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Adjusting outside the Fannie Mae mold
Posted Date: Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Residential property appraising is a complex undertaking, and unfortunately for appraisers, many household features that fall outside the norm don’t come with a one-size-fits-all value. These items are often excluded from the traditional features identified as adjustment factors on the Fannie Mae appraisal forms — even though they can have a tremendous impact on sales prices and market value. Keep reading for an industry expert’s advice for adjusting outside the Fannie Mae mold.
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HUD secretary charts course for the future of American housing
Posted Date: Thursday, September 18, 2014
The new secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development laid out the department’s goals for revitalizing the country’s housing markets in his first major speech since stepping into his new role in July. Keep reading to see what sweeping changes could be on the horizon.
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Title insurance giant eyes appraisal market
Posted Date: Monday, September 15, 2014
One of the big four title insurance companies may be eyeing a move into the appraisal industry, a company executive said last week. Among the acquisition possibilities the company has considered is a move into the appraisal market.
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Appraisal organization re-launches exam for accreditation
Posted Date: Tuesday, September 23, 2014
The American Society of Appraisers, an international organization devoted to the appraisal profession, announced the re-launch of its Business Valuation Challenge Exam (Challenge Exam) for accreditation this month. Keep reading to see what the exam entails.
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AMC announces change to mortgage origination process
Posted Date: Wednesday, September 10, 2014
A nationwide appraisal management and technology provider announced it has enhanced its mortgage origination process through a new software integration. The integration will allow the transfer of appraisal data within the AMC’s software.
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Veros projects future home prices, implications for appraisers
Posted Date: Wednesday, September 10, 2014
David Rasmussen, senior vice president of operations for Veros Real Estate Solutions, a provider of tools for property valuation and risk assessment, talked with Valuation Review about how he sees home prices fluctuating in the near future and what this specifically means for appraisers.
Rasmussen’s analysis was based upon data from Veros’ proprietary valuation model, VeroFORECAST.
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Builder confidence highest in nearly a decade
Posted Date: Thursday, September 18, 2014
A recent survey shows that builders are more confident in the single-family market than in any time in nearly a decade. Keep reading to see why builder optimism is booming.
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County’s chief appraiser fired for stalking
Posted Date: Monday, September 15, 2014
Medina County, Texas, is without its chief appraiser of more than 20 years after the industry veteran was fired after being jailed for a second time for unwanted advances towards his former significant other.
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Former bank exec in hot water for appraisal fraud
Posted Date: Thursday, September 18, 2014
A former senior vice president and chief credit officer at a now-defunct $2.8 billion bank pleaded guilty for his role in facilitating elaborate schemes involving appraisals to defraud shareholders and regulators. Keep reading for the details.
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Companies announce expansion of appraisal software integration
Posted Date: Monday, September 15, 2014
A new software integration between two appraisal software companies will help improve how appraisals are ordered and managed and also help assure appraisals meet quality control standards. Keep reading to learn about the new product offering.
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AMC adopts appraiser screening service to better vet appraiser panel
Posted Date: Monday, September 15, 2014
A provider of appraiser screening services announced that it now is providing appraiser due diligence and compliance monitoring for a Missouri-based AMC. Keep reading to learn about how the screening service is designed to better vet the AMC’s appraiser panel.
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Subscription winners for 2014 Voice of the Appraiser Survey are…
Posted Date: Thursday, September 18, 2014
Valuation Review wanted to thank our 2014 Voice of the Appraiser survey participants for making this year’s survey our biggest yet. As a thank you for those who participated, we are pleased to announce three lucky winners who will be receiving free subscriptions to Valuation Review. Keep reading to see if you’re one of this year’s winners!
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Despite advancements, appraisers slow to adopt technology
Posted Date: Tuesday, September 23, 2014
This summer, Valuation Review polled more than 1,500 appraisal industry professionals as part of our 2014 Voice of the Appraiser annual survey, which is designed to capture the mindset of the modern property appraiser. This year’s survey showed that despite a flood of innovative software options that have become available on smartphones and tablets, many appraisers have been slow to adopt the latest mobile tools. Keep reading to see why appraisers said they’re leaving their mobile devices dormant in a sneak preview of our 2014 Voice of the Appraiser.
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Appraisal management provider names VP of Settlement Services division
Posted Date: Tuesday, September 23, 2014
A provider of appraisal management and mortgage services announced that the firm had hired a new vice president of national sales for the company’s Settlement Services division. Keep reading to see what role the new hire will play for the company.
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Los Angeles is going green again — for now
Posted Date: Thursday, September 18, 2014
Los Angeles County could look a lot greener over the next few years, regardless of rainfall in the Golden State, thanks to a new push to help homeowners obtain financing for energy efficient upgrades through its resurrected Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) initiative.
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Software provider overhauls mortgage management tool
Posted Date: Thursday, September 18, 2014
A provider of on-demand software solutions and services for the residential mortgage industry announced a major new release of its mortgage management solution that includes more than 300 enhancements designed to promote compliance, loan quality and efficiency.
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The role schools play in the housing market
Posted Date: Monday, September 15, 2014
Redfin, a real estate brokerage firm, released a new study Sept. 11 that shows how the quality of a school can impact home prices in the surrounding community.
The study is a follow-up to a 2013 Redfin study, which showed people are willing to pay an average of $50 more per square foot for homes that are located in a top-rated school zone as opposed to those in what are deemed average school zones.
In this year’s companion study, Redfin assessed 22 metropolitan areas across the country to gauge which neighborhoods had the highest rated public schools. Redfin relied on GreatSchools — a provider of profiles, reviews and other information on hundreds of thousands of schools throughout the country — to help determine the schools’ rankings.
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Appraiser advocacy organization announces addition of industry expert
Posted Date: Monday, September 15, 2014
A national provider of real estate appraisals, analytics and appraisal reviews, announced that its chief appraiser has been appointed to serve as a subject matter expert for a new appraisal organization. Read on to learn about the new appointment.
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Mobile appraising: Then and now
Posted Date: Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Mark Stockton, managing partner at Valuation Research LLC, set out 30 years ago to try to determine whether appraising in the field was a viable option for residential appraisers. Keep reading to see what the mobile pioneer learned during his two-year experiment, and what lessons today’s appraisers can take from it.
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Bank settles for $95 million
Posted Date: Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Morgan Stanley is the latest in the long line of banks to suffer the repercussions of alleged improper practices that helped initiate the financial crisis of 2008.
According to Reuters, the Wall Street bank agreed to a settlement of $95 million, according to papers filed Sept. 8 in New York federal court. The settlement was based on claims that the bank misled investors as to the quality of its mortgage-backed securities in the years preceding the crash.
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AMC names new manager of compliance
Posted Date: Wednesday, September 10, 2014
A national appraisal management company, which just announced it will be expanding its business, has named a new manager of compliance to help ensure it is up to date with all of the appraisal industry’s rules and regulations. Keep reading for the details.
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Survey: Housing market softening
Posted Date: Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Americans’ attitudes toward the housing market continued to soften in August, according to results from Fannie Mae’s August 2014 National Housing Survey. Keep reading to see why the share of consumers who said now is a good time to buy dipped to an all-time survey low.
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