Value, Accuracy, and Misleading for Appraisers

On Value, Accuracy, and Misleading…and How They are Different From What You Might Think!

By Tim Andersen, MAI

Excerpt: Let’s start this musing by addressing the issues of value, accuracy, and misleading. You might have looked at them differently in the past. Then we’ll tie these in the idea of the value conclusion in an appraisal being right or correct.

State appraisal boards level charges against appraisers. It is very common for appraisers to defend themselves against these charges by insisting their value is “right”. Or, they assert they have properly supported their value conclusion, or something similar. In reality, this argument is utterly irrelevant and carries no weight with the appraisal board.

IRRELEVANT!?

When it comes to value, accuracy, and misleading, the appraiser’s value opinion alone is irrelevant and weightless. This is because TAF has given state appraisal boards specific instructions. Those instructions are that the appraiser’s value conclusion is not to be a part of the board’s investigation. Nor is it to be a part of its deliberations. Therefore, it is not to be part of the appraiser’s defense since it is not part of the charges against the appraiser.

To read more, click here

My comment: Tim is a regular contributor to the paid Appraisal Today. He is The USPAP Expert and helps appraisers stay out of trouble with their state boards!! Tim also has an interesting podcast – link is on the top of the page.

What to Do When Your Appraisal Is Under Review(Opens in a new browser tab)

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The Sculptured House: An Appraisal Challenge

The Sculptured House


Motoring down the scenic drive west on Highway 70, away from Denver, Colorado, into the foothills and sprawling mountains, an odd structure appears south of the freeway. An oval shape seems to float just above the trees at the top of a cliff, looking at the highway below. It would be understandable to think you’ve spotted a UFO, since the Sculptured House is known for its sci-fi history. The Sculptured House Is An Appraisal Challenge !!

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Appraisal Humor

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Appraising Weird Stuff is Challenging!(Opens in a new browser tab)

Appraisal Process Challenges(Opens in a new browser tab)

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7 Things to Watch in your Appraisal Market

Seven things to watch in real estate during a pandemic

April 14, 2020 By Ryan Lundquist

Excerpts:

1) Listings: We often think about listings increasing as a way to see the market changing, but right now many markets across the country are seeing fewer new listings. So at times change is best seen with less of something rather than more. It’s not a surprise to see fewer new properties during a pandemic, right?…

7) Prices: In real estate we are so obsessed with prices, but that’s really the last place to look to see the market. What I mean is change happens first in the areas above before showing up in sales stats a couple months down the road. In short, for now the slower pandemic trend hasn’t infiltrated sales price figures as of yet in Sacramento. This doesn’t mean the market is stable in every price range and location. All I’m saying is regional and county stats don’t show price declines right now. Normally I pull monthly price data, but I’ve switched to weekly in order to see the trend sooner rather than later.

To see the other 4 factors plus lotsa graphs and many appraiser comments , click here

Appraisal Humor

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Pandemic and market for buyers and sellers: Appraisals(Opens in a new browser tab)

Very, very funny appraisal video!!(Opens in a new browser tab)

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Appraiser Recovers From COVID-19

Appraiser/Educator Bryan Reynolds is recovering from COVID-19

I had a bit of a difficult time with this podcast. We like to think we’re invincible, immune, unaffected, but that’s silly. We are, at the end of the day, all vulnerable. This chat with my long time friend and partner, Bryan Reynolds, brought that realization home, in stark reality and made it tangible and personal. Appraiser Recovers From COVID-19.
People, we damn near lost Bryan. Please give this podcast a listen. I’ve posted it here, largely unedited. This podcast is the epitome of authentic.
Hal Humphreys
Partner Appraiser eLearning
The Appraisal Update – Episode 40 | Bryan Reynolds and COVID19
My comment: Listen to this podcast!! I saw the last podcast live on March 26. Hal Humphreys was the moderator, speaking from his front yard. He said that Dave had coronavirus. I am so glad that he is recovered! To watch his webinars, go to https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClb6iDQvzQqj4GOiKSCp8EA

10-20 UPDATE: For lots of Covid analysis and news, go to my new covidscienceblog.com

Covid-19 Residential Appraisers Tips on Staying Safe

Appraisal Humor

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A very, very funny appraiser video!

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Appraiser Covid Survey Results April 2020

Survey Results April 2020

April 1 Wednesday Facebook Poll results:

Doing interiors    142 – 57%

Turn down interiors  80 – 32%

Transiting away.    28 – 11%

Total         250

—————————-

Bradford software customers – Started April 30, last Monday

I took this survey.

Q1 Have you been been accepting new appraisal assignments? (check all that apply) (1,087 responses)

Responses

– I do Desktops using the new COVID-19 Flexibility Desktop addendum 29.35% 319

– I do Drive-bys using the new COVID-19 Flexibility Exterior addendum 49.22% 535

– I do traditional 1004s with interior and exterior inspections 65.96% 717

– Not doing appraisals during the pandemic crisis 8.92% 97

Q2 Did you know lenders will accept a desktop or drive-by in lieu of a traditional 1004 with interior inspection?

Yes 83.90% 912

No 16.10% 175

Q4 Would you complete an appraisal that included interior photos

completed by a homeowner if you could verify the photos were taken

inside the home?

Yes 72.13% 784

No 27.87% 303

Many thanks to Jeff Bradford for this data!!

