property tax - 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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Inflated Prices, Taxed to Death

Jeremy Bagott — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 12:30:52 +0000

Freddie, Fannie Have Unwittingly Stoked Property Tax Firestorm. Inflated home values, engineered by Fannie and Freddie’s appraisal waivers and algorithmic lending, have distorted the market and saddled taxpayers with rising property tax burdens. A wildfire is scorching the earth. Flashpoints are Texas, Florida, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Pennsylvania, North Dakota, New Jersey, Ohio, Nebraska and Wyoming. There are others. Consider: The average U.S. home price in midyear 2020 was $371,100. In just two years, it jumped 41% to $525,100, as reported by the St. Louis Fed. Property values have risen almost 27% faster than inflation since 2020, according to...

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Is the GSE’s “Appraisal Modernization” Really Just Mass Appraisal?

Dallas T. Kiedrowski, MNAA — Thu, 07 Mar 2024 13:30:04 +0000

Mass Appraisal tend to exhibit a regressive nature… In the intricate landscape of real estate mortgage financing, the notion of appraisal waivers recently dubbed “Value Acceptance”, by the Government Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs), has stirred considerable debate. The most recent statistics show Value Acceptance accounts for up to 40% of all mortgage approvals. It is presented as part of the GSEs “Appraisal Modernization” initiative, which aims to streamline the mortgage appraisal process. However, a closer examination reveals potential drawbacks, raising questions about its efficacy and impact on the housing market. Despite its roots in a methodology designed to support appraisers, Value...

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The Real Cause of the Home Value Gap Is the Income Gap

Mary Cummins — Mon, 13 Feb 2023 13:30:46 +0000

Blaming appraisers for the income gap will never solve the real underlying problem… Blaming appraisers for the income gap is as ridiculous as blaming appraisers for gun violence and gas prices. I watched the January 24, 2023 ASC Appraisal Bias hearing. Comments were requested after the hearing. This letter is my comment. I’ve been a real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California for 40 years. I’ve been a licensed California Certified Residential Appraiser since licenses were first offered in 1993/1994. I’m a Latino woman who speaks English and Spanish. I appraise property in the diverse county of Los Angeles and...

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UAD to Assist Local Assessors?

Dave Towne — Tue, 28 Dec 2021 13:30:32 +0000

Folks, 16 local Assessors across the US have requested to FHFA that the GSE’s UAD property rating data be provided to Assessors, with the belief that UAD will help them be more accurate in their local tax assessments. This info has been circulating the past few days, in the link below: Kaegi, other tax officials want access to Uniform Appraisal Database to help make property taxes fairer | Crain’s Chicago Business From the article: Kaegi (Cook County, Illinois) has suggested that the Uniform Appraisal Database maintained by the federally chartered mortgage buyers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac might help plug...

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

Maureen Sweeney — Tue, 22 Jun 2021 12:30:14 +0000

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...

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Is Race Baked into Big Data?

Jonathan Miller — Mon, 01 Jul 2019 12:30:11 +0000

Chicago appraiser and friend (even though she calls me “fancy pants”) writes a stellar explanation of what an appraiser actual does – and what one of the panel experts got completely wrong because he didn’t understand our role in the mortgage process: Greetings Congresswoman Waters, Chairman Clay, Ranking Member Duffy, Ranking Member Gooden, and the Members of the Housing Subcommittee: My name is Maureen Sweeney, and I am a real estate appraiser. I grew up in a real estate family and lived through the savings and loan crisis of the 1980’s, which had a profound impact on my life. I...

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Tax Appeal Work & Appraisers

IDFPR Board — Wed, 06 Jan 2016 13:30:28 +0000

Taxing the System – Tax Appeal The Department receives a number of appraisal complaints related to property tax assessment appeals each and every year. While most originate with assessors and boards of review, some come from appellants themselves. The most frequent complaint involves alleged undervaluation and advocacy on the part of the appraiser. The local assessor or board of review will allege that the appraiser deliberately omitted more relevant sales by “cherry-picking” distressed sales or choosing sales from inferior locations. Appraisers are not hired guns by counsel. Advocacy is a career-killer. Unlicensed practice is the next most frequent complaint. There...

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Over 275 Websites for Property Assessment and Valuation

AppraisersBlogs — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 12:30:07 +0000

Selected Internet Resources for Property Assessment Administration and Tax Professionals Property tax consultant Richard Sanderson has had more than 30 years experience in property tax administration and has valued some of the most complex properties for tax purposes over the years. He has just compiled and released a 24 page resource guide for property assessors, appraisers, tax professionals, and others interested in property valuation and tax policy. Entitled “Selected Internet Resources for Property Assessment Administration and Tax Professionals” the guide includes more than 275 websites that are very useful to: Academics in the field of local government administration and tax policy...

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