News By Edition

Valuation Review recently spoke with Reggora Appraisal Compliance & Initiatives Director Ken Dicks, who discussed his life as an appraiser from residential to commercial work, and then back to residential.

He also shed light on how things can go smoother for appraisers moving forward.

Read on for more.

Valuation Review spoke with state certified general appraiser Karen Mann of California-based Mann & Associates.   

Mann began the conversation with one of the least common approaches in appraising homes--the income approach.

Read on for more from this veteran appraiser.

Ernestine Kehl has truly spent a lifetime enjoying her personal and professional experiences.

Valuation Review was honored to speak with Kehl about her career, which includes periods in real estate and appraising.

Read on to find out more.

Valuation Review continues its conversation with American Society of Appraisers International President David Crick.

The scheduling of more classes for appraisers, as well as the convenience to attend classes, will be a priority.

Read on for more.

The Appraisal Institute, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac recently announced Chase has made a $3 million commitment to the Appraiser Diversity Initiative.

In addition to the Chase commitment, Freddie Mac has joined the Appraiser Diversity Initiative as a core partner, providing additional resources and adviser support.

Read on for reactions.

Freddie Mac recently appointed Dionne Wallace Oakley as the company’s senior vice president, chief human resources officer and chief diversity officer. In this role, Wallace Oakley will be a member of the company’s senior operating committee and will report directly to Freddie Mac CEO Michael DeVito.

Valbridge Property Advisors, an independent commercial property valuation and advisory services, has added two new partners to its Baltimore-Washington metro office. The company’s client base includes lenders, special services, law firms, and other groups.

Anchor Loans recently announced that Andrew Jewett has joined the company as senior vice president, enterprise sales. In his newly created position, Jewett will be responsible for account management/segmentation, sales recruitment/training, new product development/deployment, marketing and the overall growth of Anchor's sales team and customer base.

Cherry Creek Mortgage, a nationwide, full-service mortgage lender, announced a vice president of risk management. Supporting the growth of Cherry Creek Mortgage and its affiliated companies will be part of the duties associated with this position.

Greystone, a leading national commercial real estate finance company, provided a total of $38.8 million in HUD-insured financing for two multifamily properties in Berkeley County just north of Charleston, S.C. The transaction was originated by Kelley Klobetanz of Greystone.

A lawsuit filed by the city of Peabody (Massachusetts) accuses a commercial real estate appraiser of acting in bad faith regarding the assessment of value on a mansion.

The suit, according to The Salem News, alleges the appraiser failed to disclose he had been placed on probation at the time of the assessment.

Read on for more details surrounding this case.

With house flippers earning an average gross profit of $63,500 in Q1 2021, the personal-finance website WalletHub released its report on the best places to flip houses.  The report compared more than 170 U.S. cities across 26 key metrics.

Profit margins for homesellers took an unusual dip in the second quarter, according to ATTOM’s second-quarter 2021 U.S. Home Sales Report. However, the report showed numbers that were far above where were they were a year ago.

Fannie Mae recently launched the company’s new feature in its automated underwriting system to incorporate consumers’ rent payments in the mortgage credit evaluation process. Beginning September 18, 2021, Fannie Mae’s Desktop Underwriter will enable single-family lenders, with permission from mortgage applicants, to automatically identify recurring rent payments in the applicant’s bank statement data to deliver a more inclusive credit assessment.

Housing affordability improvements brought on by historically low mortgage rates and dampened rent growth are quickly evaporating as housing costs rise faster than incomes, according to a new Zillow analysis.

This report finds these affordability issues are expected to worsen by the end of the year and are likely to leave millions with housing cost burdens.

Read on to learn more.

In his article “Appraisal Gap Increases in ‘Hot’ Markets,” CoreLogic Chief Appraiser Shawn Telford discussed the appraiser’s need to account for data lags in the rapidly changing housing markets.

Stories of bidding wars and homes selling faster than one thought possible continue to dominate the market news.

Read on for more from the veteran appraiser.

Veteran appraiser Matt Simmons, of Maxwell, Hendry & Simmons, offers more insight to Valuation Review.

In our conclusionary talk with Simmons, he discusses what can transpire for appraisers looking to be sole proprietors of “one-man” shops, as well as other items of interest.

Read on for more.

The CoreLogic Loan Performance Insights Report updated its analysis through May 2021.

The nation’s overall delinquency rate for May was 4.7 percent.

Read on for more information.

ValueLink Software has partnered with real estate valuation and analytics fintech company Clear Capital to enable its users to order Clear Capital's suite of valuation products. This includes the ordering of hybrid and desktop products.

The Department of Justice recently announced that Hampton Corporation Inc. and several related individuals and entities have agreed to settle a federal lawsuit. The suit alleges a violation of the Fair Housing Act and Americans with Disabilities Act was committed by failing to design and construct apartment complexes and a rental office in North Dakota accessible to people with disabilities.

Black Knight, Inc., has integrated several of its products into its Servicing Digital solution, enhancing its abilities to give customized information to its customers about their homes and mortgages and providing a variety of self-service capabilities. These additions include the company’s loss mitigation, automated valuation model, and product, pricing, and eligibility solutions.

Valuation Review sat down with veteran appraiser Matt Simmons, of Maxwell, Hendry & Simmons, to discuss many topics pertinent to appraisers today, including plans one can pursue to grow their businesses, as well as attention to the diversification of appraisers’ clients.

Simmons also talked about specific growth plans for the future.

Read on for more of the conversation.

The Appraisal Institute (AI) honored 20 people with distinguishing honors during its annual AI Awards Luncheon, sponsored by the AI Education and Relief Foundation, at this year’s AI Annual Conference in Orlando, Fla.

Valuation Review was in attendance for this traditional event.

Read on to find out who this year's recipients are.

The Columbia Institute, which recently hosted a webinar with Scott Reuter, the single-family chief appraisal officer at Freddie Mac, reached out to Valuation Review to share the details surrounding the rapid appreciation and the appraisal gap topic.

Concerns have been expressed that many of today's sale prices do not reflect the property's actual market value.

Read on to learn more.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) entered into a collaborative agreement regarding fair housing and fair lending coordination, according to the FHFA. Under the Memorandum of Understanding, the two agencies will focus on enhancing their enforcement of the Fair Housing Act.

Freddie Mac released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey. It showed the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 2.87 percent.

Certified General Appraiser Karen Mann, of California-based Mann & Associates, gives Valuation Review more “food for thought” with regards to the perception of the appraisal profession's post-pandemic conditions.

For example, “prudent” appraisers need to have a balanced clientele type.

Read on for more thoughts from this veteran appraiser.