Mary Cummins, Real Estate Appraiser, Animal Advocates, Los Angeles, California

Mary Cummins, Real Estate Appraiser, Animal Advocates, Los Angeles, California
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Showing posts with label racial bias. Show all posts
Showing posts with label racial bias. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 19, 2023

Fed Michael Barr: AI could 'perpetuate or even amplify' racial bias in mortgages, by Mary Cummins

Michael Barr of the Federal Reserve stated artificial intelligence AI could perpetuate or even amplify racial bias in mortgages, mary cummins, real estate appraiser, real estate appraisal, los angeles, california, michael barr, racial bias,federal reserve, fed, loan origination, race, black, white, bias
Michael Barr of the Federal Reserve stated artificial intelligence AI could perpetuate or even amplify racial bias in mortgages, mary cummins, real estate appraiser, real estate appraisal, los angeles, california, michael barr, racial bias,federal reserve, fed, loan origination, race, black, white, bias

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is now being accused of racial bias. They're basically stating math, statistics, numbers themselves are racially biased. Again, the correlation between race and home value is caused by the income gap. If you have less money, you buy a less expensive home. Same with credit scores. The less money you have, the lower your credit score. POC make less money than whites. I'm just glad they're not still falsely accusing appraisers of AI's bias like they did previously with Andre Perry's fraudulent paper. No appraiser was involved in his data only robot Automated Valuation Methods (AVMs) which were basically accurate.

https://www.americanbanker.com/news/feds-barr-ai-could-perpetuate-or-even-amplify-bias-in-mortgages

"Fed's Barr: AI could 'perpetuate or even amplify' bias in mortgages

By  Kyle Campbell

Michael Barr, vice chair for supervision at the Federal Reserve, said in a speech Tuesday that artificial intelligence in mortgage underwriting could exacerbate racial bias if left unchecked.Bloomberg News

The Federal Reserve's top regulator is wary of the use of artificial intelligence in mortgage underwriting. 

Speaking at the National Fair Housing Alliance's national conference Tuesday morning, Fed Vice Chair for Supervision Michael Barr said advancements in mortgage origination technology could lead to discriminatory lending practices."

Just did some Googling on racial bias in loan origination. 98-99% of the difference in loan origination between blacks, whites explained by credit scores and leverage. Did they consider LTV on the home or all debts? There's more to credit than credit score and LTV ratios. They include savings, how long at current job, debts, monthly financial responsibilities, single vs married, children... AEI research considered those factors.

"How much does racial bias affect mortgage lending? We assess racial discrimination in mortgage approvals using new data on mortgage applications. Minority applicants tend to have significantly lower credit scores, higher leverage, and are less likely than white applicants to receive algorithmic approval from race-blind government automated underwriting systems (AUS). Observable applicant- risk factors explain most of the racial disparities in lender denials. Further, we exploit the AUS data to show there are risk factors we do not directly observe, and our analysis indicates that these factors explain at least some of the residual 1-2 percentage point denial gaps. Overall, we find that differential treatment has played a limited role in generating denial disparities in recent years."

https://www.federalreserve.gov/econres/feds/how-much-does-racial-bias-affect-mortgage-lending.htm

I'm thinking this is just showboating for political reasons. The banks, credit unions don't want to give up credit scores. They correlate highly with ability to repay loans. 

Mary Cummins of Cummins Real Estate is a certified residential licensed appraiser in Los Angeles, California. Mary Cummins is licensed by the California Bureau of Real Estate appraisers and has over 35 years of experience.


