Posts Tagged appraisal fees

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NOTE: Please scroll down to read the other topics in this long blog post on unusual homes, bias, fees, non-lender appraisals, UAD, Fannie Update, mortgage origination stats, etc.

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

New sewer line increases value for appraisals?

By Ann O'Rourke on January 22, 2021 / adjustments, appraisal business, Appraisal fees, appraisal how to, Mortgage applications, unusual homes / Leave a comment

Tags: adjustments, appraisal fees, appraisal how to, unusal homes

My new sewer line adds huge value, right?

January 19, 2021, By Ryan Lundquist

Excerpt: A new sewer line. That’s what 2020 gave my family as a parting gift before the year closed. Yep, just before Christmas, we had to replace our entire line at a whopping $13,688. I know that sounds crazy expensive, but we had four separate bids and went with the most reasonable one. In part it was so pricey because we had one hundred feet of the line under eighty feet of concrete.

The good news is my house is worth $13,688 more now, right?

To read more plus lots of appraiser comments click here

Covid-19 Residential Appraisers Tips on Staying Safe

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

Click here to subscribe to our FREE weekly appraiser email newsletter and get the latest appraisal news!!

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 fees, house settling, unusual homes, mortgage origination stats, Covid tips for appraisers, etc.

How accurate is the reported square footage from the tax records in your primary service area?(Opens in a new browser tab)

What is Included in Appraisal Square Footage?

By Ann O'Rourke on October 23, 2020 / appraisal business, Appraisal fees, square footage / Leave a comment

Tags: appraisal business, appraisal fees, square footage, strange house

Question: Can it count in the square footage?

Roof detail house

By Ryan Lundquist

Excerpts: Can you include it in the square footage? I get questions like this almost every week. Is it okay to count an accessory dwelling in the living area? What about a pool house? How about a man cave or she shed? Let’s talk about this.

The straight dope: It’s tempting to lump something else in the backyard into the square footage, but that’s not appropriate per ANSI measuring standards. Suppose you have to walk outside of the house into something else that is not directly accessible to the house. In that case, we’re really dealing with something that isn’t considered to be a part of the main house…

To read more, click here

My comments: Written for homeowners, but has some good remarks on square footage, such as “lumped square footage” in MLS. What is Included in Appraisal Square Footage can be tricky and controversial. It can also vary by geographic area.

Marketing and Management Tips for Appraisers

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What is most often overlooked by appraisers?

By Ann O'Rourke on June 5, 2020 / adjustments, appraisal business, Appraisal fees, bifurcated appraisals, commercial appraisal, Coronavirus, desktop appraisals, Fannie, fees, lender appraisals, Mortgage applications, unusual home, USPAP, weird homes / Leave a comment

Tags: adjustments, appraisal business, appraisal fees, appraisal waivers, bifurcated appraisals, Coronavirus, Fannie, mortgage loan volume, strange house, unusal homes, USPAP

Excerpt: We recently asked our appraisal community, “What’s the ONE thing that is most often overlooked by appraisers?” We received a wide variety of answers ranging from big-picture oversights to specific details. The most common answer we received was “Highest and Best Use.”…

Highest and Best Use (HBU)

This was the top answer, which was written in by about 8% of survey respondents “First question when doing an appraisal is the highest and best use. If there are two very different opinions of value on a property, different HBU is often the reason.”…

Obsolescence

Obsolescence is another item mentioned by multiple survey respondents. Appraisers cited both external obsolescence and functional obsolescence as being frequently overlooked.

“External obsolescence for the subject property – When I’m reviewing appraisals, I see this more often than other oversights. When I was performing retrospective reviews for FNMA, their biggest complaint was that appraisers did not point out external obsolescence for the subject and/or its impact on marketability (if there was an impact).”

“Functional obsolescence – Appraiser focus has changed over the years as subject functionality has changed.”

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

Value, Accuracy, and Misleading for Appraisers

By Ann O'Rourke on May 15, 2020 / Appraisal fees, commercial appraisal, Coronavirus, desktop appraisals, Fannie, FHA, lender appraisals, Mortgage applications, real estate market, unusual homes, USPAP, webinars / Leave a comment

Tags: appraisal fees, appraisal regulations, Coronavirus, Fannie, FHA, mortgage loan volume, real estate market, unusal homes

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.

To read about lots more appraisal topics, continue reading below!

Very unusual bathrooms for appraisers(Opens in a new browser tab)

Infectious Disease Defined the American Bathroom: Appraisals

By Ann O'Rourke on May 8, 2020 / Appraisal fees, BATHROOMS, Freddie, humor, USPAP / Leave a comment

Tags: appraisal fees, BATHROOMS, Coronavirus, Fannie, humor, mortgage loan volume, USPAP

Cholera and tuberculosis outbreaks transformed the design and technology of the home bathroom. Will Covid-19 inspire a new wave of hygiene innovation?

Excerpt: Alter predicted that disease-avoidance would rise to the fore of bathroom design a few years ago, when he observed the traumatizing effects of the 2003 SARS outbreak on Toronto, which killed 44 people. But home design in general — and bathroom design in particular — has long been influenced by infectious disease. This isn’t a linear narrative with clear causation, but rather a convergence of advancements in science, infrastructure, plumbing, sanitation and design trends.

