News By Edition

For those who are reading this story, and the subsequent articles in this online edition, know that you are looking at the final online version of Valuation Review.

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Valuation Review recently spoke with Brent Bowen, a Certified Residential appraiser with Texas Valuation Professionals.

He composed his thoughts by way of a piece titled “Value: Relatively Absolute or Absolutely Relative.” Bowen, also an author and instructor, gave us many specifics relating to this topic, including the understanding that on some level, all of valuation is relative.

Read Part I of our conversation with Bowen.

Simon Blackburn, founder and CEO of MtgeFi, a company dealing with mortgage trends, performance and data for mortgage technology and service providers, shared his thoughts at a recent appraisal conference on the job security of appraisers.

How should appraisers feel about their security?

Read on for the answer and the full conversation with Blackburn.

“I believe this is the ‘right time’ for major improvements in the appraisal profession,” Bradford Technologies CEO Jeff Bradford told Valuation Review.

In Bradford's article "It's the Right Time," the CEO primarily focused on the "right" or "wrong" time for appraiser adaptation to technological changes within the profession.

Read on for the full conversation with Bradford.

Religious facilities, according to BBG Managing Director John Wright, Jr., are witnessing a wave of change.

Across the country, houses of worship are adapting to evolving congregational needs, demographic shifts and new financial realities.

Read on for more insight.

“Instead of waiting until the very end of the loan cycle to order an appraisal, we collect property data very early on within the loan process, so that by the time the appraiser steps in, they’ve already got everything they need to make their analysis,” Reggora co-founder and CEO Brian Zitin told Valuation Review.

Zitin recently unveiled the company's "24-Hour Appraisal," which he calls "Streamlined Appraisal."

Read on for the full conversation with Zitin.

How should appraisers utilize mobile apps when it comes to data collection and technology?

It’s one of the hotter topics lately in the appraisal profession, and Walitt Solutions’ Owner/Principal Josh Walitt and Senior Valuations Consultant Cindi Harris shared some insight with us.

Read on for the full conversation.

As technology continues to grow within the appraisal profession, it becomes even more paramount for appraisers to not stand idly by and watch progress pass them along the road to compliance.

Looking ahead, Accurate Group CEO/President Paul Doman emphasized the next 12-18 months are "pivotal to staying ahead of the curve."

In Part II of our conversation with Doman, the company executive shared more insight on valuation technology and how lenders need to stay updated moving forward.

Read on for the conclusion to this story.

“Class Valuation’s quality control process is driven by our propriety technology, Class Intelligence," Cristy Conolly, Class Valuation executive vice president Quality Control, told Valuation Review.

Conolly has over 20 years in the appraisal industry with diverse experiences, and gave us her unique perspective to understand the needs and challenges of the valuation profession from various viewpoints, including quality control.

Read on for the full conversation.

AURA, Clear Capital's artificial intelligence-driven collateral analyzer, now supports Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD) 3.6. The technological tool analyzes the risk assessment of appraisals in order to improve the quality and accuracy of 3.6 appraisals for lenders, appraisal firms and investors.

Redfin defines a market with over 10 percent more sellers than buyers as a buyer’s market. And according to a new report from Redfin, there were an estimated 36.8 percent more home sellers than buyers in the housing market for October.

“In my view, lenders need to treat valuation technology not as a ‘nice-to-have’ but as a strategic enabler of speed, accuracy and risk control in today’s mortgage environment,” Accurate Group President and CEO Paul Doman told Valuation Review. 

In Part I of our feature with Doman, he shared insight as to how lenders can "stay ahead of the curve" to enhance modernization.

Read on to find out more of what we were told.

Appraisers have had many business tips offered to them over the years courtesy of Dustin Harris, "The Appraiser Coach."

In what will be Valuation Review's final installment of helpful appraisal advice from Harris, we highlight observations from Harris’ blog posts “Part-Time Appraisers Are Professionals” and “A Revision Request That Could Cost You Everything.”

Read on to learn more.

BBG's recently announced an expansion into Washington, D.C.

This move marks a significant step in the commercial firm's continued growth across key metropolitan markets and reinforces its commitment to serving clients throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.

Read on to find out who the new director of the firm's Northwest Division.

A phased onboarding of Quality Control (QC) Advisor Plus is underway and will be available to all lenders by year-end, Freddie Mac announced on Nov. 17, referencing its next-generation automation technology to streamline its Single-Family QC process.

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) adopted its 2026-2028 Strategic Plan on Nov. 16 after it was approved unanimously by the NAR Executive Committee. “NAR is rebuilding trust by executing the largest transformation in real estate history, and this strategic plan will be our roadmap,” NAR CEO Nykia Wright said.

The Mortgage Bankers Association’s Builder Application Survey (BAS) for October demonstrated the importance of distinguishing between seasonally adjusted and unadjusted numbers when evaluating mortgage purchase data. The BAS data indicated a 2.6 percent decline in October mortgage purchase applications compared to the same month last year on an unadjusted basis. 

What are appraisers "thankful" for?

Thanksgiving is truly a special time of the year for family and friends. For this holiday feature, Valuation Review reached out to several individuals within the appraisal profession who shared some of their sentiments as we all look forward to celebrating on Nov. 27.

Read on for the full sentiments.

JLL’s Value and Risk Advisory platform recently announced a key appointment within the commercial firm.

The company now has a new executive director based in Washington, D.C.

Read on to find out who this individual is.

A recent report showed a drop in commercial real estate (CRE) numbers. LightBox, a provider of CRE data and technology, recently released its October CRE Activity Index. The report registered 106.2, down from 116.8 in September.

“Foreclosure activity continued its steady upward trend in October, the eighth straight month of year-over-year increases," ATTOM CEO Rob Barber said in a release. ATTOM's October U.S. Foreclosure Market Report showed significant foreclosure filings.

Atlantic Coast Mortgage (ACM) is an independent mortgage lender licensed in 40 states, primarily engaged in the origination of 1-4 family residential mortgage loans and construction loans. ACC is set to acquire Tidewater Mortgage Services, Inc. in a strategic move for both companies.