Mary Cummins, Mary K. Cummins, Mary Katherine Cummins, Mary, Cummins, #marycummins #animaladvocates #losangeles #california #wildlife #wildliferehabilitation #wildliferehabilitator #realestate #realestateappraiser #realestateappraisal #lawsuit real estate, appraiser, appraisal, instructor, teacher, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Brentwood, Bel Air, California, licensed, permitted, certified, single family, condo, condominium, pud, hud, fannie mae, freddie mac, fha, uspap, certified, residential, certified resident, apartment building, multi-family, commercial, industrial, expert witness, civil, criminal, orea, dre, brea insurance, bonded, experienced, bilingual, spanish, english, form, 1004, 2055, 1073, land, raw, acreage, vacant, insurance, cost, income approach, market analysis, comparative, theory, appraisal theory, cost approach, sales, matched pairs, plot, plat, map, diagram, photo, photographs, photography, rear, front, street, subject, comparable, sold, listed, active, pending, expired, cancelled, listing, mls, multiple listing service, claw, themls, historical appraisal, facebook, linkedin

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Wednesday, January 25, 2023

Appraisal Subcommittee Hearing on Appraisal Bias January 24, 2023, notes by Mary Cummins

Appraisal Subcommittee Public Hearing on Appraisal Bias, January 24, 2023, marcia fudge, mary cummins, asc, hud, real estate appraiser, pave taskforce, cfwb, jim park, race, racial bias, discrimination, black, brown, white, value, neighborhood, appraisal, valuation
Appraisal Subcommittee Public Hearing on Appraisal Bias, January 24, 2023, marcia fudge, mary cummins, asc, hud, real estate appraiser, pave taskforce, cfwb, jim park, race, racial bias, discrimination, black, brown, white, value, neighborhood, appraisal, valuation

https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/events/appraisal-subcommittee-hearing-on-appraisal-bias/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QW8ADw9vOSc

Appraisal Subcommittee Hearing Meeting about Appraisal Bias in Residential Real Estate Market ASC notes, comments by Mary Cummins. Part of the meeting was on C-SPAN 2.

Time: 2:10:35

“Streamed live on Jan 24, 2023. Join the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council’s Appraisal Subcommittee (ASC) for a hearing about appraisal bias. Invited witnesses representing key stakeholder groups will share their views with the ASC during the hearing.”

Official information and files.

The Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council’s Appraisal Subcommittee (ASC) held a hearing about appraisal bias.

"This first-ever ASC hearing was led by Deputy Director Martinez and ASC Executive Director Jim Park. HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge, CFPB Director Rohit Chopra, and FHFA Director Sandra Thompson also participated in the hearing. Panel witnesses included:

Dr. Junia Howell, Visiting Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Illinois Chicago; Witness Testimony. It'd be better to read her testimony because she was extremely nervous, waving her arms around wildly, misspeaking and acting agitated. Most upsetting and more importantly she stated some totally false and ignorant things. She said the sales comparison approach was developed in the 1930s by whites in the US government to intentionally value white owned property higher than POC owned property. She doesn't even realize that most living in areas which were, are primarily POC especially back then were, are renters and not owners. There are also poor white areas in the US. How does she explain that? The sales comparison approach to value is the main method used to value all assets all over the world since the beginning of time. She said the government should basically give more money to her to do more deeply flawed "research." It appears that all speakers had to swear to the host of the meeting that they will only agree with the government's incorrect and preconceived ideas on the issue of the alleged "appraisal" and wealth gap. She's so ignorant she doesn't realize it's caused by the income gap and not appraisals. Lots of independent research out there to prove this. People buy homes they can afford. People who make less money but less expensive homes.

https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_appraisal-hearing_junia-howell-testimony_2023-01-24.pdf

Paul Austin and Tenisha Tate-Austin, homeowners from Marin, California; Witness Testimony 

https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_appraisal-hearing_paul-austin-and-tenisha-tate-austin-testimony_2023-01-24.pdf

Michael Fratantoni, Senior Vice President of Research and Technology and Chief Economist, the Mortgage Bankers Association; Witness Testimony 

https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_appraisal-hearing_michael-fratantoni-testimony_2023-01-24_Tw7XwtE.pdf

Craig Steinley, President, the Appraisal Institute; Witness Testimony 

https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_appraisal-hearing_craig-steinley-testimony_2023-01-24.pdf

More information about the Appraisal Subcommittee can be found here" 

MEETING START

Time: 6:29 Introduction by Zixta Martinez Chair of Board of ASC and CFPB. Jim Park will talk about ASC. We’ll hear from a panel of witnesses, a home owner, lender, appraiser and academic. She introduced Marcia Fudge head of HUD.

