Real Estate Appraisal News

 On Aug. 31, President Bush announced Federal Housing Administration (FHA) changes called "FHASecure" to help homeowners avoid foreclosure.  In a key policy shift, the federal mortgage insurer FHA is allowing subprime borrowers with good payment histories and at least three percent in home equity...

In the last 20 years, condominiums have become more popular among those wanting to buy a home. Condominiums make great affordable first homes. They also make great homes if downsizing from a large family house to a smaller residence. Before purchasing a condominium, there is information a person ...

Do ALL you folks reading my blog back up your computer files? I believe most people do. NOW . . . How many bloggers backup their blog?  To be honest, until recently, I didn't either. I've read other people's horrifying stories of how they lost their blog and went scrambling for help to retrieve a...

Everyday appraisers across the country are called by potential clients with offers of work IF they'll just to this one FAVOR! Yesterday I blogged about my call from a mortgage broker in Chicago.  She asked, "What's your fee for an appraisal in Danvers, IL?"  I told her.  Then she asked, "How you ...

Appraiser Question: "I received an order from an Appraisal Management Company (AMC) that requested I bill the client $75 more than my standard fee and return $75 to them. I've never heard of this before, but I haven't worked with many management companies. Is this common?" "Do I need to make a st...

Appraiser Question: "I received an order from an Appraisal Management Company (AMC) that requested I bill the client $75 more than my standard fee and return $75 to them. I've never heard of this before, but I haven't worked with many management companies. Is this common?" "Do I need to make a s...

 Appraisers can now view the 3-hour DVD produced by the Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB) by visiting the foundation's website.  Listed below are the different chapters of the Implementation of the 2008 Real Property Qualification Criteria video. You can either choose to view the video chapter...

Appraiser Question: "I received an order from an Appraisal Management Company (AMC) that requested I bill the client $75 more than my standard fee and return $75 to them. I've never heard of this before, but I haven't worked with many management companies. Is this common?" "Do I need to make a s...

Kelly Koehler of The Housechick Blog asked the following questions, in her original blog post, after reading an article authored by an appraisal organization:Okay, remind me again, who typically pays for the appraisal?  Oh yeah - the BUYER.  And who gets a copy of it?  Oh yeah - the lender.  And ...

According to the a la mode, inc. “Best Practices” Series dealing with compliance issues of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act Click here for the full article ] : "The important thing when evaluating your options is to scale them to your needs, and remember that it’s not “all or nothing”. "Improving secur...