Federal governments perform numerous traffic studies, to...

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