Time: 9:28 Honorable Marcia L Fudge of HUD and PAVE. I'm only going almost word for word what Fudge said because it's so important. Fudge makes her own personal bias very clear in what she said and the falsehoods she stated.

Fudge said “good morning” and got a mild response. She basically responded she didn’t like the mild response and again said “GOOD MORNING!” and everyone then responded with “GOOD MORNING!” It set the tone.

Since day one the Biden Harris administration has worked to root out bias in the appraisal system. The work is critical to advance racial equity. It’s important to me as secretary of HUD and as a black woman. I know first hand what it’s like to be told that your home is worth less than the house down the street because of the color of your skin. It’s heartbreaking to hear the stories of black and brown families who feel forced to remove family mementos and photos in hopes of receiving a fair and accurate valuation. I do not intend to do that!

Fair Housing Act of 1968 was to end housing segregation. Owning a home should provide a path to the American dream. Instead this country does not see us as equitable. June 1, 2021 100 years after Tulsa Race massacre Biden and Harris established PAVE task force a first of its kind initiative to root out racial discrimination in the home buying process so families of all backgrounds and neighborhoods can have a better chance at building generational wealth. Less than a year after PAVE was established we delivered an action plan which constitutes set of reforms to advance racial equity in the home appraisal process. We want to cultivate a well trained and diverse work force, to make sure technology doesn’t perpetuate bias. HUD made $28M available to fund testing, education, and outreach to communities on appraisal bias. Next week we will start a three part webinar on training for appraisers and housing professionals on how to identify bias and protect homes. We, (pointing to herself), know how to identify it as we see it every day. We are giving an avenue for FHA loan seekers, if they believe their appraisal was skewed by racial bias. You can make comments on our drafting table platform. Please, make comments. 

I’m going to say things not in my script because I live this every day. I live in a black community by choice, BY CHOICE! I want kids in my neighborhood to get same schools as properties next to me. You do that by property tax even though I think it’s unconstitutional, that we fund schools by property tax. I want same police, fire protection but you can’t do it if my house is valued at $50,000 less than the house next to me. Two doors from me there is a neighborhood that is all white. My house is bigger, my lot is bigger, my house is nicer (laughter). That (other) house is valued more than mine. This is not the America that we should be living in, in the year 2023. It is a travesty, outrageous and we must change it. I’m hopeful the ASC will do what is right for the American people.15:44.

Mary Cummins comments. Homes are not valued differently because of the color of the skin of the owner, borrower or occupants. It's a mathematical formula based on most recent similar sales in the same neighborhood. Appraisers don't know the color of skin of homeowners, borrowers, tenants, buyers, sellers. We don't see the borrower, buyer and definitely don't know who owns properties in the area we use as comparable sales. We don't look at census tracts. We don't know race or color. It's possible all the owners of the homes we used as comp sales for a property owned by a black person were white. That would mean Fudge's false narrative holds no water. 

Fudge states she wants home values and their property taxes to increase. Many poor people would be forced to sell their property and move if property taxes were increased to the level of newer more luxury expensive neighboring properties.They wouldn't even be able to sell their property for the higher non market value. That would be beyond unfair and cruel.

All real estate agents tell all home owners of every color to remove personal articles such as photos, collectibles and other items from their home.It shows the home bigger and better. Buyers don't want to see any homeowner in the home. They want to envision themselves in a blank slate of a home. It's not about race.

HUDs PAVE report was late. It was due in six months. Fudge acts like she finished it early in less than a year. Nope. Late. 

Appraisal appeal, reconsideration of values have ALWAYS been available to borrowers forever. They can appeal based on any reason. They have done this. This is not about bias. Research by AEI based on government loan documents proved there is no effect of race on home value. They used the government's own data to show this. AEI presented this to the government in the meeting about the PAVE task force. 

AVMs Automatic Valuation Methods do not consider race or color of homeowner or borrower. It's a math formula, technology computed by robots. No human is involved. The math formula is not based on race or color. It's based on location, size, age. It does not know condition, view, upgrades, amenities, true size, additions, lot type, location in neighborhood... AVMs value homes in poor condition higher than market. It values upgraded homes with views lower than market. AVMs aren't accurate. They are BIASED against everyone.

