Postpone appraisal modernization. We can do that later. Why? Change and improvement should, normally, come from a profession. When a profession fails to bring improvement, eventually consumers/clients press for change. That’s what seems to have happened. The two largest consumers of appraisals now have pressed for change. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have realized the […]
Is there bias in the American Dream? Do we need a “loan conditions” adjustment? Read this series here. Loan conditions have nothing to do with ‘financing’ adjustments as we know them! One is local. The other is global. So how might loan conditions affect “market value”? Financing conditions are often related to motivation in sale […]
Legacy appraisal practice “the valuation process” is well established. Therein lies the problem. It is not designed to use modern methods toward objective, unbiased results. First, lets distinguish the different kinds of bias. We need to separate personal bias from analytic bias. Personal bias can be intentional, or unintentional (unconscious). Analytic bias itself can come […]
Appraisers have adjustments for “market conditions” and “sale conditions.” Why not “loan conditions?” There are similarities and differences. This is Part II in this series. Read Part I here Loan Conditions. Market conditions, for any particular market, price levels – trend together. So, appraisers apply ‘time’ adjustments to compensate for this change in ‘market conditions.’ […]
How about “loan conditions”? Clients only need a value in order to quantify risk. Is this scary? Editor’s Note: This post is an intersection of Modernization and Risk. There are only three uses for knowing value: 1) collateral loss, 2) investment gain, 3) equitability. Historical value may only be relevant to #3. Loss or gain […]
Is it possible discussions about bias are biased? Oh no! Surely personal motive cannot affect my position on bias. Can it? Editor’s Note: This is another intersection of Modernization (Part IX) and Bias (Part 6). It is difficult being a word nerd right now. Particularly writing about bias. This is a topic which is much […]
For modernization, we must note how coarse are the choices available to the loan originator: AVM, appraisal, hybrid, waiver, evaluation. Each choice involves different, but pre-set steps. There is little flexibility. It is not a continuum of analytical depth. To compare valuation systems to each other, we must look at the parts of the analysis, […]
The FHFA (Federal Housing Finance Agency) wants input on modernization in the world of housing finance. A big change. Human response to change is – resistance. A natural human first reaction is anger. Change is first seen as a threat. “Who are they to disturb my nice comfy world?” That threat of loss triggers us. […]
A great deal of economic, social, and political talk has been around affordability of housing. To explore this topic, it may be helpful to ask some questions. Good policy starts with the right questions. In simplest terms, some people have the resources to have nice homes in nice neighborhoods, others have just tolerable homes for […]
For some people, Evidence Based Valuation (EBV)© feels like a threat to “proven” appraisal practices. Others may believe it is a pressing, needed radical change. It is neither. Modernized appraisal unifies the best of established theory and modern methods. It is that simple. Traditional appraisal practice was built on sound fundamentals of economic theory. These […]
Opinion is the required end product of appraisal, mandated by the quasi-governmental regulations. By “appraisal waiver” exception, analytic results may be allowed. (No opinion is necessary.) modernized Editor’s Note: This post is an intersection of Appraisal Modernization, Part 6 and Bias Part 5 The FHFA (Federal Housing Finance Agency) wants input on: Appraisal modernization; Data […]
What is “Appraisal modernization”? (This is part 5 in an ongoing series on Appraisal Modernization. Part 1 starts here.) The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) is seeking input to “create a more streamlined and accurate collateral valuation process.” It also wisely recognizes that new regulations “could have negative unintended consequences.” Said director Mark Calabria. While […]
In this time of New Year’s resolutions, bias has been much in our consciousness. Bias Pt 3. As a new appraiser, I knew little about bias. I did know that appraisers were expected to be unbiased in their opinions. It seemed simple. Be fair, and don’t let anyone bribe you to give the ‘value’ they […]
A year ago, in a land free of enemy Covidians, the topic was the failed resolution. We suggested a new attitude and new way to tie intent to results. Simple. Do yesterday to change today! Then know that today becomes yesterday in a blink. Blink. So today we suggest certain steps. These involve unlearning (as […]
Is it time to recognize the importance of EDA in all valuation products? EDA is Exploratory Data Analysis, sometimes called PDA (Preliminary Data Analysis). Who does it? Is it necessary? And why do we care? EDA (Exploratory Data Analysis) is a key part of the modern, data science solution to value and risk. It’s an […]
