This Mortgagee Letter reiterates and clarifies Federal Housing Administration (FHA) policy regarding the responsibilities of mortgagees and appraisers in rep...

I have been involved in researching and writing about real estate frauds, mortgage frauds and appraisal frauds since about 1982. My Masters Thesis for a degr...

In the appraisal world of lender work, there is never enough time or fee to develop support for adjustments before the report is due. And, yet appraisers are...

Neighborhood 1: This is an older area with homes from the 1920’s onward. It is a desert area that is subject to high winds at times. Almost every home has a ...

The Public Good is in the opening paragraph of USPAP. An appraiser friend once wrote that appraisal regulations/guidelines included Intentional Ambiguity. Th...

When I started appraisal with a savings and loan association, I was given a List of Adjustments to use. We did the Market Data and Cost Approach on every hou...

Easing Into Consulting and Expert Witness Work Prepared for the Appraisal Buzz Presentation by Steven R. Smith, MSREA, MAI, SRA, AG 2123 Here are some things...

OFTEN, AS MARKETS COOL AND SALES START SLOWING DOWN, THE LACK OF CURRENT CLOSED SALES SENDS APPRAISERS OFF IN A RADIUS LOOKING FOR COMPARABLES. IN ANTICIPATI...

There are lots of sources that published national housing trend data, by state, county and even metro market trends down to the city level. CAR.org publishes...