Fudge brought up her home value previously. She said her home is worth less BECAUSE SHE IS BLACK. I included it in a past article with address and attributes. I included a valuation of her home and of the NEW, LUXURY homes up, across the street from her. It's a private development of new luxury homes tucked away off the main street. I have no idea if the homeowners are all white. I doubt Fudge does either. Has she visited all of them personally? They're new so they're not in the census report. There is a reason why those homes are worth more. They're new, luxury, in a new development, with a clubhouse, off the main street... Not all homes of the same size in the same county are worth the same. An old run down home in South LA is worth less than a new one of the same size in Beverly Hills. If Fudge doesn't know this, she must resign because she's unqualified. I know she knows this and is just lying for effect. She's a politician working for politicians selling lies for votes, money and promotions.

The real reason why homes owned by whites are worth more than homes owned by black, brown people is the income gap. People who make more money have more money, more generational wealth and can buy and own more expensive homes. THIS IS THE REAL ISSUE! The government needs to fix the income gap then the wealth gap would solve itself. Men also make more than women. Blaming appraisers will never fix the real issue. The government can't fix the problem (if there even is one) until they admit the real cause of the problem. The first step Scientific Method to solving problems is to determine the actual problem.They clearly don't want to fix the real problem. That means the government doesn't really care about POC or the poor. They need to stop pretending like they do care when they clearly don't. You can yell at appraisers all the live long day and that won't solve the problem. 

I'll post notes from rest of the meeting letter. I will also be sending in a comment. I see some of the speakers are the Austins from California. I have covered their case since the beginning. In their linked statement they said they wanted the appraiser to use comps from the "white area" instead of their immediate neighborhood which they said is a "black area." Who are the racists here? 

There were five witnesses who basically read word for word their submitted statements linked above except AI Craig Steinley. He omitted a large portion of his written statement. I think he omitted it because he didn't want questions and to get under five minutes. While other speakers said we need to get rid of the "racist" government mandated sales comparison approach AI's statement said they are adamantly opposed to that. Their statement says the approach is based on valid and accurate economic principles which it is. That is how all assets in the world have been valued forever because it is based on supply and demand between buyer and seller. I'll do a short summary in a few minutes anyway. 

After that ASC members were allowed to ask ten minutes worth of questions each.

Email after the meeting

“Yesterday the Appraisal Subcommittee held its first ever Hearing on Appraisal Bias, hosted at Consumer Financial Protection Bureau headquarters in Washington D.C. 

The event opened with remarks by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia L. Fudge. ASC’s Executive Director James Park spoke on the agency’s role in the appraisal regulatory landscape. 

Attendees, both in person and on the livestream, heard testimony from Dr. Junia Howell, University of Illinois-Chicago, homeowners Paul Austin and Tenisha-Tate Austin, Michael Fratantoni, Chief Economist, Senior Vice President, Research and Industry Technology, Mortgage Bankers Association, and Craig Steinley, President of the Appraisal Institute.

Now ASC wants to hear from you! You are encouraged to provide a comment on your perspective on or experience with appraisal bias; comments can be submitted to AppraisalBiasHearing@asc.gov until February 8, 2023.”

Four of the five witness speakers, Appraisal Subcommittee Public Hearing on Appraisal Bias, January 24, 2023, marcia fudge, mary cummins, asc, hud, real estate appraiser, pave taskforce, cfwb, jim park, race, racial bias, discrimination, black, brown, white, value, neighborhood, appraisal, valuation

Witness Dr Junia Howell, Appraisal Subcommittee Public Hearing on Appraisal Bias, January 24, 2023, marcia fudge, mary cummins, asc, hud, real estate appraiser, pave taskforce, cfwb, jim park, race, racial bias, discrimination, black, brown, white, value, neighborhood, appraisal, valuation

Tenisha Tate Austin, Paul Austin, Appraisal Subcommittee Public Hearing on Appraisal Bias, January 24, 2023, marcia fudge, mary cummins, asc, hud, real estate appraiser, pave taskforce, cfwb, jim park, race, racial bias, discrimination, black, brown, white, value, neighborhood, appraisal, valuation

ASC members, Appraisal Subcommittee Public Hearing on Appraisal Bias, January 24, 2023, marcia fudge, mary cummins, asc, hud, real estate appraiser, pave taskforce, cfwb, jim park, race, racial bias, discrimination, black, brown, white, value, neighborhood, appraisal, valuation



Mary Cummins of Cummins Real Estate is a certified residential licensed appraiser in Los Angeles, California. Mary Cummins is licensed by the California Bureau of Real Estate appraisers and has over 35 years of experience.


