News By Edition

Valuation Review previously reported on the partnership between Reggora and Clear Capital in which the latter company’s review tools will provide much-needed assistance to lenders.

This technology should also focus on the risks involved when it comes to value.

Read on to learn more.

Earlier, Valuation Review gave readers a story focusing on the strong demand for affordable rental units in the U.S. In that story, JLL’s Valuation Advisory’s Managing Directors Chip Ard and Andrea Gilman discussed the formation of a dedicated, specialized, affordable-housing practice group.

Ard and Gillman sat down with us for a follow-up to detail what will be accomplished by this group.

Read on for more information.

At the 2022 National Association of Appraisers Conference & Trade Show in South Carolina, a panel of experts discussed some of the top errors and concerns appraisers will commit and deal with during the course of assignments.

Valuation Review caught up with one of the panelists for additional insight on this matter.

Read on to find out what we learned.

Valuation Review caught up with American Society of Appraisers CEO Johnnie White, who shared insights from his recent article “Qualifications Matter.”

White discussed the importance of value, and other qualifications/ characteristics of the appraiser.

Read on for more thoughts from the ASA executive.

Class Valuation recently announced that Cristy Conolly has been appointed to executive vice president of Valuation Modernization. Connolly will focus on the standardization of appraisal data.

StoicLane, a long-term growth platform making strategic acquisitions to support digitizing finance, insurance and real estate verticals, recently completed the acquisition of Triserv Appraisal Management Solutions.

Triserv is an AMC providing appraisal and evaluation solutions for banks, credit unions and mortgage bankers in all 50 states.

Read on for more of the details.

As part of Fannie Mae’s efforts to promote quality in the loan origination process, Appraiser Quality Monitoring (AQM) was developed to provide appraisers and industry partners with actionable feedback to improve consistency, manage risk, and increase confidence in the appraisal process. Fannie Mae recently released some frequently asked questions pertaining to AQM.

Appraisal Logistics recently appointed Elizabeth Green as chief strategy officer. Green is an industry veteran and collateral valuation expert who has served the mortgage industry for 30 years.

Valuation Review caught up with Yatin Karnik, founder and CEO of mortgage comparison site Confer, Inc., to gain additional marketing insights and how these will affect appraisers.

In his article “Caveat Emptor: Time to Prepare for the Imminent Plunge in Mortgage Demand,” Karnik details what preparations need to be in order.

Read on to learn more.

CoreLogic’s ClosingCorp recently released its second annual Refinance Closing Cost report for 2021. One takeaway included the national average closing costs for a single-family property refinance in 2021, excluding any type of recordation or other specialty tax, was $2,375.

Fifth Third Bancorp recently completed its   acquisition of Dividend Finance, a fintech point-of-sale lender. The bank said the acquisition provides financing solutions for residential renewable energy and sustainability-focused home improvement.

GoDocs, the automation company in commercial loan document generation, recently released its “Lender’s Guide to Document Challenges for Non-QM (Qualified Mortgage) Loans” paper. The company said the paper provides lenders with a valuable resource for navigating non-QM loans.

Authors Mary Ann Barnett, a senior managing director and affordable multifamily practice leader, and Ryan Wegman, a director at BBG, believe the dream of owning a single-family home can sometimes be very elusive.

Barnett and Wegman discussed their article “Build-for-Rent Filling the Single-Family Home Gap.” with Valuation Review.

Read on to learn more.  

DocMagic, Inc., announced an integration with Empower, Black Knight’s loan origination system. The integration will help automate the DocMagic document generation process for lenders and provide access to additional DocMagic services.

Valuation Review recently spoke with George Paquette, formerly of CoreLogic, and now chief appraiser with SettlementOne.

Paquette discussed his new assignment and what he sees on the horizon for the appraisal profession.

Read on for more of our conversation with the chief appraiser.

Dustin Harris, “The Appraiser Coach,” addresses two areas appraisers should take note of regarding delegating authority and time investment.

Harris discusses hiring the right people and what should be the appraiser’s overall mindset for establishing one’s business.

Read on for more appraisal advice.

Woodinville, a suburb in Washington, is Zillow's most popular market of early 2022, leading a list of fast-growing suburbs as the most in-demand places.

As more evidence emerges that remote work is a driving force behind fast home value growth in the suburbs, expensive suburban markets are seeing strong demand.

Read on to learn more.

Paula Konikoff was nominated for the 2023 Appraisal Institute (AI) vice president position by the AI National Nominating Committee at its May 11 meeting in Chicago. National Nominating Committee Chair Rodman Schley then submitted the committee’s nomination to the AI Board of Directors at its May 12 meeting.

Real estate valuer Aedis Appraisals has continued its expansion across North America with the opening of its latest office in Florida. This expansion enables the company to continue offering residential and commercial appraisal service.

During the four-week period that ended May 8, the typical home for sale found a buyer in 15 days, according to Redfin. That’s the fastest pace on record.

Attendees at October Research, LLC’s National Settlement Services Summit (NS3) in Orlando took time to build Comfort Kits for the families staying at the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Florida properties.

This is part of the company's annual "Make a Child Smile" program.

Read on to learn more.

The CEO of a mortgage fulfillment company, a Florida attorney and a data and analytics specialist were recognized by October Research, LLC at the 2022 National Settlement Services Summit (NS3).

The company handed out its annual awards for leadership, innovation, and philanthropy.

Read on to learn more.

Opteon, a nationwide AMC, is the first privately-held AMC to receive proof-of-concept approval from The Appraisal Foundation Appraiser Qualifications Board. This first-in-industry approval paves the way for Opteon's Practical Applications of Real Estate Appraisal from concept to program development, the company said. 

Pending home sales dropped in March, signifying five straight months that contract activity has declined, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Month-over-month, only the Northeast saw an increase in contract signings, while the three other major U.S. regions experienced declines in transactions. All four regions reported decreases in year-over-year contract activity.

Read on to learn more from this report.