Housing Wire

MAY 13, 2021

As anyone involved in the residential real-estate market knows, bidding wars – and contract prices exceeding the list price – are the norm today in many markets around the nation. Sheridan’s listing appraised at the contract price, and the deal went through without a hitch.

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Housing Wire

JUNE 22, 2023

Appraisal Insights , an appraisal education company committed to eradicating bias, announced its official launch this week. The goal is to quip key stakeholders and decision-makers in the housing industry with the knowledge necessary for preventing bias and enhancing the quality and integrity of real estate appraisals.

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Housing Wire

OCTOBER 1, 2022

If discrimination is committed by appraisers – as the news headlines would suggest – fellow appraisers and real estate agents say they rarely witness or experience it. Another issue with appraiser competency could be appraisers’ apparent lack of familiarity with valuation tools.

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Housing Wire

AUGUST 28, 2023

In a shrinking mortgage market, fee pressures are the main challenge for appraisers, according to a new survey from the National Association of Realtors. In 2023, nearly half of appraisers surveyed said fee pressure was their biggest challenge, up 20 percentage points since last year.

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Housing Wire

MARCH 24, 2023

When you google “ appraisal gap” — and I just did — a long list of search results appear. What I did see were links to lender websites almost apologetically explaining what an appraisal gap is to their customers and willing them not to panic if it happens to them. Well, a cure for appraisal gap anxiety has appeared on the scene.

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Housing Wire

DECEMBER 7, 2021

If there’s anything that lenders and borrowers have learned from the current purchase market it’s that speed and efficiency are key to a smooth closing. With desktop appraisals now a permanent option, we should expect to see some of the traditional pressure on turn times alleviated.

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Housing Wire

SEPTEMBER 16, 2022

House of Representatives this week passed a bill that streamlines the appraisal process for U.S. With the passage of HR 7735, known as the “Improving access to the VA home loan benefit Act of 2022,” the VA is now permitting desktop appraisals and in some circumstances, waiving appraisals altogether.

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Housing Wire

JANUARY 14, 2022

The tides of the mortgage industry are changing as we head into 2022, and just like the sand under the waves, we can expect the appraisal landscape to shift along with it. Appraisers, like many other service providers, must adapt to market changes to accommodate their clients’ needs. Appraisal demand from generators (i.e.,

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Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 1, 2024

There are several factors to cite but I want to highlight a key area that may be taken for granted — that not everyone receives a fair home appraisal. Stifled The Fair Housing Center of Metropolitan Detroit shared that loan denial rates in Detroit, due to the appraised value of a home (a.k.a. I hope you will join me.

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Housing Wire

MARCH 1, 2023

Fannie Mae updated its Selling Guide on Wednesday to include more options for property valuations, saying that they are “moving away from implying that an appraisal is a default requirement.” Those options include value acceptance (formerly appraisal waivers), value acceptance plus property data and hybrid appraisals. “We

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Housing Wire

MAY 9, 2023

Appraisal management software company Reggora announced this week the launch of its Appraisal Marketplace, which leverages data managed by the company in an effort to improve appraisal performance. By leveraging Reggora’s own data, its marketplace is aiming to improve the performance of the appraisal industry, the company said.

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Housing Wire

JUNE 6, 2023

Nationwide Property & Appraisal Services LLC (NPAS), a pioneer in the real estate appraisal sector, announced on Tuesday the launch of its product line, Pinnacle Desktop Appraisals. By separating the data collection and valuation processes, potential bias is eliminated, ensuring that homeowners and appraisers never meet.

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Housing Wire

APRIL 6, 2023

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) will host the Appraisal Subcommittee (ASC) in May for its second public hearing on appraisal bias. At the first ASC hearing in January, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Director Rohit Chopra took aim at the dysfunctional regulatory system that governs the appraisal industry. “I

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Housing Wire

AUGUST 11, 2020

Last week, HousingWire reported surging mortgage volume and record low interest rates are putting excess pressure on appraisal turn times. This week, appraisal experts said those same variables are having a profound effect on an age-old conflict of appraisal reports versus what the market believes the home is worth.

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Housing Wire

MAY 23, 2023

In the past few years, appraisal bias has come to the forefront of conversations about appraisals and how they can be improved. At Tavant , they’re taking a look at the past and present of appraisals to prepare for a better future. We often hear the statistic that the average appraiser is a 57-year-old white male.

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Housing Wire

JANUARY 18, 2023

From an appraiser shortage to turn-time challenges amid record-breaking volumes, the past few years have been a whirlwind for the appraisal industry. HousingWire recently sat down with Jaro Managing Director Gareth Borcherds to learn what steps housing professionals can take to speed up appraisals.

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Housing Wire

AUGUST 4, 2022

The parent company of appraisal software firm Veros Real Estate Solutions has acquired California-based appraisal management company Valligent Technologies. Valligent, founded in 2003 and led by Jeremy McCarty and Jeff Wickham, provides traditional, desktop and hybrid appraisal services to lenders, credit unions and others.

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Housing Wire

DECEMBER 8, 2022

Appraisal turn times have historically been a pain point in the mortgage process and in boom times, when transaction volumes soar, turn times tend to be one of the first casualties. In 2020 and 2021, for example, some markets saw appraisals take as long as three to six weeks. What’s going on?

