Conventional wisdom states the three most important things in real estate are: location, location, location. This wisdom is especially true today since market fundamentals and local conditions vary greatly across the US. Thus, not surprisingly, the answer depends on location.
If you haven't checked out the new HousingRisk.org yet you really should. We thought we would highlight one of the recent posts by Ed Pinto of AEI. To read the article in its entirety you can find it HERE.
AEI experts report on risk ratings for federal agency mortgages securitized in January 2014, review trends for the NMRI series, and for the first time, release state-level Mortgage Risk Indices.
The Appraisal Buzz recently had a chance to speak with Robert T. Murphy of Fannie Mae and ask him a few questions. He is the Director of Property Valuation & Eligibility at Fannie Mae and an influential leader in the appraisal industry. We wanted to speak to him about their recently released Lender Letter and find out how it affects appraisers. Below are some of his responses.
I have delayed my usual beginning of the year prognostication for a number of reasons. I spend a lot of time speaking to individual appraisers as well as clients of appraisers -- both lenders and AMCs. There are indeed some common threads and of course there are the looming regulatory hairballs that affect us all. I also wanted to review the responses to the Appraisal Buzz National Appraiser Survey to which, by the way, it isn't too late to respond.
On February 26th, Allterra Group is hosting a special webinar on alternative valuation and its usefulness in the appraisal industry. The Webinar will be moderated by John McIntyre and presented by Tony Pistilli of Axios Valuation Solutions and Greg Stephens of Metro-West Appraisal Co., LLC. This will be a great opportunity for appraisers to learn more about how alternative valuation affects their appraisal business. We were lucky enough to be able to ask the presenters a few questions about the upcoming webinar here's what they had to say.
Editors Note: Starting with this issue, FHA Watch has been renamed Housing Risk Watch. Housing Risk Watch will cover all facets of housing risk, with a primary focus on government-sponsored risk, including the FHA. You can read the full issue HERE and keep up to date with all of his latest articles HERE.
It has been almost three years since the Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD) was formally announced by Government Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The first version of Appendix D outlining field-specific standardization requirements was dated February 11, 2011. This guide detailed specific formats and responses for certain fields of the four major residential appraisal report forms.
Changes in 2014 make it a pivotal year in appraising. Lender compliance emanating from the Dodd Frank Act will impact appraisal function considerably. How appraisals will be assigned, how they will be delivered and how they will be reviewed is changing both for lenders and appraisers. The answers to these "how" questions are emerging through technology innovation and the collaborative efforts of leaders in both the financial institution and appraiser communities who are seeking effective solutions.
Competition, in a free market, is a fierce catalyst: one that can effectively sort out the bad apples from the bunch. Capitalism works, it is simple when left unfettered and when all parties are ethical in their approach to business. It works until politicians, however well meaning they try to be, step in with a”solution”. Through the Dodd-Frank reform and the Andrew Cuomo created Home Valuation Code of Conduct that predates Dodd-Frank, congress effectively went anti-small business again.
Editors Note: Last Month's FHA Watch was the final FHA watch in last year's series by Ed Pinto. You can read the full issue HERE and keep up to date with all of his latest articles HERE. Starting in this January, the FHA Watch will become Housing Risk Watch, with FHA Watch becoming a quarterly feature.