The modern bathroom developed alongside outbreaks of tuberculosis, cholera and influenza; its standard fixtures, wallcoverings, floorings, and finishes were implemented, in part, to promote health and hygiene in the home at a time of widespread public health concerns.

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Covid-19 Residential Appraisers Tips on Staying Safe

Appraiser Recovers From COVID-19

By Ann O'Rourke on April 10, 2020 / appraisal business, appraisal regulations, Coronavirus, Fannie, FUN, humor, Mortgage applications / Leave a comment

Tags: appraisal business, appraisal fees, appraisal regulations, Coronavirus, humor, mortgage loan volume

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

To listen, click go to https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/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

A very, very funny appraiser video!

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Fannie Appraisals Covid Update March 27 2020

By Ann O'Rourke on March 27, 2020 / Coronavirus, Fannie, fees / Leave a comment

Tags: appraisal fees, Coronavirus, Fannie

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

Covid-19 Residential Appraisers Tips on Staying Safe

Covid humor for appraisers

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

To read more of this long blog post, click Read More Below!!

Coronavirus and Appraisals March 13 2020

By Ann O'Rourke on March 13, 2020 / AMCs, appraisal business, Appraisal fees, appraisal management company, AVMS, future, lender appraisals, Mortgage applications, mortgage loan volume, unusual homes, weird properties / 1 Comment

Tags: AMC, appraisal business, appraisal fees, appraisal management company, future, mortgage loan volume, unusal homes, unusual buildings

Appraiser’s (Changing) Role

Q&A with Mark Verrett, Chief Innovation Officer at Accurity Valuation

Excerpts: WRE: How can appraisers adapt to meet the profession demands?

Verrett: I think there are several ways to adapt to these challenges. The first is to work toward diversifying your practice away from 100 percent mortgage business niches. Our firm is a leader in green valuation, rural valuation, valuation consulting and litigation support and we help our offices diversify into those spaces. However, this solution isn’t for everyone….

To directly take on the challenges facing appraiser relevancy in the mortgage space, significant change is required. Appraisers need to unite to create a like-minded national voice that is not rejecting proposed changes for the profession, but rather working with stakeholders (regulators, lenders, clients, etc.) in conceptualizing, testing, tweaking, and ultimately modernizing the appraisal process on the mortgage side.

The appraisal community has a tough assignment in their role in this modernization. To be useful in the discussion, we need to challenge ourselves to be creative and open-minded, yet diligent in maintaining or, even better, improving the quality of the valuation being produced. I think it is extremely important for appraisers to listen and understand the needs of their clients and to creatively develop solutions that meet those needs.

Worth reading with some good ideas. To read more, click here

My comment: Accurity has franchisees and some very savvy appraiser officers and directors.

Covid-19 Residential Appraisers Tips on Staying Safe

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

Appraiser Covid Survey Results April 2020

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What is a Competent Appraiser?

By Ann O'Rourke on January 17, 2020 / AMCs, appraisal business, real estate market, USPAP, weird properties / Leave a comment

Tags: AMC, appraisal business, appraisal fees, appraisal management company, mortgage loan volume, real estate market, USPAP, weird properties

“Damn Right I’m a Competent Appraiser…Aren’t I?”

By Tim Andersen, MAI

Excerpt: To appraise a property, and then report it according to USPAP, is a requirement USPAP demands and the states enforce. All too often, reviewers see in reports boilerplate (especially in the reconciliation) such as: “In my professional opinion, the value of the subject is $XXXXXX”. In the light of competency, look closely at SR1-6(a) and (b), the reconciliation standards rule. What is a Competent Appraiser?

If there is nothing more in the reconciliation than this single (essentially meaningless) sentence, the appraiser has not complied with SR1-5(a) and (b), thus evidenced a lack of competency. In turn, the appraiser certified to a lie, in that, in not complying, the appraiser omitted preparing the report in accordance with Standards 1 and 2 of USPAP. To add insult to injury, the appraiser has violated SR2-1(b) in that the above statement and certification, with no other context or explanation, are misleading. Three serious USPAP violations might stem from these 11-words.

Therefore, relative to the concept of competency, the deeper meaning is that the above 11-words are capable of generating three charges from the state. In addition, they can generate questions from reviewers. When appraisers appraise the property credibly, and then report the results of that appraisal in a non-misleading manner, they avoid both attention from reviewers and from the state. Thus, in turn, they save not only time and money, they show themselves to be competent. They appear more professional. Professionals can and do charge more for their time and efforts, right? Let us, therefore, be professionals.

My NOTE: This blog post starts with USPAP competency standards and includes an analysis of Competency and the Fannie forms Neighborhood section.

To read more, click here

My comment: Tim Andersen is definitely a USPAP Expert! He writes, speaks, teaches classes, etc. on USPAP topics. He also helps appraisers get their appraisals more USPAP complaint. He focuses on residential appraisal issues – state boards, reviewers, AMCs, etc.

Covid-19 Residential Appraisers Tips on Staying Safe

Which Appraisal Clients are used the most?(Opens in a new browser tab)

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