social media - Appraisers Blogs

Valutrust Turns the ROV Into a Pressure Tool

AppraisersBlogs — Thu, 03 Sep 2026 12:30:56 +0000

Valutrust demonstrated with stunning clarity that the real threat to independence is not the lender at all, but the AMC that believes it can steer value without consequence. Every so often a social media post surfaces that exposes the AMC problem with such clarity that it almost reads like satire. One recent social media post described an exchange with a Valutrust staff appraiser that perfectly illustrates how far some AMCs have drifted from anything resembling appraiser independence. The staff appraiser opened with the classic AMC dominance line. I have been appraising longer than you have been alive. It is the...

Appraiser Independence: What Does it Mean & Who Does… Why It Matters Appraiser independence is mandated by state and federal laws - not a professional courtesy. Every agent, broker,…
It’s Time to Take Out the Junk: AMC Practices Exposed Appraisers have spent years carrying the weight of broken AMC practices, and this article pulls every one of those practices…
Suspended: The AMC That Turned “Review” Into a Value Demand Financial Asset Services and its chief appraiser did not just cross the line of appraiser independence, they marched past it…

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When Solidifi Tried to Silence Samnick

Desiree Mehbod — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 12:30:26 +0000

David Samnick has spent years warning that the AMC model would eventually expose its own contradictions. He is a Georgia appraiser, a long time critic of AMC practices, and the author of Mein Comp: The Last Appraiser, a book that traces how independence in the profession was eroded year after year by expanding corporate control. Samnick walked away from mortgage work two years ago, stopped accepting AMC assignments entirely, and now works only for private clients. He has never completed an assignment for Clear Capital. Yet despite having no active relationship with Solidifi and no reliance on their panel, he...

A Review of MEIN COMP: The Last Appraiser If Orwell moonlighted as an appraiser, and Kafka had a side hustle in compliance, "MEIN COMP: The Last Appraiser" by…
AMCs Deceptive Fee Skimming Exposed in Lawsuit Rocket Mortgage and the AMCs actively conceal this fee skimming from borrowers, never disclosing the proportion of the "appraisal fee"…
Appraisal Regulation Compliance Council Exposes… The Appraisal Regulation Compliance Council published a detailed breakdown to the CFPB, which showed the median average AMC fee being…

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Objectionable Valuations Become Hate Speech, Inflating Home Prices

Jeremy Bagott — Wed, 21 Aug 2024 12:30:33 +0000

The censorship, scapegoating and sidelining of appraisers has done real damage to borrowers and the purchasers of bonds… Attacks on free speech are on the rise in the English-speaking world. A bill introduced in Canada to thwart online “anarchy and lawlessness” would create a Canadian Ministry of Truth empowered to punish authors Ottawa politicians find problematic. In response to the worst rioting in Britain in years, about 4,000 people have reportedly been jailed for online thought crimes. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has vowed to prosecute anyone his government believes is whipping up people’s emotions on the Internet. There’s even...

Biden's Remark on Home Values Sparks Backlash President Biden's recent comment about the discrepancy in home values between Black and white families has sparked backlash on social…
HUD's Private Inquisitors Will Chill Protected… HUD awarded $54 million to 182 nonprofits to serve as posses in a a Spanish Inquisition-style drive. The deep pockets…
The Censorship of Appraisers Thirty-seven hours after President Biden took the oath of office, White House officials met with executives at social media companies.…

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The Censorship of Appraisers

Jeremy Bagott — Thu, 11 Apr 2024 12:30:46 +0000

Thirty-seven hours after President Biden took the oath of office, White House officials met with executives at social media companies. The officials threatened restraint-of-trade lawsuits and regulatory action if the companies failed to censor what the White House deemed “misinformation.” In a parallel development, we can now connect the dots that similar talks occurred among White House officials, employees of government-sponsored mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and private vendors to throttle the protected speech of individuals and firms in the mortgage industry engaged specifically for their independence. The latter serve as bulwarks in federally backed mortgage transactions. In...