Mary Cummins, Mary K. Cummins, Mary Katherine Cummins, Mary, Cummins, #marycummins #animaladvocates #losangeles #california #wildlife #wildliferehabilitation #wildliferehabilitator #realestate #realestateappraiser #realestateappraisal #lawsuit real estate, appraiser, appraisal, instructor, teacher, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Brentwood, Bel Air, California, licensed, permitted, certified, single family, condo, condominium, pud, hud, fannie mae, freddie mac, fha, uspap, certified, residential, certified resident, apartment building, multi-family, commercial, industrial, expert witness, civil, criminal, orea, dre, brea insurance, bonded, experienced, bilingual, spanish, english, form, 1004, 2055, 1073, land, raw, acreage, vacant, insurance, cost, income approach, market analysis, comparative, theory, appraisal theory, cost approach, sales, matched pairs, plot, plat, map, diagram, photo, photographs, photography, rear, front, street, subject, comparable, sold, listed, active, pending, expired, cancelled, listing, mls, multiple listing service, claw, themls, historical appraisal, facebook, linkedin DISCLAIMER: https://mary--cummins.blogspot.com/p/disclaimer-privacy-policy-for-blogs-by.html

Friday, October 29, 2021

Sellers, Buyers set home values NOT Appraisers - by Mary Cummins Real Estate Appraiser

Sellers, Buyers set Property Values NOT Real Estate Appraisers, Mary Cummins, Los Angeles, California, real estate appraiser, real estate appraisal

UPDATE: I tweeted my article to Andre Perry. After he made a few ridiculous replies which only showed how much he doesn't know about appraisers and appraising he blocked me. Thank god I just swallowed my sip of iced tea or I would have spit it all over my computer monitor laughing :-D This guy can dish out bad statistics, bullshit and racism but can't take simple facts. 

FTR Andre Perry has stated many times that Appraisers are racist and biased. Here are some quotes. He stated this as a fact when it's not. From written testimony from U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Financial Services. "And we’ve witnessed viral news stories revealing how appraisers value Black and white homeowners differently." He's one of the main people spreading those false media articles about alleged bias which I researched and about which I wrote articles. 

"We don't want to lay the complete blame on the loss of home values on appraisers," said Perry. "They are certainly an important trigger but the same attitudes that appraisers have, so do [some] lenders, real estate agents and other people in various markets." Many more citations below.



Andre Perry, Brookings Institute, Know your price, valuing black lives and property in america's black cities, andrew m perry, andre montel perry, @andreperryedu #andreperry, brookings, book, racism, bias, real estate, appraisal, avms, research, paper, black, white, race
Andre Perry, Brookings Institute, Know your price, valuing black lives and property in america's black cities, andrew m perry, andre montel perry, @andreperryedu #andreperry, brookings, book, racism, bias, real estate, appraisal, avms, research, paper, black, white, race


Andre Perry, Brookings Institute, Know your price, valuing black lives and property in america's black cities, andrew m perry, andre montel perry, @andreperryedu #andreperry, brookings, book, racism, bias, real estate, appraisal, avms, research, paper, black, white, race
Andre Perry, Brookings Institute, Know your price, valuing black lives and property in america's black cities, andrew m perry, andre montel perry, @andreperryedu #andreperry, brookings, book, racism, bias, real estate, appraisal, avms, research, paper, black, white, race

