Every year more than 2 million Americans make one of the most important financial decisions of their lives: choosing when to begin collecting Social Security retirement benefits. Today, we are releasing Planning for Retirement, an interactive tool to help consumers make this important decision.
Check out our new online tool at www.consumerfinance.gov/
posted in Appraiser News | Comments Off on CFPB’s new tool to help you plan for retirement
I made it way easier to find all the information you need about getting more non-lender work with the help of the Appraiser’s Club. Visit http://appraisersclub.com for all the details.
We will show you:
-> How to make your appraisal business STAND OUT!
-> The best appraisal management companies to work with
-> How to do marketing for non-lender work
-> How to be found in your local area online… and why that’s so important
-> Websites: How to set yours up so you can get found in the search engines
-> The right way to build your list and do follow-up (and how to automate a huge percentage of it!)
-> How to build relationships that will send you an endless stream of leads
-> How to use direct mail effectively (i.e. without losing money!)
-> The fastest and easiest way to get #1 rankings in Google (just wait until you see what we were able to accomplish for other appraisers!)
-> One way to reach your list within minutes… and all but guarantee they see your message
-> How you doing LESS work can actually grow your business 10x faster
-> And much, much more!
Bryan Knowlton
posted in Appraiser Marketing | Comments Off on Newly Revamped Appraiser’s Club
This has got to be a good thing!
reposted from:
http://www.quickenloans.com/blog/gap-between-homeowner-and-appraiser-value-opinions-continues-to-narrow
Homeowners continue to overestimate the value of their homes, according to the results of a survey released today by Quicken Loans. The good news is the gap between homeowner and appraiser opinion got smaller for the second straight month.
Looking at values, they increased more than 1% in October after being close to flat in September.
Homeowners still think their homes are worth more than appraiser estimates, but the gap is narrowing. It’s down to 1.98% from 2% in September. This is heading in the right direction.
Quicken Loans Chief Economist Bob Walters said the move toward price agreement is good news for those looking to get a mortgage.
“It’s too early to call it a trend, but it is encouraging to see the gap between the estimates homeowners provide and the appraised values starting to narrow,” said Walters. “The more homeowners are in line with appraisers, the easier it will be to refinance their mortgage and easier for those looking to buy a home. If the two are aligned, it eliminates one of the top stumbling blocks in the mortgage process.”
Taking a look at regional data, estimates are the most out of whack in the Northeast where homeowners think their homes are worth 2.17% more than appraisers do. This is followed by the Midwest with a difference of 2.16%, and the South, where the gap is 1.92%. The West is closest to par with homeowners overestimating their property value by 1.74%.
Finally, we have metropolitan data. Homeowners in San Diego are in total agreement with appraisers in terms of home prices. Meanwhile, homeowners in San Jose, CA, continue to drastically undervalue their homes, with appraiser estimates coming in 5.10% higher. Homes in Philadelphia are the most overvalued by their owners with a 3.63% difference.
Speaking of those home values, they were up 1.07% in October. In addition, values are at 4.01% since the same time last year.
Walters said value increases could mean more homes become available on the market.
“Home values continue to make steady, healthy growth,” said Walters. “Equity gains increase homeowner faith and enthusiasm in the housing market. There are still many Americans underwater, but with every bump in equity more homeowners who have been waiting to list their home are able to sell or more easily refinance – which takes pressure off of those homeowners and provides housing inventory for first time homebuyers.”
Much of the home value increase occurred in the Northeast where the value was up 1.94%. The Midwest was next, gaining 0.92% in value, followed by the South, which gained 0.55%. The West brought up the rear with an increase of 0.49%.
The Quicken Loans Home Price Perception and Home Value Indexes are released on the second Tuesday of each month on the Quicken Loans Press Room.
posted in Appraiser News | Comments Off on Gap Between Homeowner and Appraiser Value Opinions Continues to Narrow
Hey Fellow Appraisers!
Don’t let the slow holiday season get you down, the directory is updated for 2015 and I also updated and added a new chapter on how to use the AMC Directory to sign up only to companies listed in your state. That should save you a bunch of time when applying to the appraisal management companies.
And finally, this list not only includes the top companies that I recommend all appraisers to sign up to due to pay, turn around time or other factors, but for more than 99% of the companies listed, I have already done the research and found the direct link to their online applications. You won’t believe how much time that is going to save you in the registration process.
This isn’t just a list of appraisal management companies with phone numbers and maybe a website listing. I spend the time to get the contact information for each of the companies, find their online applications and more. If they don’t have an online application, they don’t get on my list. If they appear to be another appraiser looking to sign up other appraisers for a fee split, I don’t add them to my list either. If they are known not to pay their appraisers or have had problems paying appraisers in the past, they definitely don’t make it on my list. I have even tried to note as much as possible which companies state they have commercial work as well. I have registered with most of the companies in my directory except for some of the latest entries and when they have good work, they get moved up to the top of the list.
With interest rates still at an all time low and talks of softening lending practices, 2015 could possibly be your best year ever working with the appraisal management companies. But you won’t get ANY work from them if you don’t sign up to them.
Buy the 2015 AMC Directory and start signing up today. I have been completely swamped with AMC work for years now, giving me the ability to cherry pick the best work available from a variety of companies and never get paid less than my customary and reasonable fees. I average over $450 per order, the lowest fee I have accepted in the past year was $325 and the highest $2000. Get your copy today.
posted in Appraiser Marketing | Comments Off on Holiday Slowdown?
I thought this was kinda hilarious, but it looks like there might be 2 good points in the article. If the service gives you the ability to avoid multiple background checks for the AMC’s for a small $$$ per year, that is a good deal. The other idea I liked is how a San Diego appraiser made his own badge years ago because it makes people feel better. That is a good idea as well.
reposted from: http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/nov/06/appraiser-id-system-california/
| 5:10 p.m. Nov. 6, 2015
Usually once or twice in a person’s lifetime, they nervously let an appraiser into their home to photograph each room and take notes to assess just how much their nest egg is worth.
Appraisers are not required to provide identification, even a driver’s license, when they come to a house, do not always look the part and can cause alarm if not expected. One Orange County company says that is a problem.
Six months ago, Mission Viejo-based Comergence rolled out something the appraisal industry has never had — shiny ID badges.
By looking at a badge with an appraisers’ Comergence number and photo, home and business owners can verify who appraisers are through Comergence’s online system, which may end up being its major benefit.
But, does anyone actually need a badge? …continue reading the rest of this post: Badges? We don’t need no stinkin’ badges!
posted in Appraiser News | Comments Off on Badges? We don’t need no stinkin’ badges!
BY KENNETH HARNEY
Whether you’re a homebuyer, seller or looking to refinance, you probably know the crucial importance of appraisals: They can limit the amount of mortgage money you’re allowed to borrow, delay your closing or even totally mess up what you thought was a done deal.
According to survey research provided by the National Association of Realtors, more than one out of five home real estate contracts gets delayed before closing because of disagreements or problems connected with the appraisal. Eleven percent of sales contracts that explode before final signing involve appraisal issues.
That’s a lot. Say you’ve found a buyer for your house who’ll pay you $400,000. Suddenly an appraiser says it’s really worth $365,000, based on analysis of “comparable” properties sold recently in the area. Now your buyer balks and threatens to pull the plug if you don’t slash the price. You and your listing agent challenge the appraisal and demand to see what sort of comparable sales and other calculations were used to come up with a value $35,000 below what a buyer was prepared to pay. …continue reading the rest of this post: Oh great – another opinion on the appraisal process
posted in Appraiser News | Comments Off on Oh great – another opinion on the appraisal process
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