The Nightmarish End of Home Appraisals In his 1946 essay “Politics and the English Language,” the late British novelist, essayist and critic George Orwell examined the…
How U.S. Home Valuations Are Being Subverted At the crossroads of it all is a campaign to weaken or eliminate valuations... The nonprofit is now exploring ways…
The New & Improved Fannie Mae “FRAUDULATOR 2.0” Originally known as Fannie Mae’s Collateral Underwriter (CU), and subsequently Collateral Underwriter 2.0 (CU-2)i this always dubious product of Fannie…

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Class Valuation Maximizing ROV Conversion Rates

AppraisersBlogs — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 13:30:06 +0000

It’s truly mind-boggling that a company would brag about their higher ROV conversion rates for the ROV process as if it’s some kind of badge of honor. Recently, Class Valuation took to social media to boast about their Reconsideration of Value’s process (ROVs), claiming higher conversion rates and urging clients to choose them for a confident closing. Any company that is touting they have the highest ROV conversion rates should raise some red flags. The process of ROVs is meant to be a last resort when there are legitimate concerns or discrepancies in an appraisal report. It should not be...

Class Valuation Requests for Proposals It turns out they were actually rejecting your proposals and not your bids! It’s time to grab your popcorn and…
HUD ROV Process to Address 'Appraisal Bias' At a recent event at the Brookings Institute, HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge announced that HUD is creating a ROV…
A New 'Standard' for ROV Requests Since beginning using this Standard, I have had ZERO ROV requests. Appraisers, the latest ‘buzzword’ around appraising is Standard. We’ve…

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Foreclosures in Black Communities Due to Overvaluation

Guest Author — Thu, 11 Jan 2024 13:30:49 +0000

What were the results? Most had foreclosures. They bought a house worth much less than they paid for it and never planned or budgeted to make a mortgage payment in the first place. About 2 years before the crash of ‘08, I ran across a company out of DC called “Metro Grapevine” and “Metro Dream Homes.” It was a Ponzi scheme marketed by a black to blacks only. It was by invitation only. They promised if you bought your home through their program, they’d pay it off in seven years and you never had to make a payment. The requirement...

The Real Cause of the Home Value Gap Is the Income Gap Blaming appraisers for the income gap will never solve the real underlying problem... Blaming appraisers for the income gap is…
Only Blacks Need Apply... In the Spirit of Equity Fannie makes its subsidies for blacks explicit, but they don’t appear to extend to other racial groups such as Hispanics…
Appraiser Bias Allegations Unmask Debt Traps Claims of tainted appraisal unmask something else... the renewed “churning” of mortgages by nonbank lenders. Convinced racism torpedoed valuations in…

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Biden’s Remark on Home Values Sparks Backlash

AppraisersBlogs — Wed, 10 Jan 2024 13:30:55 +0000

President Biden’s recent comment about the discrepancy in home values between Black and white families has sparked backlash on social media, with many accusing him of being a “divider”. During a campaign speech at Charleston Church in South Carolina, Biden stated that homes owned by Black families are often valued at less than those owned by white families, even if they are built by the same builder. “Today, a home owned by a Black family on one side of a highway, built by the same builder on the other side of the highway & a white guy living in it,...

The Real Cause of the Home Value Gap Is the Income Gap Blaming appraisers for the income gap will never solve the real underlying problem... Blaming appraisers for the income gap is…
Diatribes Against Appraisers What’s even more frustrating to me is none of the well-known appraiser organizations have offered any public rebuttal to any…
Promoting False "Racist Appraiser" Narrative Some Lenders promoting false "racist appraiser" narrative to optimize profits via AVMs Like most businesses lenders want to optimize their…

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Slew of Negative Reviews for Appraiser Miller

AppraisersBlogs — Mon, 13 Mar 2023 12:30:00 +0000

Her Google & Yelp business pages have received a slew of negative reviews from people living as far away as New Zealand! As real estate appraisers, we understand the importance of accuracy and fairness in our work. We are expected to perform valuation services competently and in a manner that is independent, impartial and objective. We also know how important it is to uphold ethical standards in order to protect ourselves and our clients from potential legal action. The recent case of Austin v Miller serves as a reminder that even when we do our best, things can still go...

Appraisal Institute’s Harassment, Tests, and Dance with AMCs The Appraisal Institute’s latest chapter is a double dose of harassment woes — harassment allegations rocking its leadership and the…
Marin City Discrimination Case Settled It’s unfortunate that this case was SETTLED in the way it was, because in reality, nothing about racial discrimination and…
Appraiser Miller Wins Appraiser Miller wins important claim in racial discrimination lawsuit. Judge ruled Plaintiffs did not rely on Miller's appraisal. The other…

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Is Georgia Going Rogue?

