“If men were virtuous, there would be no need of government at all.” Thomas Jefferson 2006: Cleaning Up the Lending Mess By Stewart Heller The following is a summary of notes taken from the official audio recording of the sworn testimony of a chief appraiser of a major mortgage lender. The chief appraiser appeared before...…
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Bye, Bye ASC? Appraisal Subcommittee Under Fire Is it Time to Start Over? You may already know that late last year the Georgia Appraisal Board, in a letter to Sen. Zell Miller, (D-Ga.), called for broad changes to the appraisal regulatory structure, including sun setting the Appraisal Subcommittee (ASC). What you may not know is...…
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In business, with every change comes opportunity: the radical changes expected to hit this industry may mean new opportunities for appraisers.
On the minds of many fee appraisers this fall is how the new Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC) will affect their businesses. The agreement between the New York Attorney General’s office and Fannie Mae/Freddie…
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Out of all the sport hero commentaries I have heard, the most beneficial one for me involves a remark by the great Wayne Gretsky. The story goes something like this: a reporter asked Gretsky what was the secret of his success on the ice. The reply was that he didn’t skate to where the puck…
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FNC, Inc. is once again at the center of a firestorm in the appraisal world– this time over a user agreement that appraisers fear signs away their E&O insurance coverage. Appraisers are required to authorize the agreement if they want to continue working with many of the nation’s largest lenders via AppraisalPort. While the agreement…
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Editor’s Note: As this story illustrates, new laws supporting appraiser independence are beginning to bite and may be indicative of a new day. Appraiser Board Turns Tables on Broker by Cary Barker, Assistant Editor The times, they are indeed changing. A previous WRE cover story, Turning Tide? Appraiser Independence (Volume 18), covers a spate of...…
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Seamless FHA Roster Renewal In a recent story (Industry Snapshot), WRE reports that FHA and the Appraisal Subcommittee are working together to create a seamless renewal process for appraisers on the FHA Roster. According to Donna Tomposki, Director of the Home Valuation Policy Division within FHA’s Office of Single Family Program Development, the system works…
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Editor’s Note: This survey, offered by Bradford Technologies, provides insight into residential appraiser demographics. Appraiser Demographics: Who are You? By Jeff Bradford, CEO, Bradford Technologies Who are you? That’s what we wanted to know. So as appraisers signed up for our free directory listing in AppraisalWorld, we asked them to take a survey. We’d like...…
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The Market: One veteran says that in 37 years of appraising 2008 was the toughest market he’s ever seen and that 2009 could be worse. Several others, also appraising over 30 plus years of real estate cycles, agree. Their take? If you can make it in these conditions, you can make it.
Professional…
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Editor’s Note: There will be life after HVCC. Here, appraiser Paul Chandler, MAI, offers his insider’s view on AMCs and how to make the new changes work for you. HVCC/AMCs – Change Equals Opportunity by Paul E. Chandler, MAI The Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC), effective May 1, 2009, has created uncertainty and apprehension...…
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