News By Edition

At the 2019 Appraisal Institute conference in Denver, a panel of experts tackled the topic of problem identification within the appraisal profession.

And like the old adage states, in order to solve problems, one has to be able to identify just what those problems are.

Read on to find out what the panel told the conference attendees in Denver. 

The House overwhelmingly passed the Homebuyer Assistance Act of 2019.

The bill will make it easier for homebuyers to buy a home with a Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgage by addressing the current shortage of certified appraisers.

Read on to find out more details of this key bill, which has the support of most major appraisal trade associations.

Appraisers running their own businesses have found that such a task requires the same amount of skill, precision and attention to detail associated with valuing property.

Appraisers must establish what is the highest and best use of their time and apply such methodology to their practices. At the 2019 Appraisal Institute conference in Denver, Valuation Review heard from two industry experts who gave their thoughts on this matter.

Read on to find out what we were told.

The Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB) issued its first Exposure Draft of Practical Applications of Real Estate Appraisal (PAREA). Read on for more details.

The International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO) approved a position that the term fee simple is a property rights concept that does not mean vacant or unencumbered by a lease.

It also is not a value concept to be used interchangeably with market value.

Valuation Review reached out to a firm’s research director for his thoughts on the issue.

The Appraisal Institute (AI) is partnering with Fannie Mae to promote appraisal careers and to foster diversity in the valuation profession, AI announced in a press release. Read on to learn more.

Appraisers who take on a variety of valuation assignments can manage the risks associated with their work by taking realistic, effective steps, according to a new book published by the Appraisal Institute. Read on to find out more.

Only four state-certified appraisers were working on Jackson County’s (Missouri) troubled assessments this year, according to a report from a local station. Read on to learn more about these assessments done by non-appraisers.

The Australian Property Institute and the International Association of Assessing Officers announced a formal partnership to promote and improve the appraisal and assessment industry through additional professional development opportunities and advocacy of the role the industry plays. Read on to learn more.

CBRE Valuation & Advisory Services’ Executive Vice President Doug Main (Co-Leader of the National Litigation Support & Dispute Analysis Practice) and Director David Zoraster, highlighted litigation matters and guidelines for appraisers to follow during a recent presentation.

The session was titled “Litigation Support: A Consultant’s Gold Mine of Business Opportunities," and was presented at the 2019 Appraisal Institute conference in Denver.

Read on to find out what they shared.

Over the last year, a dramatic drop in interest rates on 30-year notes has led to an active refinance market for millennials. Read on to learn more from this report.

Recently, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) published multiple policy updates to its Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) program, reviewing changes made last year to appraisal requirements for reverse mortgage. Read on for more details from the FHA.

Expert appraisal witnesses who take the stand can be painted many colors by cross-examining attorneys, including being labeled as a "hired gun."

How can such a categorization be avoided? Valuation Review,  in Part II of its story, gets more information from CBRE Valuation & Advisory Services’ Executive Vice President Doug Main and Director David Zoraster.

Read on for the conclusion to this feature.

Valuation Review concludes its conversation with veteran author and appraiser Richard Hagar.

In Part II of the story, Hagar gives more examples and specifics as to why he believes bifurcated (hybrid) appraisals can put the appraiser in peril.

Read on for the conclusion.

Cushman & Wakefield expanded its Puget Sound appraisal team with the addition of three professionals. Read on for more information and find out who the new team members are.

Homeowners across the country have a good idea what their home is worth.

The average home appraisal in August being only 0.64 percent lower than what the owner expected, according to Quicken Loans’ National Home Price Perception Index.

Read on to learn more from the study.

Dropping interest rates in July led to an increase in refinance activity for millennials, according to the latest Ellie Mae Millennial Tracker. Read on to learn more from this report.

WEST, a Williston Financial Group company, has appointed a long-time industry professional to an executive role. Read on to learn the identity of this individual and what company roles will be addressed by the new hire.

Valuation Review wraps up its story from the 2019 Appraisal Institute conference in Denver regarding problem identification.

Hear more legal issues from the panel of experts, who addressed the conference attendees.

Read Part II for the conclusion.

Valuation Review sat in on a presentation by Reggora Chief Executive Officer Brian Zitin from the 2019 Appraisal Institute conference in Denver.

Zitin offered insight as to how technology and other methods of valuation can be implemented into what he calls the “modern era” of appraising.

Read on to find out what we were told.

Commercial real estate industry leaders continue to see balanced and stable economic market conditions.

This is according to The Real Estate Roundtable’s 2019 Q3 Sentiment Index.

Read on for more details.

CoreLogic released its latest Single-Family Rent Index (SFRI), which analyzes single-family rent price changes nationally and among 20 metropolitan areas. Data collected for June 2019 shows a national rent increase of 2.9 percent, the first deceleration in annual national rent prices since November 2017. Read on to learn more from CoreLogic.