VaCAP Board — Mon, 13 Jun 2022 12:30:27 +0000

VaCAP has learned the Georgia Real Estate Appraisal Board is considering rescinding rule 539-1-.23. This rule is the customary and reasonable fee requirement to appraisers from appraisal management companies. The matter will be decided at a 9:30 AM Sunday July 17, 2022 meeting. From the Georgia Real Estate Commission and Appraisal Board: RULE 539-1-.23 Appraisal Management Companies Purpose: In light of the recent decision and order In the Matter of Louisiana Real Estate Appraisers Board Before the Federal Trade Commission of the United States and to avoid even the appearance of anticompetitive conduct or the unreasonable restraint of price competition...

Data Cancer Infecting the Real Estate Market They have created the phenomenon known as “data cancer” which reduces an appraisal to a rubber stamp that contaminates the…
Freddie's Study, NPR Story Recall Notable Academic Hoax NPR topped the online edition of its article with the headline, “Black and Latino Homeowners are About Twice as Likely…
Sale Price vs Appraised Value Disconnect How can it be said that valuing a property lower than its eventual sale price based on current market evidence…

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Appraisers Getting Death Threats

AppraisersBlogs — Fri, 06 May 2022 12:30:17 +0000

Several appraisers have informed us that they have received death threats simply because they have been outspoken online refuting the racial bias narrative and the allegations of racial discrimination in the appraisal profession that is being utilized to remove appraisers from the lending equation. Since we have no organized voice and no one to defend us, some among us have taken the task to educate the public about the appraisal process and what we do. And by doing so, they have been attacked, labeled as racist and their safety threatened. One appraiser wrote (we redacted any identifiable information): I already...

Racial Bias Claims Without Proof or Logic The Appraisal Institute just sent a letter to The Appraisal Foundation to address things that have been floating out in…
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…
Low Appraised Value = Racial Bias? When the appraised value didn’t meet the sale price, the first assumption was that the appraiser conspired to lower the…

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DEAR HUD… What’s Your End Game?

Mark Skapinetz — Tue, 07 Sep 2021 12:30:25 +0000

Dear HUD, recently, within the past year or so, you have been on a crusade to prove discrimination and racism in the appraisal process. Your actions haven’t gone unnoticed by many within the appraisal profession as well as outside it. It’s become clear that you are the go to organization for complaints. Ok. Please read this in its entirety and see my thoughts at the end before making a judgement. The reason I am writing you this letter is for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, I am writing this letter to ask you what your TRUE intentions are...

Why is Only One Side of This Story Being Told? There are always two sides to every story; however, understanding is a three-edged sword: your side, their side, and the…
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…
Secret HUD Meeting on 'Appraiser Bias' The exclusion of the appraisal profession from events looking at valuation bias sends the message – intentional or not –…

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Be Nice or Be Quiet

Dustin Harris — Fri, 02 Jul 2021 12:30:59 +0000

It’s never helpful for anyone to be mean. Even when we’re “anonymous” and hiding behind a keyboard, we need to be nice… Back in the 1980’s an American minister by the name of Robert Fulghum published a series of essays in a book titled All I Really Need To Know I Learned in Kindergarten. One lesson that we should have all learned back in kindergarten, or before, is to “be nice”. Many of us did learn to be nice, but some of us need to re-learn that same lesson. The online world of social media (Facebook, forums, etc.) has made...

Freddie's Study, NPR Story Recall Notable Academic Hoax NPR topped the online edition of its article with the headline, “Black and Latino Homeowners are About Twice as Likely…
USPAP’s Typical Buyer Standard in the Fair Housing Era The Irreconcilable Conflict Between USPAP's Typical Buyer Standard and the Current Fair Housing Compliance Regime. Retain this document as a…
Biden's Remark on Home Values Sparks Backlash President Biden's recent comment about the discrepancy in home values between Black and white families has sparked backlash on social…

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A Biased Line of Thinking

Dave Towne — Fri, 04 Jun 2021 12:30:25 +0000

This ‘new’ bias story really ticks me off. Click the link below to read it: When My Home Appraisal Came Back Low, I Realized We Need to Change the System (goodhousekeeping.com) It was written by a notable self-promoter, the so-called “America’s Favorite Financial Educator”, also known as “The Budgetnista,” — Tiffany Aliche. I used to be in marketing. Those are clever. Perhaps even memorable. I question the first one, though, as I’ve never heard of Ms. Aliche until seeing the story and researching her. But I’m not black, either, so I guess that’s my problem. Most of the story is...