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Housing Wire

JULY 12, 2022

Luke Tomaszewski, an appraiser doing home inspections in the aftermath of the housing bust, was traveling as much as an hour across Chicago just to snap exterior photos of bank-owned properties. At $50 to $100 per inspection, according to ProxyPics, it’s certainly less expensive than sending an appraiser. Made to order.

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Housing Wire

SEPTEMBER 9, 2021

United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) announced today that it will no longer require its brokers to use appraisal management companies to complete appraisals. During a Facebook Live address, Ishbia proclaimed that while AMCs add value to the industry, appraisals have been a stumbling block for the mortgage industry.

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Housing Wire

MAY 2, 2022

Seattle, Washington-based real estate valuation company True Footage announced the acquisition of Spark for Appraisers , an appraisal technology firm. Spark for Appraisers sells data infrastructure software to appraisers to produce faster and more reliable appraisals. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

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Housing Wire

AUGUST 2, 2022

The Department of Veterans’ Affairs announced last week that it would allow desktop and exterior-only appraisals for some transactions. In a department memo, the VA explained that the move was a response to “high demand for appraisal services and limited availability of appraisers in certain local market areas.”.

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Housing Wire

APRIL 6, 2021

Unfortunately, the appraisal put the house’s value roughly $50,000 below than what she paid. Linda had a sizable downpayment but still needed to find a way to close the appraisal gap. She recently had a deal fall apart due to appraisal. Why use several vendors for title searches, appraisals and underwriting when you can use one?

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Housing Wire

AUGUST 24, 2022

For the past two years appraisal gap clauses have been de rigueur in many markets , much to the disdain of frustrated homebuyers. On Wednesday, the firm launched Tomo Appraisal Coverage. Tomo, however, is not immune to the volatility in the markets. Mortgage startup Tomo feels, however, that it has a solution.

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Housing Wire

APRIL 30, 2022

In February 2022, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac added 1004 Desktop/70D Appraisal products to their Selling Guide for new purchase loans. However, for lenders to take advantage of these benefits on behalf of their customers, they need to navigate new GSE requirements, such as ensuring appraisers have access to a digital floor plan.”.

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Housing Wire

JANUARY 24, 2022

That was the startling and totally hypothetical analogy made, based on the current structure of the Appraisal Foundation , in a scathing report released this week. Until recently … the appraisal industry seems to have escaped the type of regulation and scrutiny faced by other participants in the mortgage market,” the authors wrote.

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Housing Wire

APRIL 30, 2022

The valuation services market has yet to see that same level of impact, but the pace of change is ramping up. With advances in automation bolstering speed and accuracy in other fields, some within the industry believe that technology should reduce or eliminate the role of appraisers. But is it truly the best way forward??.

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Housing Wire

AUGUST 5, 2022

With tech solutions and automation dominating more and more of the mortgage experience, the appraisal process can feel a bit dated, often causing significant slowdowns. HousingWire: Why should lenders consider appraisal modernization and how can it benefit borrowers?

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Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 9, 2021

When you go to buy a home , your mortgage lender will almost always order a home appraisal. A homebuyer’s guide to a competitive housing market. Scenario 1: Your home appraises at your full offer price. Many times, the home appraisal goes off without a hitch. Scenario 2: Your home appraisal comes in low.

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Housing Wire

APRIL 9, 2021

closed on the acquisition of appraisal management software firm Appraisal Now for approximately $30.5 Appraisal Now, better known as “ Anow ,” makes an automated appraisal workflow management platform for the global appraisal market. Canadian real estate technology company Voxtur Analytics Corp.

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Housing Wire

AUGUST 23, 2022

Desktop appraisals became a permanent option for certain loans earlier this year. HousingWire recently spoke with Kenon Chen, Executive Vice President of Corporate Strategy at Clear Capital, about desktop appraisal adoption and appraisal modernization. How willing are appraisers to adopt desktop and hybrid appraisals?

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Housing Wire

MARCH 5, 2021

What a two-year stretch it has been for appraisers. The appraisal workforce was already in decline in 2019. These factors combined to throw the appraisal industry in flux. It has a very uncertain future: will in-person appraisals be the norm, or will technology overtake the process completely or partially?

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Housing Wire

DECEMBER 28, 2020

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced Monday it is requesting input on the appraisal policies, practices and processes of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, especially as it relates to the GSEs’ appraisal modernization efforts. The Request for Input (RFI) – open to comment until Feb.

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Housing Wire

MAY 23, 2022

A piece of legislation introduced in the Senate in mid-May could streamline the appraisal process for VA loans. The legislation would modernize the Department of Veteran Affairs ‘ appraisal requirements by allowing desktop appraisals, and in some circumstances, waving appraisals all together.

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Housing Wire

SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

Appraisers have experienced many challenges in the last couple of years. From juggling high volume demand for appraisals in the middle of a pandemic, appraisers had to radically change their processes. Remote inspections have the power to make homeowners and appraisers more comfortable. Introducing RemoteVal.

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Housing Wire

JANUARY 25, 2022

With the recent news about desktop appraisals, appraisal technology is top of mind for many. HousingWire recently spoke with Reggora co-founder and CTO Will Denslow about the role of technology in appraisal innovation. How will this affect appraisal technology moving forward? How can technology help mitigate this issue?

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Housing Wire

APRIL 27, 2021

Legislation in Congress would try to solve for inconsistencies in appraisal underwriting, a lack of diversity in the profession, and the legacy of property valuation discrimination. The Appraisal Institute , a trade association which represents appraisers, expressed its support for the legislation, and urged lawmakers to pass the bill.

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