appraisal: Faster, More Accurate Appraisals
- 12/01/09 07:53 AM
I've always been a fan of using technology. I've reported in the past about switching from paper and tape appraisal inspections to laser and pocket pc or tablet pc. Taking the leap from one to the other takes a little getting used to, but if you ease into, it will take forever to get the hang of it and reap the benefits. Last month A la mode released a new version of their appraisal software that works on the iPhone. it's still in beta testing right now, so it's not perfect. That said, I've tried it out on several inspections with … (5 comments)
appraisal: A Government Sale Concession - $7,000 Tax Credit
- 06/26/08 04:19 PM
The Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2008 has been passed by both the House and the Senate. Congress is now resolving differences in amendments passed. Once this process is complete, the bill will go to the President to be signed into law. However, the President's senior advisors are recommending a veto if it reaches his desk. So, this may never come to fruition, but it poses an interesting situation for appraisers. Appraisers are supposed to report any and all concessions in a purchase transaction. The bill includes a $7,000 tax credit for buyers of foreclosed properties. Whether this tax credit will actually … (19 comments)
appraisal: Zaio takes another step forward
- 02/12/08 10:08 AM
There has been a lot of discussion about Zaio in the appraisal related forums. Many have commented about the concept that Zaio has undertaken, but I don't know that there is a concensus out there yet. Personally, I think this is a great concept, but I think execution has been poor. Today, Zaio announced another acquisition: Appraisal.com. Appraisal.com is an ordering portal, like Appraisalport, that was started by Day One. Specifically they've acquired the technology assets of the company. Whether that means they will be running the day-to-day operations of Appraisal.com I don't know. It may include the appraisal software that Day … (24 comments)
appraisal: Should I just stop working?
- 10/29/07 06:01 PM
Do you ever find yourself working late into the night and wondering why? How about blogging or working on your SEO late into the night and wonder why? That's how I feel tonight. When is the best time to give up for the night and just start over early in the morning? As an appraiser I got used to working into the wee hours of the morning to meet deadlines during the refi boom. Now that there is a little more time in the day, I just can't get myself to work until 2 or 3am. Instead, my brain starts shuttting down … (10 comments)
appraisal: Appraisers in fire affected areas
- 10/29/07 07:17 AM
Get ready to start adding those extra comments in your appraisals. I'm sure many of us have seen this before in prior years. After the last big firestorms, lenders and AMCs were requesting that appraisers add comments to their reports basically indicating that yes, the subject house is in an area affected by fires, but the subject did not suffer any damage. I don't remember the exact verbage lenders required, but it varied a bit from one to the other. I remember some lenders who had just ordered an appraisal in those area requesting a second inspection to assure that the home … (5 comments)
appraisal: The DaVinci Trials
- 10/29/07 04:10 AM
This has nothing to do with the DaVinci Code or Leonardo, in case you were looking for information on the Vatican's recently released documents about the Templar trials. This is about the new software beta from a la mode, maker of WinTotal. I think a la mode is on to something with this software. I've downloaded it from their lab, and have been very pleased with the way the software is progressing. The software is designed to be used on a tablet computer for field inspections. So far the software is very customizable, comes packaged with sketching software that integrates with the bluetooth … (1 comments)
appraisal: Frustrations with underwriters - an appraiser's perspective
- 10/29/07 03:38 AM
Okay, this has got to be one of my biggest pet peeves in appraising. I spend time on my reports, I don't churn and burn appraisals. I do my research, look at the sale statistics, find the best comps and put meaningful data into my reports. In the neighborhood section of the report there are some checkboxes for housing trends: Property Values, Demand/Supply, and Marketing Time. All three lines have three checkboxes each to indicate the trends. If I check the box that indicates property values are declining I back up that decision with statistics in one of the paragraphs below. For instance, … (15 comments)
I've always been a fan of using technology. I've reported in the past about switching from paper and tape appraisal inspections to laser and pocket pc or tablet pc. Taking the leap from one to the other takes a little getting used to, but if you ease into, it will take forever to get the hang of it and reap the benefits.
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