Tagged: Zillow

Low Appraised Value & Allegations of Racial Discrimination 35

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 appraised value based on ‘race’ only. When interviewed by the TV reporter, the appraiser (off camera) was incredulous about that accusation… I’m getting tired of accusations of race bias in appraisals, which ALL have alleged the ‘low appraised value’ is caused by the presumed built-in systemic racial bias of the appraisers involved. Here’s another one: EXCLUSIVE: Former Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs fights home appraisal he says delayed the sale of his house – ABC7 San Francisco (abc7news.com) Even the President...

Racial Bias Narrative to Remove Appraisers From the Lending Equation 10

Racial Bias Narrative to Remove Appraisers

…the racial bias narrative will be what is utilized to remove appraisers from the lending equation… Removing us will finally put the FOX completely in charge of the HEN HOUSE…this entire narrative could very well end up costing us all, our way to make a living… Unfortunately, Professional Appraisers have no organized voice and I don’t see that we ever will. There is no one to defend us. And that has been used against us for years. After all that Appraisers have been through over the last 15 years, the racial bias narrative and the allegations of racial discrimination in...

The Other Side, Racism in Appraisals 26

The Other Side, Racism in Appraisals

…the other side of things, the appraiser profession side since no other news media and organizations are willing to do so… Note: The following blog article is not to defend anyone or to place blame. It is simply a blog looking at this issue from the other side of things, the side that hasn’t been discussed in the media. A couple weeks ago, I was privileged to speak on The National Real Estate Post about appraisal issues. One of the issues we discussed briefly was the ever-growing number of articles being written about allegations of racial discrimination in the appraisal...

Statistically Supported Appraisal 14

Statistically Supported Appraisal

Lenders are convinced that a statistically supported appraisal is a more reliable valuation. Wow! Does anyone that understands the home valuation process really think a “statically supported” appraisal makes for a better quality report? This is not that hard to understand. What does “statically supported” really mean? It means you get a computerized report, similar to what Zillow or Trulia provides, based on the information in public records. Statistically speaking, the margins of error are frightening!!! Great products for entertainment, NOT for determining the value of your home. This all comes down to the Golden Rule. Lenders are looking for...

Appraisal Racism... Fact or Fiction? Where is the Actual Evidence? 10

Appraisal Racism… Fact or Fiction?

Not one single point provides any evidence to the appraiser engaging in a racist act… No appraisal reports or actual evidence of racism has been produced by the accuser… Not one single case has been presented to the appraisal state boards… The real estate community is aware of the recent onslaught of articles going around accusing real estate appraisers of racism and appraising homes for less than what the actual homeowner thinks the home is worth. It started with Abena Horton in Jacksonville, FL Additional accusations were made in Chicago, Denver, and Newark, NJ. Each article written accuses the appraiser...

Why is Only One Side of the Racism Claim Appraisal Story Being Told? 260

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 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.,...

Zestimate vs Appraiser... Will Zestimates Put Appraisers Out of Business? 21

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...

Be Part of the Solution & Stop Being Part of the Problem! 27

Be Part of the Solution & Not the Problem!

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...

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...

Biden's Claim of Racial Bias in Appraisals Faces Criticism from Appraisers 33

Biden Claims on Racial Bias in Appraisals

Over the past week or so, Presidential Candidate Joe Biden publicly called for more regulation and oversight over appraisers to combat racial bias. He specifically cited the Brookings Institute Study ”The Devaluation of Assets in Black Neighborhoods, The Case of Residential Property”. If you are unfamiliar with this study, in a nutshell, the findings accuse appraisers of undervaluing properties in black neighborhoods. The study is an easy read and can be found here. We will warn you, much of the data used in the study carries very little weight as Census Bureau (self-reported data) and information from Zillow were used....

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