Would any American go to a football game in a league where the referees are legally allowed to be advocates for one of the teams? Football is only successful if its referees are viewed as being fair and non-advocates. They may miss a few calls, but overall, they are viewed as fair. …
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Whoever believes the days of value and other forms of pressure are behind appraisers, thanks to the Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC) and its focus on appraiser independence, ought to talk to appraiser David Smith in San Diego- if they do they’ll get an earful.
Appraiser abuse is apparently alive and well but the good…
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My last article discussed choosing comparable sales in a tough market. As was discussed in that article, in today’s market, it is very difficult to obtain comparable sales and listings that best reflect comparison to the subject. Some sales and/or listings might be older but more similar to the subject; others may be…
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Editor’s Note: Diversification is one of the keys to survival and prosperity in the new real estate world. Busy or not, right now is the best time to begin laying the groundwork for future success. Building Business: What’s Next? By Lore DeAstra, MBA, SRA, CDEI Most appraisers have been on a roller coaster ride unlike...…
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In 1994 Fannie Mae formally introduced environmental due diligence to the appraisal industry- so what has changed?
The Appraisal Journal (January 1995), published by the Appraisal Institute, included an article that reviewed what was then new environmental reporting requirements put in place by Fannie Mae and the new Uniform Residential Appraisal Report (URAR) form (effective January…
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You receive a call from a lender or an appraisal management company (AMC) who wants to talk to you about an appraisal assignment you recently completed for them. The call usually comes from the quality control department at the post closing stage of the loan. They start questioning you on your line item adjustments. …
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After over two years and many tens of thousands of dollars in lost revenue, appraiser Bill Smith fought his way off Citibank’s infamous “do not use list.” Here’s how he did it.
To begin with, Smith (not his real name), has a “can you top this” aspect of how he was blacklisted in the first…
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From the Publisher Moving Ahead According to our How’s Business? survey (click for results), most appraisers are as busy or busier than last year. There’s still a lot of grumbling on the blogs but the silent majority seem to be back to work. Most appraisers we talk to at OREP, to place their insurance, tell…
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Editor’s Note: Making lemonade from lemons (a negative review)? Yes, appraiser Andy Anderson says you can turn a negative review into an effective sales tool. He explains below, which is excerpted from his webinar Dealing with a Negative Reviews. Dealing with Negative Reviews By David Brauner, Editor How do you turn a negative review into...…
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If you are appraising an environmentally contaminated property, you may need to consider more than just the cost of remediation (cost to cure). The property may suffer from stigma associated with the contamination. Stigmatized properties can take months and even years to recover from a blighted image.
The Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal (USPAP) describe stigma…
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