Andre Perry, Brookings Institute, Know your price, valuing black lives and property in america's black cities, andrew m perry, andre montel perry, @andreperryedu #andreperry, brookings, book, racism, bias, real estate, appraisal, avms, research, paper, black, white, race
Andre Perry, Brookings Institute, Know your price, valuing black lives and property in america's black cities, andrew m perry, andre montel perry, @andreperryedu #andreperry, brookings, book, racism, bias, real estate, appraisal, avms, research, paper, black, white, race

In the intro of his book Andre admits to having anger management issues with people with whom he disagrees. He said he "verbally assaults" people. He stated "My life "which has been beleaguered with unpredictable outbreaks of rage, largely stemming from reminders of past feelings of vulnerability and worthlessness. Minor disagreements with lovers, friends, colleagues, and strangers often turned into blowout arguments, for reasons unknown to them." The intro of his book also shows that his main focus in life seems to be that white people have done him and black people very wrong basically destroying everyone's lives, family and specifically their money. He stated his father died in prison and his mother abandoned him and his brothers with the local baby sitter. It does sound like a tough life that has affected his view of life and others. He stated his goal in life is to show that the main problem in this world is white people. Read the intro to his book and come to his own conclusion. The intro is online and free. 

ORIGINAL: Everyone knows the "fair market value (of a house) is the price at which the property would change hands between a willing buyer and a willing seller, neither being under any compulsion to buy or to sell and both having reasonable knowledge of relevant facts." This is the basis of our world economy and free market society. Everyone agrees with this except hate monger Andre Perry who blames lower property values on "racist white appraisers." 

Andre Perry just wrote another crazy article about racism and real estate. Someone needs to contact the editor at the Brookings Institute about allowing flawed statistics, misleading research and the promotion of racist hate mongering in their name. 

Andre Perry has never let facts and data stand in the way between reality and the racist narrative he's created and actively promotes. He believes everyone in the US is responsible for home values in areas which are mainly "black," i.e. over 50% black per his own criteria, being lower than areas that are mainly "white," i.e. 1% or less "black." He actually only compared a few extremely different areas. This article proves that Perry's paper is based on extremely misleading data selection and biased comparisons which were then used to invent a false and misleading racist narrative. Note that his paper has never been peer reviewed or published in a journal article. It would never pass peer review. A "refereed (peer-reviewed) journal is reviewed by expert reviewers as a quality-control measure." I just checked Perry's resume and he has no peer reviewed articles or papers on his false racism in appraising theory.

In the article Andre Perry wrote "Lower home prices in Black neighborhoods reflect how much we value their residents." Nope. Home prices reflect the price agreed upon by a willing seller and buyer. It has nothing to do with the value of residents. The Appraiser also has nothing to do with the home price or value. A seller could sell his home for $100,000. If the buyer pays cash, there's no appraiser or appraisal. Seller and buyer set the price which is later publicly shared by Zillow, RedFn and MLS. Those sales set the market price for similar homes. Seller and buyer alone control that price and value

Now if the buyer wants a home loan, he'll probably need a real estate appraisal. The purpose of the appraisal is so the bank knows there's enough equity in the home to pay off the loan in case the borrower defaults on the loan. I could appraise that home for $10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 and the sale price stays the exact same at $100,000. The home still sells for $100,000. THE APPRAISER AND APPRAISAL DON'T AFFECT THE PRICE OR VALUE! This proves that Andre Perry does not understand the concepts of value, price, real estate, economic principles, basic math...or common sense. His "paper" includes almost every single major statistical error possible. Why does anyone believe this guy or that meaningless paper? It has less merit than an op-ed.

If Perry wants to blame someone for lower home values in some black areas he needs to blame the buyers of those homes which are mainly black per his "research." He should tell those greedy (sarcasm) buyers to pay $1,000,000 for that $100,000 home if they "value their residents." "Don't be a cheap bastard! Pay the seller more than what that home is worth! Do it for the good of the community!" (sarcasm) You sell a few homes for $1,000,000, they're all worth $1,000,000, right? Sadly, no.

FTR I attended the 2019 meeting Perry mentioned in his article. That was the first time I encountered Andre Perry and his lack of real estate, economics or statistics knowledge. 