Appraiser Recovers From COVID-19(Opens in a new browser tab)

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Covid humor for appraisers

Fun video – Take a 3 minute break!

One Day More – A Quarantined Broadway LipSync

Fantastic!! Made me smile. Regular people.

Many thanks to John Regan, a long time subscriber and big opera fan!

To watch click here

Appraisal Business Tips 

Humor for Appraisers

Covid-19 Residential Appraisers Tips on Staying Safe

For Covid Updates, go to my Covid Science blog at covidscienceblog.com

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Fannie Appraisals Covid Update March 27 2020

THIS IS THE MARCH 27, 2020 OLD POST. SIGNIFICANT APPRAISAL CHANGES SINCE THAT DATE. UPDATED 11-8-20

NOTE: This information is changing on a daily, and often hourly, basis. The amount of information is almost overwhelming. What you read today may change tomorrow. Most of the info below is summary with more details in the monthly newsletter next week. Also, lots more on personal COVID-19 such as data availability, safety, etc. I am spending 10+ hours per day trying to keep track of it so I can let you know.

Per Fannie, this is a “fluid event”. There are many questions about health and safety for the appraiser and the borrower (and their contacts if infected) when doing interior inspections.

There is lots of appraisal misinformation online. It is not a good source unless it includes a link to the correct information or the source that can be located online. I only use email chat groups that I have used for many years, such as National Appraisers Forum To read more, click here

Appraisal Business Tips 

Humor for Appraisers

Covid-19 Residential Appraisers Tips on Staying Safe

Covid humor for appraisers

For Covid Updates, go to my Covid Science blog at covidscienceblog.com

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Join the National Appraisers Online Forum

National Appraisers Forum

By Dave Towne

Excerpt: Appraisers, if you would like to learn from highly qualified peers (other than me! :), post questions, or offer your own comments, consider joining the FREE group, National Appraisers Forum (NAF). Use this link.

This is one of the best appraiser groups as all commentary is respectful. While not everyone always agrees with certain points, the discussions are not demeaning. There is a wealth of info participants share freely on a wide number of topics. The group has several moderators who monitor the posting activity.

One key point, NAF participants are not anonymous. You must use your name (at a bare minimum) when participating, which is required when signing up… Moderators are asking that anyone who wants to join should give their name as licensed, the state they are in, and their license number.

To read more, click here

My comments: This is my favorite appraiser online group! I get many emails from various sources for this newsletter and have been a member of many online communication places. Before the internet was widely available, I hosted live chats on aol and compuserve. Since then I have watched many online places. Unfortunately, just like any other topic, sometimes the groups end up doing lots of “flaming” (attacking another participants, etc.), negative comments, off topic, politics, etc. I quit going to these places.

Of all the groups I have subscribed to, National Appraisers Forum is the best for me. I have been a member since it started, or soon after. No complaining about AMCs, off topic, trolling and flaming, etc. The founder, Steve Smith, and the moderators keep it this way. Regular contributors are “high end” appraisers with many years of experience. Hot topics are often discussed.

There are well-managed appraisal groups on Facebook, but it is too hard for me to follow the threads, so I don’t go there very often. But, it may work for you. Join the National Appraisers Online Forum!

Another major factor is that you must use your real name, so we know who is commenting. Allowing anonymous postings can easily decay into a mess.

I will be updating my article ” How to connect with other appraisers online. What’s the best group for you? ” in a future issue of the paid Appraisal Today discussing other email chat groups, how to find other groups or start your own, Facebook, etc.

Appraisal Business Tips 

Humor for Appraisers

Covid-19 Residential Appraisers Tips on Staying Safe

How to communicate with appraisers online

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What’s included in appraisal GLA?

Should The Agent Include These Areas In Square Footage?

Excerpt: The most thrown around metric in real estate has to do with square footage and price per square foot. People ask me all of the time what homes in this or that neighborhood are selling for per square foot.

Why do they do this? Because they want to take the price per square foot and then multiply it by the square footage of their home to find out what it is worth. Sounds reasonable right? Wrong….

(An example I see a lot): A heated and cooled finished room that is attached to the main house but you get to by going outside of the main house should not be included in the main GLA.

To read more, click here

My comment: written for real estate agents, but many appraisers, including myself, regularly get asked: “what is in the living area” by agents. I do. This article focuses on ANSI and may help you explain it to them. There are links to his other blog posts on this, and related, topics.

Appraisal Business Tips 

Humor for Appraisers

Covid-19 Residential Appraisers Tips on Staying Safe

What is Included in Appraisal Square Footage?

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Statute of Limitations for Suing an Appraiser

What’s the Statute of Limitations for Suing a Real Estate Appraiser?

by Peter Christensen

Excerpt: This is a common question that I’m asked because many lawsuits against appraisers are filed years after the appraisal was performed by the appraiser, sometimes 10 or more years later.

The reason for this is that the plaintiff suing an appraiser may not have known there was a problem with the appraisal at the time it was received or may not have suffered any damages as a result of the alleged appraisal error until a loan default or other event has occurred years down the road.

This plaintiff might be a lender who recently foreclosed on a loan or might be a borrower who believes they paid too much or borrowed too much based on a deficient appraisal.

For more info, click here

My comment: Blog post includes a link to all 50 states for statues of limitation. Knowing about the Statute of Limitations for Suing an Appraiser can really help if you receive a letter from an attorney.

Appraisal Business Tips 

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Statute of limitations for appraisals

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