News By Edition

In the beginning, news updates and feature stories were delivered by a publication titled “Appraisal Intelligence.”

Now, in its 20^th year and under a different title, Valuation Review is still going strong providing industry news, trends and exclusive feature stories for appraisers and their business partners.

Read on for more.

Home lending industry veteran Yatin Karnik shared with Valuation Review his thoughts on how to better educate borrowers from his article “Don’t Cry the Dip.”

As an advocate for residential home borrowers, Karnik is on a mission to educate borrowers about how big banks and lending institutions are repeatedly taking advantage of consumers throughout the lending process.

Read on to find out more.

In its “Appraisal Firm Remote Work Tips for Success” blog, Realquantum outlines advice for successful remote working.

One can be productive working from home but if you cannot operate remotely, some suggestions were offered.

Read on to find out more remote tips.

BBG recently added a new Florida multi-family team led by industry veteran Amanda Cooper, managing director at the firm’s Tampa Bay office.

The addition of this team expands BBG’s presence in the Florida market and in the multi-family valuation sector in the Southeast.

Read on to learn more.

Clear Capital recently launched Desktop Appraisal and Desktop Data Collection.

These are two products designed to modernize and increase certainty in the appraisal process.

Read on to learn more.

Appraisal Logistics has promoted Jake Ritterpusch, an experienced customer service professional and processor who has served the company since 2019, to sales executive.

JLL’s Valuation Advisory group has hired Katie Parsons as managing director, Head of Industrial Property Sector.

Parsons will focus on driving growth, building the industrial platform, enhancing the customer experience and providing value to clients.

Read on to learn more.

Freddie Mac recently appointed Wendell Chambliss, a 20-year veteran of the company, as senior vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer. In this newly created role, Chambliss will be responsible for programs and initiatives to bring greater diversity, equity and inclusion to the company and the housing industry.

Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has approved a final order settling charges against the Louisiana Real Estate Appraisers Board (LREAB). The charges alleged LREAB violated Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act by unreasonably restraining price competition for appraisal services in Louisiana and limiting the freedom of individual appraisers and their customers to engage in bona fide negotiations to determine fees for real estate appraisals.

A real estate technology company has asked a judge to dismiss a counterclaim against it filed by the National Association of Realtors (NAR). REX sued NAR in March 2021, claiming its competitive mode is threatened by the concerted action of NAR and Seattle-based Zillow, along with their multiple listing services (MLS) affiliates. 

Recently, Veros Real Estate Solutions released its Q1 2022 VeroFORECASTSM that anticipates home prices will appreciate on average 7.1 percent over the next twelve months.

VeroFORECAST evaluates home prices in over 330 of the nation’s largest housing markets.

Read on for more numbers.

As the mortgage industry enters a down cycle, blockchain technology is emerging as a viable tool for lenders struggling with high origination costs, shrinking margins, complex processes and slow investor delivery. This is according to the mortgage advisory firm STRATMOR Group.

LoanLogics recently launched LoanBeam Wage, an automated tool that enables lenders to calculate wage earner borrower income quickly and accurately. The calculations are from paystubs and W2s, solving the paper-based challenges these income sources represent.

Trinity Real Estate Solutions, a nationwide provider of draw inspections, construction loan administration solutions, field services and appraisal services, recently launched a floor plan sketching solution. This solution captures high-fidelity floor plans with ANSI-aligned standards for calculating digital gross living area, high resolution photos and a pdf-based home report, all via a mobile device.

Paradatec, Inc., a provider of artificial intelligence-based document classification and data extraction technology for mortgage and real estate documents, has released Version 8.0 of its enterprise software. The new version will deliver touchless document classification and expanded data extraction audit trails for enhanced process automation.

Reggora has entered an enterprise agreement with ICE Mortgage Technology. With their strengthened partnership and integration, Reggora and ICE Mortgage Technology said they will create a best-in-class appraisal management experience for mortgage lenders.

Nationwide, a Thursday during the second half of April is the best time to list a home for sale, according to Zillow’s analysis of 2021 home sales. Homes listed during those weeks can expect to fetch 2.8 percent more, or about $9,300 on the typical home.

LoanLogics recently announced that the company’s LoanBeam Transcripts product provides Freddie Mac with IRS tax transcript data. This can be compared to the borrower’s tax return(s) data through Loan Product Advisor Asset and Income Modeler for self-employed, providing rep and warranty relief related to the accuracy and integrity of the tax return data used to calculate borrower qualifying income.  

SitusAMC has launched its Warehouse Administration Services, a comprehensive suite of technology-enabled turnkey services to help warehouse lenders setup, execute, enhance and scale their warehouse businesses. The company said the service will also improve efficiency and reducing costs.

With inflation, rising energy costs, supply chain interruptions and continued fallout from the pandemic exerting financial pressures on commercial property owners, Incenter Tax Solutions is urging clients to find new ways to maximize savings. This would include scrutinizing their property tax assessments.