News By Edition

Valuation Review recently spoke with veteran appraiser Byron Miller, of BM Appraisals, who provided a very detailed and clear picture as it relates to highest and best use (HBU) appraisal work.

Miller began with single-family residential zoning and covered all that appraisers need to know when it comes to HBU.

Read Part I of our conversation with Miller.

Valuation Review has featured Class Valuation Chief Appraiser John Dingeman many times for his appraisal knowledge. We recently learned of Dingeman’s hobby away from appraising properties, which is amassing a rather impressive baseball card collection.

With the regular Major League Baseball season underway, we thought it would be interesting for this appraiser to share his knowledge within a different arena.

Read on for more of Dingeman's story.

Lisa Meinczinger is a Certified Residential appraiser based in Indiana.

Valuation Review sat down with her to discuss a variety of topics and philosophies, including what constitutes repossession and relocation properties.

Read Part I of this feature story.

The Appraisal Foundation (TAF) recently announced that McKissock, LLC has been awarded the contract to be the sole host of TAF’s asynchronous continuing and qualification education courses relating to USPAP, Yellow Book and other online courses.

Velox Valuations, a national real estate appraisal firm, is off to an impressive start in 2025, celebrating several major achievements in the first quarter. The company marked its fifth anniversary on April 1.

Oklahoma House Bill 1081, which would amend sections of the Oklahoma Certified Real Estate Appraisers Act and Oklahoma Appraisal Management Company Regulation Act, passed the House of Representatives March 13.

The bill would become effective Nov.1.

Read on to learn more.

JLL's Value and Risk Advisory platform recently announced that it has hired back a key executive.

He will lead business development efforts to drive growth.

Read on to learn the identity of this individual.

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) announced an “organizational revamp” aimed at reducing costs, streamlining operations and positioning NAR to be more responsive to both industry and member needs.

Home sales fell by double digits in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena in California after January’s Los Angeles wildfires, according to a new report from Redfin.

Cornerstone Capital Bank launched two joint venture (JV) companies with homebuilders in Texas and North Carolina. With the two additions, Cornerstone has now formed and managed JV mortgage companies for 15 homebuilders nationwide.

On March 25, CoreLogic announced its global rebrand to Cotality.

This marks the company’s progression to a leader in property information, analytics and data-enabled solutions from its origins in financial services supporting the mortgage industry.

Read on to learn more.

Valuation Review spoke with John Holbrook, senior manager of product management of valuation analytics for ICE Mortgage Technology, who outlined important details relating to home equity loans and lines of credit (HELOC) where lenders have often relied on full appraisals and other valuation methods.

Specifically, Holbrook noted collateral risk policies for HELOCs are not the same as GSE collateral policies.

Read Part I of our feature with Holbrook.

Valuation Review recently spoke with William Pastuszek Jr., principal of Shepherd Associates, LLC, in Needham, Mass.

The appraiser covered a variety of topics including how the appraisal profession has responded to change, uncertainty and operating in near-crisis conditions.

Read on for the full conversation.

According to Cotality’s (formerly CoreLogic) home price analysis for February, homebuying demand remained weak, as households address economic and policy uncertainty.

Also, the potential inflation pressures from tariffs, and concerns about job losses and personal financial situations are discussed.

Read on to learn more.

Class Valuation recently announced the appointment of its new chief data officer. The assignment became effective April 1.

STRATMOR Group, a mortgage industry advisory firm, recently shared some of the key findings from its 2024 Technology Insight Study, revealing significant growth in digital technology adoption across mortgage lending, particularly in automation and artificial intelligence.

With rent payments taking up as much as 33 percent of the median income in some cities, the personal-finance website WalletHub recently released its report on “Cities with the Most Affordable Rent,” which highlighted where people can find the biggest financial reprieve.

For Kerry Jorgensen, of Jorgensen Appraisal, Inc., it was truly a “family affair” in terms of a career path. Jorgensen’s father was most influential in providing a career path for him to follow.

Valuation Review caught up with Jorgensen to discuss his road to appraisal work, as well as his thoughts on appraisers becoming expert witnesses.

Read on for the full conversation with Jorgensen.

Right-of-way (ROW) appraisals are a highly complex and challenging niche within the real estate appraisal industry.

McKissock Learning’s Kevin Hecht, an appraisal educator and economist, points out ways appraisers can look to diversify their services, increase their income, grow their business or move away from traditional residential work by specializing in ROW appraisals.

Read on for more ROW information. 

Homebuyers have more opportunities this spring than they've had in years, according to a recent Zillow analysis.

A larger share of sellers are dropping their prices, and buyers have the bargaining power to land an even better deal, according to Zillow.

Read on to learn more.

To help facilitate recovery efforts from wildfires and straight-line wind damage in Los Angeles County, Calif., four federal regulatory agencies temporarily paused certain appraisal requirements for real estate-related transactions.

On April 8, the Federal Housing Finance Agency and Fannie Mae fired 100 employees for unethical conduct, including the facilitation of fraud.

Covius, a provider of technology-enabled solutions to the financial services industry, recently announced it has partnered with FoxyAI through Covius’ online auction platform, RealtyBid.

The jewelry appraisal industry is evolving, and appraisers must adapt to stay competitive. To support professionals in this niche field, Karen Howard, a seasoned gemologist and appraiser, is launching a special course.

Valuation Review recently caught up with Cara Keys, owner of Keys Valuation in West Virginia, who shared some insight as to being a business owner and about commercial appraising.

Keys said it takes several years to gain expertise when it comes to various commercial property types.

Read on for the full conversation.

Class Valuation recently announced the strategic acquisition of a Cary, N.C.-based AMC that specializes in valuation solutions for the private lending market.

This acquisition significantly expands Class Valuation’s footprint in the rapidly growing private lending sector, enhancing its service offerings and market reach.

Read on for the details of this acquisition.

Presale renovations are emerging as a crucial strategy for the real estate industry, transforming how properties are presented and sold in today’s tech-enabled housing market.

To uncover the impact and potential of this burgeoning new industry, Revive Real Estate released a new white paper report for 2025 on how strategic pre-sale renovations can maximize the value of a property.

Read on to learn more.

AssetVal, a valuation company known for delivering high-quality Broker Price Opinions (BPOs), is partnering with Restb.ai for integration of its advanced computer vision technology to elevate the consistency and accuracy of its residential BPO offerings.

In Fannie Mae’s recent “Q1 2025 Fannie Mae Appraiser Update,” appraisers were alerted that going forward, there will be one dynamic URAR for all residential property types, including single family, 2- to 4- unit, condo, manufactured, and co-op properties.

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) announced the availability of Catalyst Partner Environment, a new application programming interface (API) platform designed to streamline digital interactions and improve the efficiency of FHA’s loan origination processes.