Reform? What is the real problem? We know of meltdowns. We hear of bias. And we see the “American Dream” may be just a dream. So what about government? Why? And what part might appraisals play in these issues? More importantly, what keeps us from implementing solutions? Can government agencies (such as FFIEC and the […]
Are valuation procedures a set up for bias failure? Let’s look to see what systemic issues there may be regarding bias in valuation. This is an enigma of multiple overlapping issues. Let’s connect the “established” appraisal practice of USPAP (Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice), the established body of knowledge (EBOK), and human behavior reality. […]
Fannie Mae’s Director of Collateral Policy, Lyle Radke, spoke at the Housing Wire conference this week. The audience was mostly non-appraisers. They laughed when he said: “Appraisers see their job as an art form. It’s hard for them to rigorously explain exactly what they’re doing.” For the record, what we do at Valuemetrics.info is exactly […]
No report. Can it be? Does modernized appraisal require a modernized report? And how about non-appraiser appraisals (valuations)? (Here we use the word ‘appraisal’ in its generic public meaning.) In the past, our thinking, expectations, laws and regulations, have separated the development of an appraisal from the report of an appraisal. In the past, that separation […]
Modernization means bring in modern methods. What are they? Why aren’t they here? Is it really that hard? We have big financial resources. We have motive. We have huge organizations in place. And we have regulatory clout! Appraisal is just one type of valuation, done by super-regulated, licensed appraisers. Competing valuation products, like AVMs (Automated […]
Everyone knows what’s a market — (or do they)? Market Value is the ultimate goal of appraisals, of AVMs, of evaluations, of BPOs, hybrids, exceptions, and all forms of opinions (everyone has one). So, market value must be based on “the market”! To measure it, we must first know what it is. The dictionary has […]
Traditional appraisal says we should describe and analyze the subject neighborhood. In residential form reports, there is a section devoted to the neighborhood. In general narrative reports, there is a section devoted to the neighborhood. In fact, often there is great discourse about the town, the city, and greater things. We have often heard criticism […]
The current residential form (the URAR) neighborhood section is well designed – for data the way it was 40 years ago, filled in on a typewriter, with no software ability to summarize, graph, or map data. Do We Need a Neighborhood Section? Part I is here. As complete market data was rarely available, (and difficult […]
Judgment in valuation analysis is not needed — so they say — so long as the algorithm is right. So long as the algorithm is right . . . For appraisers, this means the valuer has identified a good scope of work. For a researcher, this means an investigation path is identified – a hypothesis. […]
How can we fix the excess of appraisers? Easy — we do what we have always done, each time . . . 1) We will raise the standards (“cost of entry”). 2) We will make it harder to become an appraiser; 3) Lower fees will discourage newcomer appraisers. Each cycle, the ‘appraiser shortage’ cycles with […]
AI is “Artificial Intelligence.” The AI is Appraisal Institute. Artificial intelligence is a part of data science. Appraisal comprises science and art. Let’s take a look at what the primal AI intended, and what happened. Which is which? Once upon a time, science and art aspired to be the same. Just different words. What was […]
Neither Critical, nor Thinking as words together are found in USPAP. Nor are they found in my copy of The Appraisal of Real Estate! Must be important . . . What is it? Do we need it? Is it worth the effort? I realized that although I have been promoting critical thinking in my classes […]
What’s missing? Appraisal reform is focused on current ‘urgent’ issues. The problem is that some fundamental, underlying issues are not in focus! The concern is that it’s the underlying foundation that may be the core of the problem. Current (urgent) issues include: Bias: real and perceived Wide range of opinions of value Appraiser diversity: age […]
Editor’s Note: This is Part 3 of the series on Excess of Appraisers and how this cyclical phenomenon is affected by the five frictions of modernization. The emerging excess of appraisers is inevitable and recurring. We have questioned the first two of the five frictions on modernization: practices, standards, education, regulation and client expectation. In this […]
The Community of Asset Analysts (CAA) was officially founded in 2019, when we held the first meeting after Stats, Graphs, and Data Science 2 in Detroit, MI. Many of group’s leaders voluntarily attended to help and support what George Dell’s Valuemetrics.Info had been building for many years. We continue to grow. We have a mission. Our […]