Racial Bias by Appraisers Is Uncommon & Not Systemic Intentional and unintentional racial bias by appraisers on refinance loans is uncommon and not systemic... On January 4, 2021, the…
Racial Bias Claims Without Proof or Logic The Appraisal Institute just sent a letter to The Appraisal Foundation to address things that have been floating out in…
Alleged Systemic Racism in Appraisal Myth In virtually every single case of alleged racism to hit the media recently, admitted staged events were in play. One…

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Advisory Opinion 16, a Game Changer?

VaCAP Board — Mon, 08 Mar 2021 13:30:19 +0000

The Appraisal Foundation has issued an exposure draft for Advisory Opinion (AO) 16. Advisory Opinion 16 is Fair Housing Laws: Avoiding Bias in Real Property Appraisal and Appraisal Review Development and Reporting. Unlike other exposure drafts, the text of the AO opinion has been rewritten. The traditional strike through of word or phrase changes is nonexistent. The Appraisal Foundation acknowledges “the Advisory Opinion was extensively rewritten”. Comments on the changes are due to The Appraisal Foundation by March 31, 2021 via SurveyMonkey or email, asb@appraisalfoundation.org. Although an Advisory Opinion is not a standard of practice, it does express what is...

Blaming, Punishing Appraisers in State Laws Will the same states that do this for appraisers also mandate similar Fair Housing and Fair Lending courses for lenders,…
Fannie Mae Filed a Complaint Against Me An appraiser shared the following with us which was posted on one of the appraisers’ groups. Fannie Mae filed a…
USPAP Third Exposure Draft ...the Ethics Rule has been expanded with a new highly detailed Nondiscrimination section, which also affects the Competency Rule. Folks,…

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I Reserve the Right Not to Serve You Anymore

Dustin Harris — Mon, 01 Feb 2021 13:30:03 +0000

Dude, I Reserve the Right Not to Serve You Anymore! OK, let’s face it: real estate appraisers are in the service business. We provide a service – real estate appraisals. We provide those services to anybody willing to pay for them. That’s what service providers do. To which you say, “Dustin, you have a deep grasp of the obvious.” Well, let’s go a little deeper. Part of what I do is stay in touch with local real estate brokers and appraisers. Some of us have a local restaurant we frequent. At the front door is a sign letting all patrons...

You Are a FEE Appraiser Not a FREE Appraiser you are a FEE appraiser, not a FREE appraiser. Do not continue doing business with AMCs who don’t pay you…
The Power of No! Appraisers always had the power to end the appraisal management pyramid scheme. All we had to do is say no.…
You Should Be Insulted... A good friend and appraiser colleague of mine in the midwest sent me this appraisal order request from Better Mortgage…

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Media Creating a False Picture

Dave Towne — Tue, 12 Jan 2021 13:30:09 +0000

…the media and others have twisted what was said to hope you will believe that it was an “incitement of violence”… Folks, I’ve been “mulling this over” for a few days, trying to totally understand what has really been happening over the past months and years up to January 6, and after. What I’ve learned is you, me and everyone else have basically been lied to, and as such, what I’m about to write is going to “p@#s off” a few of you, but others will understand. By the way, I should say that I have tried not to mix...

Maxine Waters Wants Appraisers Investigated On February 22, 2022, Maxine Waters sent a letter to HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge, TAF, ASC and AI regarding ongoing…
Fannie Mae Fraud and Abuse Exposed History of waste, fraud & abuse at this rogue organization... Fannie Mae reported this week it had fired more than…
How Bureaucratic Overreach Turned Real Estate… This is what bureaucratic overreach looks like: a maze of rules with no exit, a hearing held while you're hospitalized,…

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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.,...

