Category: Trending

Temporary Appraisal Requirement Flexibilities - FHFA Allowing Alternatives 18

Temporary Appraisal Requirement Flexibilities

Temporary Guidance From Fannie Mae… FNMA has issued temporary guidance on appraisal requirements, including allowing desktop & exterior-only appraisals… Folks, due to the ongoing COVID-19 national emergency, the GSE regulator FHFA and both GSE’s have issued new (temporary) guidance on Monday, March 23, 2020. These remain in effect through May 17, 2020, but could be extended due to the on-going situation. NOTE: I have seen nothing yet from FHA or VA. Appraisers (and AMCs) CANNOT modify assignments or reports without specific authorization from the lender client. Appraisers CAN choose to do, or not do, assignments under the inspection guidelines, and per directives...

Appraisers Are Considered an Essential Business 36

Appraisers Considered an Essential Business

Under the order, “essential businesses” cover a wide variety of workers…Appraisers are considered an essential business… Illinois Governor Issues Stay-at-Home Order. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker today issued a “stay at home” order for the entire state starting Saturday March 21, 2020, at 5 p.m. through April 7. The order encourages all “essential businesses and operations” to remain open. Appraisers are considered an essential business The order encourages all “essential businesses and operations” to remain open, but directs them to enforce six-foot social distancing for both employees and customers. Under the order, “essential businesses” cover a wide variety of workers, including...

COVID-19 Pandemic and Exterior Appraisals - Appraisers Blogs 64

COVID-19 Pandemic & Exterior Appraisals

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...

Appraisal Inspection Procedures & Protocols 64

Appraisal Inspection Procedures & Protocols

The industry needs to discuss the coronavirus issue and how to conduct inspections. I set up an inspection a few days ago using the Procedures & Protocols form below and this is how I handled it. I called the listing agent and tactfully told him that we had to discuss this Coronavirus issue … that I had a family member with a compromised health situation and that we had to presume the virus was already within our community. Then I explained to him that I inspect a lot of homes every week and that normally involves touching a lot of...

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....

Coronavirus Will Cause Our Next Recession - A Black Swan has Appeared 25

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 published in August, 2019, I wrote, “though more common now, especially in Australia, Europe, and Asia, black swans (Cygnus atratus) were once thought to be almost extinct… so rare that a sighting of one was considered to be an unexpected, improbable event. Today, The Black Swan is a metaphor for an unpredictable, unforeseen, random event, typically one with extreme consequences. Today’s best technology cannot predict their cause or emergence. The only thing we know for certain is that someday, somewhere,...

Final Inspection When Not the Original Appraiser - Appraisers Blogs 29

Final When You’re Not the Original Appraiser

When You Complete a Final and Were Not the Original Appraiser First of all, let’s clear the air of any initial confusion that could be potentially floating around out there. It is absolutely okay for an appraiser to complete a final for a property when they were not the original appraiser on the original report. It is perhaps slightly more unusual, but completely ethical. However, there are a few issues that an appraiser could potentially run into if they are completing a final for a report where they were not the original appraiser. I am going to talk about one...

Appraisers CASH the Darn Check! - Appraisers Blogs 52

CASH the Darn Check!

…AMC in question is refusing to allow new vendor appraisers to accept fee payments by check… Appraisers, I had an interesting conversation with a Chief Appraiser at a prominent AMC today (and no, you don’t have to berate or chastise me for using that expression) who told me they have a real problem with appraisers FAILING TO CASH FEE PAYMENT CHECKS! This news was absolutely stunning to hear. It is incredulous to me that people who claim to be ‘professional’ in their work, can’t figure out how to take a piece of paper with their business name on it and...

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...

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