Feature Stories

Most of us take for granted that our home has an address and that it is sufficient not only to ensure mail can be delivered, but that property taxes and liens are associated correctly, and our visitors can find us on a map or emergency personnel can find us. In many areas of the country, postal address is sufficient, however, there are areas where the location of a property is not easily resolved by a postal address alone.  But appraisers know full well the pitfalls of using postal address as the me...

Work together and speak up about concerns you may have about how the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will enforce its requirement that lenders oversee all of their vendors. These were two of the main take aways from a session on lender liability at the 2013 National Settlement Services Summit on June 11. The group also discussed how settlement agents could start working with lenders now, despite the lack of clarity from the CFPB at this point. “I think the stage is set, it’s time to take action even...

Since its implementation, the uniform appraisal dataset (UAD) has impacted everything from appraisal form fields to file type.  “The addition of the UAD has really helped the appraisal space in a couple of different ways,” explained Vladimir Bien-Aime, president of Global DMS. “The introduction of the UAD ensures that certain fields on an appraisal report are filled out using uniform and standardized response codes. This dramatically improves the quality and consistency of appraisal data on loans de...

Appraisers are, perhaps, the most resistant to change in the valuation industry. Or at least they’re the most vocal about the change. According to Jenn Reese, managing director at Value Services, a nationwide property valuation company, communication is going to be the key to driving appraisal technology and efficiency.  “The first thing that appraisers need to do is communicate with their peers,” she said. “The residential appraisal profession is very segmented. Many appraisers work on their o...

Day one of the National Settlement Services Summit contained all sorts of practical information for running a business in 2013, in addition to some of the high-level talking points about industry change involving regulators and lenders. The standout nugget, for me, was this simple idea: “The market has never put anybody out of business.” That was a quote from Darryl Turner, chief executive officer of The Darryl Turner Corp. Turner gave a lively presentation that combined some marketing/sales advice with ...

We are living in an age of technology, and that’s not going to change. It’s a plain and simple fact that technologies on virtually any level are able to fulfill tasks with greater speed, accuracy and consistency than manual processes. Technology isn’t just a convenience.  “The companies that embrace technological advancements are going to be able to do more, with higher quality and compliance and fewer resources than their resistant counterparts,” Huff said. “Whether you’re a lender or an AMC, your ...

Positivity permeated the grand ballroom of Cleveland’s Marriott at Key Center hotel as Bill Cosgrove, vice chairman of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) and the chief executive officer of Union Home Mortgage Corp, kicked off the 2013 National Settlement Services Summit. As the housing market continues to improve, it’s becoming a key component to pulling the country out of the recession. While housing numbers are encouraging, Cosgrove cautioned that we need to ensure we have the proper mortgage indus...

The 2013 Appraisal Technology Report tackles the rise of appraisal technology, the growing adoption of mobile apps, predictive analytics, property identification, automated valuation models (AVMs) and beyond. Download the report today! This year’s report is for subscribers only. So make sure you’re a  Valuation Review  subscriber to get the full report delivered to you on Monday, June 10. You can subscribe by visiting the October Store. 

On Monday, June 10,  Valuation Review  will release its anticipated follow-up to last year’s “App-raising Technology Special Report.” The 2013 Appraisal Technology Report will tackle the rise of appraisal technology, the growing adoption of mobile apps, predictive analytics, property identification, automated valuation models (AVMs) and beyond. This year’s report is for subscribers only. So make sure you’re a Valuation Review subscriber to get the full report delivered to you on Monday, June 10...