From Perry's article. Notice he speaks about himself in the third person. Who does that? He doesn't even know that the Appraisal Institute is just a private org that doesn't certify or regulate the appraisal profession. I added what is in parenthesis.

"In 2019, one of this blog’s authors (Andre Perry) testified in Congress along with representatives from the Appraisal Institute and the Appraisal Foundation, two organizations that help certify and regulate appraisal professionals. When Rep. Al Green of Texas asked the panel to raise our hand if we believe “discrimination plays a role in the devaluation of property in neighborhoods that are predominated with minorities,” I was the only one who raised a hand."

I decided to go find this video to refresh my memory as I was working while listening, watching the original hearing. Andre Perry is a liar. See the video below. The guy directly behind him also raised his hand so 2/26 people. He was not the only one. Perry also lied about the question. This is the real question, "Do you believe that invidious discrimination, invidious is harmful, (full definition: Treating a class of persons unequally in a manner that is malicious, hostile, or damaging; unfairly, unjustly discriminating) plays a role in the devaluation of property in neighborhoods that are predominated with minorities but more specifically black people? If you do believe this, raise your hand. If you think black people are being discriminated when their property is being appraised, would you kindly raise your hand." Andre Perry raised his hand. This shows he is specifically talking about appraisers appraising properties and not AVMs here. AVMs are not appraisals. This is why Appraisers are upset. He accused us of invidious discrimination besides bringing up and widely sharing anecdotal media articles about alleged discrimination by appraisers. 



All the real estate experts with many years of experience and multiple degrees in real estate did not and do not agree with Andre Perry. This shows that Perry does not know what he's talking about. I also would not have raised my hand. The property in question is not, was not devalued. There is no discrimination in property valuation because it's based on a math formula. Most Appraisers never see the buyer, seller or know their race. It's just an address to us. The robot appraisals don't see anyone or anything, not even the property. Andre Perry's paper is based on robot appraisals and prices agreed upon by sellers and buyers. Appraisers had nothing to do with the data he used. I'm not saying racism doesn't exist. It does. It's just not an influence in real estate appraisal especially robot real estate valuations like Zillow.

Perry states that homes in black areas are worth $48,000 less than in "similar" white areas. Then what explains the differences among the values in white areas? It can't be discrimination against black people because they're white. Same thing happens in brown areas. What explains the lower value of a white owned home in a black area? Again, the owner is white and not black. Will all the white and brown people with lower home valued be compensated by any new government initiatives or reparations for low valued homes? Perry has been talking about using his $48,000 figure as a measure of reparations for black people. What about the rest of us suffering from low priced homes? I don't even own a home. Will all people who don't own homes, even homeless people also be getting a check? 

In the article Perry talks about the Indiana and Florida media articles about alleged racism in real estate appraisals. Recently he said those were just media articles and we don't know if it was racism or not. He even said recently he's never said appraisers were racist and he doesn't feel they are. Now he's back to promoting the idea of racist appraisers again! This guy will say whatever the audience in front of him wants to hear. He doesn't even know his own truth. He's that insecure.

His recent article is about the "Brookings and Ashoka Collaborative Innovation Challenge." They're offering money which he will most likely reward to a like minded friend who promotes his racism. Stuart Yasgur the VP & Global Leadership Group Member represents Ashoka #stuartyasgur . The prize is supposed to go to the person who solves the problem of homes in specific black areas being worth less than homes in specific white areas. I may send in a solution to the problem. My solution is that the problem as defined by Andre Perry doesn't exist. He created it. I solved it. Poof, it's gone. Where's my check?

#andreperryedu #stuartyasgur #brookingsinstitute #ashoka #racism #hatemonger #marycummins #realestateappraiser #realestateappraisal #brookings #race #bias #appraisal

Mary Cummins of Cummins Real Estate is a certified residential licensed appraiser in Los Angeles, California. Mary Cummins is licensed by the California Bureau of Real Estate appraisers and has over 35 years of experience.


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Monday, September 27, 2021

Fannie Mae - Racial Bias in Appraisals - by Mary Cummins Real Estate Appraiser, Los Angeles, California

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Fannie Mae just had a survey for appraisers about racial bias in appraising. Oddly enough I didn't receive an email or notice about it even though I'm on the list. Thankfully appraisers are sharing the survey. It'd be nice if the appraiser organizations would also share the survey besides the government notifying interested parties. 