Use of Census Data in AVM & Discrimination Every single appraisal any of us do has a census tract number as a required element. There are no exceptions…
Racial Bias Claims Without Proof or Logic The Appraisal Institute just sent a letter to The Appraisal Foundation to address things that have been floating out in…
Racial Bias: Redlining in the Modern Era ...are they behind this modern day redlining?... The broad definition of an algorithm according to Merriam Webster’s Dictionary is “a…

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Be Part of the Solution & Not the Problem!

VaCAP Board — Fri, 08 May 2020 12:30:31 +0000

Why would a professional licensed appraiser not want to be part of the solution? The Appraisal Foundation has posted the National Real Estate Appraiser Job Analysis Study. The survey is to determine the areas that are relevant to our daily functions as appraisers. This is our profession and appraisers are the best source of information on what we do and how we do it. The results will be used to determine the criteria necessary going forward for license examinations. We all have experienced revision requests from a reviewer who does not understand the appraisal process. What about those revision requests...

Diatribes Against Appraisers What’s even more frustrating to me is none of the well-known appraiser organizations have offered any public rebuttal to any…
USPAP’s Typical Buyer Standard in the Fair Housing Era The Irreconcilable Conflict Between USPAP's Typical Buyer Standard and the Current Fair Housing Compliance Regime. Retain this document as a…
The New & Improved Fannie Mae “FRAUDULATOR 2.0” Originally known as Fannie Mae’s Collateral Underwriter (CU), and subsequently Collateral Underwriter 2.0 (CU-2)i this always dubious product of Fannie…

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COVID-19 Temporary Appraisal Guidelines

VaCAP Board — Sun, 29 Mar 2020 12:30:03 +0000

Fannie and Freddie are giving preference to desktop appraisals over exterior appraisals, which quite frankly, is completely backwards from what most appraisers believe to be a more reliable appraisal. HUD and the Veterans Administration, on the other hand prefer exterior appraisals…

FNMA Ensnares Appraisers in Farcical Probes You feel like Fannie Mae is simply trying to get rid of appraisers. A lot of appraisers feel that way...…
Don Machholz Passing Folks, yesterday, August 11, I received the following notice about Don Machholz from a California appraiser, who requested this be…
Why Are Fannie, Freddie Peddling Exotic Junk-Rated… Meanwhile, cratering home prices are eroding demand for the junk-rated credit transfers. As mortgage giants Fannie and Freddie bend the…

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COVID-19 Pandemic & Exterior Appraisals

VaCAP Board — Tue, 17 Mar 2020 12:30:48 +0000

Everyone, not just appraisers is getting bombarded with information on COVID-19. So much of the information differs, it is hard to know what is real, hype or hysteria. So much has been shared within the appraisal groups on social media that there are more conversations about COVID-19 then appraisals. VaCAP is a volunteer organization of appraiser professionals. We are not medical professionals and are just as confused as most of you. Each and every one of us is different. We have different levels of health and different people living in our homes; some may have compromised immune systems, some maybe...

Coronavirus Will Cause Our Next Recession A Black Swan has Appeared - Coronavirus will cause Our Next Recession In a previous post entitled The Black Swan…
Uncovering Flaws in FHA Appraisal & Loan Review Process The story of this single mother's harrowing experience with a defective home purchase and HUD's negligent oversight exposes deep flaws…
How to Destroy the Appraisal Profession Anytime the government gets involved in an issue, it tends to have more adverse effects than positive ones. It makes…

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social media - Appraisers Blogs

Valutrust Turns the ROV Into a Pressure Tool

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When Solidifi Tried to Silence Samnick

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Objectionable Valuations Become Hate Speech, Inflating Home Prices

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The Censorship of Appraisers

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Class Valuation Maximizing ROV Conversion Rates

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Foreclosures in Black Communities Due to Overvaluation

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Biden’s Remark on Home Values Sparks Backlash

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Slew of Negative Reviews for Appraiser Miller

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Is Georgia Going Rogue?

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Appraisers Getting Death Threats

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DEAR HUD… What’s Your End Game?

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Be Nice or Be Quiet

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A Biased Line of Thinking

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Advisory Opinion 16, a Game Changer?

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I Reserve the Right Not to Serve You Anymore

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Media Creating a False Picture

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Why is Only One Side of This Story Being Told?

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Be Part of the Solution & Not the Problem!

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COVID-19 Temporary Appraisal Guidelines

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COVID-19 Pandemic & Exterior Appraisals

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