News By Edition

California Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed a “gig worker” law, set to take effect Jan. 1, that is intended to curb the misclassification of independent contractors.

Valuation Review spoke with attorney Peter Christensen, who said under Assembly Bill 5, it probably will not be realistic for a firm to treat a staff member appraiser as an independent contractor.

Read on for the potential impact on the industry.

There is much anticipation for the appraisal profession as 2020 approaches.

But will it really be a year to celebrate thriving businesses with more positives than ever, or should appraisers expect more of the same restrictions they’ve been forced to deal with in the past? Valuation Review has some insight on these matters from an industry veteran.

Read on to find out what he told us.

Valuation Review talked with Greenfield Advisors’ John Kilpatrick, who shared some thoughts on the matter of valuing historic residences.

Kilpatrick hears from appraisers tackling projects outside their scope of experience, but in the end, it helps build up the client list.

Read on to find out what Kilpatrick told us.

William Fall, veteran appraiser, CEO of The William Fall Group, is a recent appointee to the Appraiser Qualifications Board of The Appraisal Foundation.

He discusses his new assignment and specific topics of interest.

Read on to hear what Fall told Valuation Review.

The supervisory appraiser for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), James Heaslet, spoke to Valuation Review about collateral.

How does the VA look at collateral? Why is condition a concern for the VA?

Read on to find out how Heaslet answered that question, and others.

Three federal bank regulatory agencies finalized a rule to modify the treatment of high volatility commercial real estate (HVCRE).

The ruling also covered exposures as required by the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act.

Read on for reaction from the Mortgage Bankers Association and hear what Valuation Review learned from Commercial Real Estate Finance policy expert Bruce Oliver.

What role are appraisers best suited for? Are they the statistician or the analyst?

To answer that question, one must define those two terms. Veteran appraiser Dustin Harris (“The Appraiser Coach”) does just that, and shares with Valuation Review the answers.

Read on to learn what we found.

MISMO, the mortgage industry standards organization, has invited the industry to participate in an effort to enhance its residential appraisal data standards. This effort will evaluate new types of property information that may be useful. Read on to learn more.

Appraisal Logistic Solutions, LLC announced that the company’s AIM-Port technology platform now is integrated with SimpleNexus’ digital mortgage platform for loan officers, borrowers and real estate agents. Read on to learn more.

KOVA Companies is expanding its appraisal service.

They are doing so by way of offerings with the acquisition of two appraisal firms – Carlson, Norris and Associates, Inc. and MPJ Real Estate Services, Inc.

Read on to learn more about these acquisitions.

LoanLogics appointed Brenda B. Clem as the company’s chief product strategist. Read on to learn more about this hire.

The appraisal world has more legal issues.

A federal judge threw out a breach-of-contract lawsuit from a former contracted appraiser for an Idaho county.

Read on to learn more about the suit.

House prices rose in the third quarter of 2019, up 1.1 percent according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) House Price Index.  Read on to learn more numbers from the FHFA.

Veros Real Estate Solutions reviewed home price appreciation in 10 markets where small businesses are thriving. Read on to find out just how much more successful these locations are for businesses.

Millennials are moving more often and living in their homes for a shorter period than previous generations, according to an analysis from Zillow. Read on to learn more.

Global DMS recently launched its new residential valuation solution. Read on to learn more.

LoanLogics released a whitepaper titled, “Big AI Driven by Today’s Machine Learning,” which provides a deeper understanding of how artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning specifically, can help mortgage lenders reduce and even eliminate redundant, repetitive tasks while creating data purity and improving the borrower experience. Read on to learn more.

Bowery Valuation co-founders and CEOs John Meadows and Noah Isaacs have seemingly come up with the business blueprint others may want to emulate to pave their own road towards success.

The two executives and friends share additional insight as to how they believe the appraisal business should be run.

Read on for more commercial business guidance.

The Appraisal Institute (AI) welcomes more new officers into the fold for 2020.

Pledger M. (Jody) Bishop III, of Mount Pleasant, began his one-year term as AI vice president on Jan. 1.

Read on to learn more and hear what the newly-appointed vice president had to say.

The Federal Housing Administration will conduct a free appraisal training session in Denver on Feb. 12. This session is targeted primarily to appraisers; however, other industry professionals may also benefit from attending. Read on to learn more and to register for this session.

Theoris Software announced that its AppraisalVision platform for managing the residential appraisal process now is available through Encompass by Ellie Mae. Read on to learn more about this technological partnership.

Newly elected Appraisal Institute (AI) President Jefferson L. Sherman looks ahead into the world of evaluations.

He also examines how that aspect of the industry will affect appraisers moving further into the New Year.

Read on to find out what Sherman shared with us.

In an effort to help more working families become homeowners, the Department of Housing and Urban Development recently awarded $10 million in grants to four non-profit housing organizations. Read on to learn more.

California will have a new law in place soon with significant implications for the appraisal industry.

Assembly Bill 5 is set to take effect Jan. 1, and is intended to curb the misclassification of independent contractors.

Attorney Peter Christensen (Christensen Law Firm) discusses other key aspects of this legislation.

According to WalletHub, with nearly half of Americans worrying about being safe at school, at work, and in their own neighborhoods, the personal-finance website released its report on 2019's safest cities in America. Read on to find out what locations made the safe list.

Mortgage Network, Inc. added two experienced operations leaders to the company. Read on to find out who the two new additions are, and what expertise they bring to the positions.

Origence launched its mortgage lending platform designed from the ground up to handle all a company's digital mortgage needs. Read on to learn more.

Mortgage Cadence integrated with Covius, providing on-platform access and eliminating the need for clients to rekey data into a separate system or leave the Mortgage Cadence platform to order services. Covius provides title and appraisal solutions and other technology-enabled offerings for financial services companies. Read on to learn more.

The Internal Revenue Service recently revealed a significant increase.

This dealt with enforcement actions for syndicated conservation easement transactions, a priority compliance area for the agency.

Read on to learn more.

According to Freddie Mac’s November Forecast, the housing market will continue to stand firm as home sales rise to 6 million for 2019 before increasing to 6.1 million for 2020. Read on to learn more.

Hyperams welcomes the addition of Gary Poe as the company’s new director of machinery and equipment valuations. Read on to learn more about the new team member and his duties for this full-service auction, appraisal, retail liquidation and reverse logistics firm.

After a strong response to the October Research 20th Anniversary Sweepstakes, we now reveal the winners, including the winner of our complimentary registration to the 2020 National Settlement Services Summit. Read on for more.