I think a survey is a good start. While there is currently a lot of talk about bias in appraising in the media I don't believe there is actually that much bias in appraising. It's a math formula based on numbers. At least a couple of software programs and then a few different people review each appraisal. The lenders, AMCs want the deal to go through. If they thought the appraiser was biased and killing their deals, they'd end up on the do not use lists and never be used again. 

There is a lot of talk about bias in the media. The three main media stories about racial bias have been false. I did a FOIA request to get a copy of the investigation results of two of the cases in which people filed complaints. One didn't file a complaint. I'm still waiting for results. HUD makes it difficult by forcing you to file a new FOIA every 30 days because the investigation isn't complete. All other government departments only make you file one. They give you the results of the investigation when it's over. 

Below are some of the questions. I am including my answers to the two free form questions at the end.








Question: "What can appraisers do to decrease racial bias in appraisals and incidents that increase reputational risk for the profession?" 

(My response is to the second part of the question) "Appraisers should explain appraisal theory, methodology, comparable search, comparable adjustments, comparison of the subject to the comparables, why specific comparables were chosen over others, comments and overall report better for lay people buyers, sellers who will read it even though they are not the client. This is important because they are the ones who complain, file complaints and tell the media their generally mistaken interpretation of the report i.e. any value which doesn't meet their expectation "must be racial bias." Fannie Mae could add a form for lay people so they can properly understand, interpret the report and know how to properly request a reconsideration of value if merited."

Question: "What can Fannie Mae do to decrease racial bias in appraisals?" 

Answer: "While I agree racism and racial bias exist I don't feel it's a major issue in appraising today. Buyers, sellers, agents are upset that appraisal values aren't meeting contract price which is currently higher that market value due to lack of inventory and low interest rates. People refinancing are upset that values aren't meeting their false high perceptions of value of their home. Fannie Mae can help reduce the false perception of mass racial bias with buyer, seller, agent education about appraisal theory, process, reports and how to submit merited reconsideration of value requests."

I personally feel that there are some people that will take some rejections and automatically assume bias because they've been discriminated against in the past. Some of these people need education about appraisals and valuations. Three appraisers can appraise the same property and come up with three different numbers. The variation should be slight if we're talking average sized tract homes, condos in areas with median prices homes, a sufficient turnover rate, home supply and a median density. There will be more variation on the extreme ends of value. Even Zillow admits this with their algorithms. That's why they don't give a Zestimate for homes above or below a certain price range. They also don't give Zestimates in areas of lower priced homes because their formula is not as accurate with limited data, older homes and homes in inferior condition. This is per Zillow themselves. Corelogic has a similar statement about their estimates. 

Mary Cummins of Cummins Real Estate is a certified residential licensed appraiser in Los Angeles, California. Mary Cummins is licensed by the California Bureau of Real Estate appraisers and has over 35 years of experience.


Mary Cummins, Mary K. Cummins, Mary Katherine Cummins, Mary, Cummins, #marycummins #animaladvocates #losangeles #california #wildlife #wildliferehabilitation #wildliferehabilitator #realestate #realestateappraiser #realestateappraisal #lawsuit real estate, appraiser, appraisal, instructor, teacher, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Brentwood, Bel Air, California, licensed, permitted, certified, single family, condo, condominium, pud, hud, fannie mae, freddie mac, fha, uspap, certified, residential, certified resident, apartment building, multi-family, commercial, industrial, expert witness, civil, criminal, orea, dre, brea insurance, bonded, experienced, bilingual, spanish, english, form, 1004, 2055, 1073, land, raw, acreage, vacant, insurance, cost, income approach, market analysis, comparative, theory, appraisal theory, cost approach, sales, matched pairs, plot, plat, map, diagram, photo, photographs, photography, rear, front, street, subject, comparable, sold, listed, active, pending, expired, cancelled, listing, mls, multiple listing service, claw, themls, historical appraisal, facebook, linkedin