Tagged: Realtor

Train Us and Trust Us - AVM Use Formula Based on Inaccurate SF Data 9

Train Us and Trust Us

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...

Are You Laying Bricks, Putting up a Wall, or Are You Building a Cathedral? 3

Are you Laying Bricks or Building a Cathedral?

…laying bricks today, putting up a wall, or are you building a cathedral?… If you have been doing appraising for any time at all, you have likely experienced some of the more irritating aspects of our profession: the AMCs, the call backs, or one of my personal favorites, a Realtor’s protest “the idiot appraiser doesn’t know it’s supply and demand! I have a buyer!” An old folk story helps me through days like these, and it goes like this: A traveler came upon three men working. He asked the first man what he was doing, and the man said he...

Another 'Pile on Appraisers' Diatribe? Appraisal Industry & Fair Housing... 9

Another ‘Pile on Appraisers’ Diatribe?

The National Association of Realtors held their “Virtual Appraisal Summit” on Aug. 5, 2020, focusing on ‘fair housing and the appraisal industry.’ We were fortunate to have Craig Morley, President of the National Association of Appraisers, represent us appraisers, but his presentation was only scheduled for 15 minutes. I’m hoping when he sees this message, he will provide more info about his presentation and the outcome of the “Summit.” Craig’s presentation had the title: Abilities and Limitations of Appraising Real Estate Under Today’s Rules Craig Morley, Managing Partner, Accurity Valuation/Morley & McConkie, LLC I’m just hoping that this Summit was...

A Flipper Transaction - Appraisal vs AVMs... Are AVMs Reliable? 3

Appraisal vs AVMs

…the ‘flipper’ realized that the list and contract price was way too high… I just saw an article titled “Realor.com now providing third-party home valuations” about Realtor.com now using a ‘new’ service to provide a home value. Just for grins, I thought I’d do this essay using one of my recent assignments for the case study, which was in Bellingham, WA. The home was undergoing renovations by a ‘flipper’, and it had a signed contract for a high $$ amount. The report was written ‘subject to’ completion of the repairs/renovations. During the initial inspection, the ‘flipper’ was present and doing...

FIRREA Under Attack - Protecting Homeowners from Appraisal Loopholes 25

FIRREA Under Attack!

…the federal agencies charged with implementing Title XI of FIRREA have taken steps to limit the number of transactions for which an appraisal is required… Congresswoman Maxine Waters and Congressman William Lacy Clay request a formal study/investigation into Title XI (FIRREA) and the recent dilution of its intent by the Federal Agencies. The letter to  Gene Dodaro, Comptroller General, Government Accountability Office, addresses threshold increases, regulatory exemptions, appraisal waivers, the North Dakota appraiser certification waiver and evaluations in lieu of an appraisal. It is clear the Chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee and Subcommittee Chairman on Housing, Community Development and Insurance...

Are Appraisers & Realtors Becoming Obsolete Like Cows? 19

Are Appraisers Becoming Obsolete?

Like cows, is technology making us functionally obsolete?… Cows are Obsolete! Pigs and chickens too! I just ate an “Impossible Burger” for lunch at Burger King. It tasted great! It looked great too. I could not tell the difference between this fake burger and the real thing. Goodbye cows! This morning, like usual, I ate Morning Star Farms breakfast sausage instead of real pork sausage. I love these things! Goodbye pigs! Beyond Meat has grilled chicken strips and Vegan Egg offers their “Plant Based Egg Replacer”. Goodbye chickens! As all of these “fake foods” grow in popularity, certainly farmers and...

Are Appraisers Really Professional? - Stand Your Ground as an Appraiser! 10

Are Appraisers Really Professional?

2019 is winding down with just one more day remaining. As we reflect on the past, the changes we have seen and the growth we have endured, our hearts are warmed with the accomplishments we have obtained. Appraisers are no longer sitting back and letting others dictate our future. Have we won every battle, no; but our voices are being heard and our regulators are taking notice. Legislators, consumer groups and even Realtors are speaking up in favor of the licensed professional appraiser. This begs the question, are appraisers really professional? According to Webster’s Third International Dictionary a profession is...

Do We Really Need Rocket Closing? Home Buying Process is Not a Race 23

Do We Really Need a Rocket Mortgage?

Do we really need a “Rocket Mortgage“? “Rocket Approvals” are nice but certainly not “Rocket Closings”. The home buying process is not a race. It’s not Road Runner and Wile E Coyote racing to the closing table. It takes time! The Need for Speed How quickly do your buyers and sellers want to close on the home they just bought? Two weeks? Four, six, eight weeks? When you wrote the contract, and filled in the “drop dead dates” how much time did you allow for the Title deadlines, the Owners’ Association deadlines, the Seller’s Property Disclosure deadlines, the Loan and Credit deadlines,...

Language Barrier... What We Got Here is … Failure to Communicate 9

Failure to Communicate

Realtor’s language is “local” whereas an appraiser’s language is universal… What we got here is … failure to communicate. It’s a line from Cool Hand Luke … a great old movie with Paul Newman. Newman played a prisoner in a jail in the Deep South. The story was all about Luke Jackson, played by Newman, who was sentenced to two years in a Florida prison farm. Well, Luke was a free spirit who didn’t play by the rules and this angered the prison’s sadistic warden. In one memorable scene, the warden said, “What we’ve got here is … failure to communicate“. That line was...

Major Threat to Real Estate Agents on Horizon - Appraisers Blogs 6

Major Threat to Real Estate Agents

Appraisers, in case you are not aware, NINE law firms have begun the process to sue real estate agents and brokers across the US about how the commission process works to compensate the SELLING broker. It is believed that three of the best known internet based property purchasing and selling web sites are behind this effort. It’s being done so that they can build their own businesses, while jeopardizing the livelihood of real estate agents and brokers. The suits allege that there is collusion and racketeering among the real estate participants to ‘bake in’ a set commission for the selling agent...

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