Appraisals

Mastering Market Nuances for Seamless Closings
Part 2 of 2 In Part 1 of our regional expertise series, we explored how understanding local regulations when it comes to title insurance and appraisals helps avoid costly pitfalls during mortgage transactions, In Part 2, we dive deeper into three critical areas where regional variations play a major role: […]

How Lenders Win as a Result of Positive Relationships Between AMCs and Appraisers Appraisal management companies (AMCs) have been around for at least four decades, and during that time they have become an essential partner to lenders and a major source of business to independent appraisers. AMCs deliver many benefits to both lenders and appraisers,

All Real Estate is Local, So Nuances Count: Part 1 of 2 Real estate transactions aren’t one-size-fits-all, local nuances matter, and having a partner who knows the ins and outs of your market makes all the difference. Without deep regional expertise, lenders and borrowers alike may encounter unexpected delays, increased costs, or even compliance issues.

New Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Guidelines on Market-Level Analyes: What Appraisers Need to Know The real estate appraisal industry is facing a significant shift with the latest updates to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s selling and servicing guidelines. These changes, which went into effect earlier this month, aim to create greater consistency and standardization

Five Questions to Ask Your AMC Provider About Appraisal Bias Appraisal bias is a significant concern for lenders, borrowers and regulators. Ensuring that your Appraisal Management Company (AMC) has robust processes in place to prevent bias is critical. Here are five essential questions to guide your discussions with potential AMC providers, helping you understand how

A Recap of the 2024 Valuation Expo Last month, our CEO Ashley Jelinek, attended the Valuation Expo Conference in Las Vegas along with more than 500 other appraisers, lenders, AMCs and valuation professionals. Recently we sat down with her to get her take on the event. Q: To start off, what was your overall impression

Home Appraisal Price-Gap Analysis Shows That Home Appraisals Were Higher Than Sale Prices 51% of the Time It’s fairly common for home appraisals to differ from actual sales prices, particularly with recent record home price appreciation seeing home prices skyrocket. Appraised values indicate what a licensed or certified appraiser believes a home is worth, while

There’s More to Appraisal Management Than Just Ordering by Ashley Jelinek, CEO For decades, lenders have relied on appraisal management companies (AMCs) to compliantly deliver accurate property valuations and to act as a “firewall”, preventing interested parties from exerting pressure on appraisers.  The existence of AMCs has enabled lenders to expand their geographic footprints into

Here’s a quick rundown of some recent legislative updates we’ve been tracking. This month we’re focusing on legislation regarding the appraisal industry. NJ Senate Approves Penalties for Discriminatory Appraisals New Jersey Senate lawmakers recently approved a bill aimed at penalizing real estate appraisers who undervalue homes based on protected characteristics, such as race, sex, or

Understanding the new Uniform Property Dataset from Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac A Q&A with Sherri Zahtilla, SVP Operations 1. Let’s start with the basics, what is the new Uniform Property Dataset (UPD)? The Uniform Property Dataset, or UPD, is a standardized dataset developed by both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that is designed to