Sellers Chasing the ball down the road in real estate
By Ryan Lundquist
Excerpts: Commentary from a (Ryan) appraisal: Here is a bit of commentary in one of my recent appraisal reports. This is only part of what I say because I’m a man who needs a few paragraphs. One box just isn’t enough.
“At the least we ought to describe the market as showing a downward seasonal shift, though it’s possible we can call this a downward cycle if the trend persists over time. For now, it is most reasonable to categorize the market as having growing uncertainty and blatantly inflamed downward seasonal price declines compared to a normal seasonal trend. At the least, properties are clearly selling for less than they did several months ago. The regional median price has ticked down about 7% since May, which is $45,000. This doesn’t mean every property is worth $45,000 less, but it’s been clear buyers have been resisting paying higher prices.”
Okay, one last thing about size: During the beginning of the pandemic there was a blatant spike in home size due to a greater focus on larger homes at higher prices. This spike basically peaked one year ago as size has started to normalize. Now let’s keep watching to see what happens to size. Will we see smaller homes more often as first-time buyers flood the market? Will we see fewer sales at the highest prices? To be determined.
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My comments: Scroll down the page for more comments from Ryan. Markets are changing in many areas, but are complicated by price range, size, etc. I remember the easy days of market condition adjustments 1% per month up or down, for example, to apply to all detached home appraisals. Ryan has been writing about the ups and downs of his market for a long time. Maybe you can use some of his ideas, graphs, and/or explanations in your appraisals.
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Navigating a Changing Market
by Isaac Peck, Editor
Excerpts: … senior leaders at AMCs, lenders and the GSEs have noted that slower appraisal volume will favor those appraisers who can stay in communication with their clients and provide faster turn times. “During the heyday of 3 percent interest rates, it was acceptable for appraisers to take three to four weeks to complete an appraisal and forget to update the client. Now that volume has declined to normal levels, those appraisers who aren’t providing good customer service may see their businesses suffer,” remarked a senior executive at a major bank.
At the end of the day, (Ryan) Lundquist says his goal is to report what is happening in the market right now—accurately and without sensationalism. “I’m constantly changing what I say in my appraisals, and I’m very careful of boilerplate and canned statements. A quick change in interest rates has led to a quick change in the market. My appraisals talk about more stable prices in my area but also about uncertainty regarding the future. Pending volume is softening, available listings are skyrocketing, and it is taking longer to sell—but there are still stats that suggest there is heavy competition for certain homes. It changes by the week. There’s no easy way to quickly do this, it takes effort. There’s no such thing as being a market expert without putting in the time to be an expert,” argues Lundquist.
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My comments: This article uses AEI data, graphs, and reports from June. Some are out of date in September. I follow AEI (American Enterprise Institute), which has excellent data and reports. For more info on AEI, click here
The MBA data, loan application volume (see below) is the future of appraisal volume. Using recent September data, loan applications are below the levels in 2019 and still dropping. I have a graph of this every month in my paid monthly newsletter. Loan applications went up this week but are still below 2019 levels.
The upcoming October issue of the monthly Appraisal Today has an article, “Which are your best current and former AMC/lender clients? What do they want?” The Big Three: Turn Time/Quality/Fee. I discuss what lenders want and how to provide better service and get more business. Number 1 for lenders (AMCs’ clients) has always been turn time.
Humor for Appraisers
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To read more of this long blog post with many topics, click Read More Below!!
NOTE: Please scroll down to read the other topics in this long blog post on VA changes, Driving vs. office time, unusual homes, mortgage origination stats, etc.
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VA Approves Desktops and Exterior-Only Appraisals
Excerpt: It is clear most appraisers do not like to do the Cost approach. Generally, we are not too familiar with it. So, it is clear that most appraisers, because of this, do not appreciate the deep analytical power the Cost approach really has. So Many Appraisal Cost Approach Questions!
Excerpts: Since space is the only place that is pandemic free, I thought it would be fun to try to apply space and science fiction terms to real estate. Let’s take a little break from the stressful atmosphere we are experiencing here on earth and have a little fun. Perhaps you can think of more.