Mary Cummins, Real Estate Appraiser, Real Estate Appraisal, Los Angeles, California, Mary Cummins.

Mary Cummins is a real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California with 38+ years of experience. Cummins provides real estate appraisals for banks, lenders, mortgage brokers, Appraisal Management Companies (AMCs), lawyers, Courts, factors and private parties for lending, lawsuits, probate, estate planning, divorce and all types of litigation. Cummins provides 1004, 1073, 1025 and other form reports, narrative reports and historical appraisals besides real estate research and appraisal advice.

Showing posts with label real estate appraisal. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 17, 2024

Rent Control Causes Rent Increases, Loss of Housing and Costs Cities Billions by Mary Cummins

rent control, rent increase,homeless, mary cummins,real estate appraiser,real estate appraisal, los angeles, california,eviction, decontrol, affordability

Rent control causes rent increases, loss of housing and neighborhood degradation. It also causes the public and cities to lose billions of dollars every year for the sake of a select few who would normally have just moved to a less expensive area. I'm writing an in depth article about the problems with rent control but in the mean time here's a very good article on the subject. Rent control harms the people it's supposed to help. It also hurts everyone else.

"Rent control appears to help affordability in the short run for current tenants, but in the long-run decreases affordability, fuels gentrification, and creates negative externalities on the surrounding neighborhood. These results highlight that forcing landlords to provide insurance to tenants against rent increases can ultimately be counterproductive. If society desires to provide social insurance against rent increases, it may be less distortionary to offer this subsidy in the form of a government subsidy or tax credit. This would remove landlords’ incentives to decrease the housing supply and could provide households with the insurance they desire."

https://www.brookings.edu/articles/what-does-economic-evidence-tell-us-about-the-effects-of-rent-control

#housing #rentcontrol #marycummins #realestateappraiser #affordablehousing #rent

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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Mary Cummins

Mary Cummins of Cummins Real Estate Services has been in real estate since 1983, over 35 years. She is licensed by the Bureau of Real Estate Appraisers. Mary Cummins was an agent and broker licensed with the California Department of Real Estate selling residential income, commercial buildings, raw land and homes for Merrill Lynch Realty in Beverly Hills and Westside Properties in Los Angeles before concentrating on appraisals. Mary Cummins currently provides real estate appraisals, expert witness testimony, historical research, legal real estate research for mortgage brokers, banks, lawyers, factors, insurance companies, financial consultants and private individuals. Mary Cummins was born and raised in Southern California. Cummins attended Beverly Hills Good Shepherd Catholic School and Beverly Hills High School. Besides being on the Dean's list, Mary Cummins was a top ten national swimmer and competed on the men's water polo team. Mary Cummins began college at the age of 15 attending the University of Southern California on scholarship, majoring in Psychology/Sociology. http://www.animaladvocates.us http://www.facebook.com/AnimalAdvocatesUSA

Friday, April 12, 2024

Bias Against Real Estate Appraisers by Mary Cummins

appraisal bias, cindy chance, ceo appraisal institute, mary cummins, real estate appraiser, real estate appraisal, confirmation bias, loss aversion, anchoring bias,

Interesting letter from Cindy Chance CEO of the Appraisal Institute. Basically people who automatically claim appraiser bias are they themselves biased. This is why the false narrative of the "racist white male appraiser" has gained so much traction in the media and with the public. It's gotten to the point that the government made up a fake solution to the fake appraisal bias problem to satisfy the public and garner votes for the upcoming election i.e. PAVE report. What we appraisers actually do is unbiased. We rely on data, numbers and facts only. Appraising is a math formula.

When I see some lay people claim appraiser bias I feel that they believe this 100% even though AEI's research based on government data proved this is not true. Racism and bias definitely exist. Sadly blacks, Latinos and others have been and continue to be discriminated against in our country. It appears to be human nature or confirmation bias to assume that past biased behavior will always be repeated. They will assume anything they don't like MUST BE the result of racism, discrimination and bias. They will falsely assume any phrase must be code for a discriminating term like "Marin City" in the Marin case. It was just the name of the subject's city.

I've seen this in many areas besides appraisals. A black woman said a white man told her to smile. She claimed he was racist wanting her to smile like old black minstrels to entertain him. I told her that all men tell all women to smile. I've been told the same in the past and my skin is white. It's not about racism but control, harassment, flirting... Because the woman was black she automatically assumed it was only because she was black.

Now that we know that the public is biased against real estate appraisers what do we do about it? Hopefully the next parts of this letter will answer those questions. We know Automated Valuation Methods AVMs are not the answer. They are more biased than human appraisers because they don't have all the information needed to do a full valuation. They don't know condition, upgrades, lot type, view, specific location in a neighborhood or if the home even exists. Zillow doesn't even use nearby comps if there are no recent ones of a similar size. They'll go two miles away into a neighborhood worth twice as much to find recent, similar sized homes. I have my own suggestions that may help a little.

Write your appraisal report knowing biased lay people will be reading and sharing it publicly. Don't use abbreviations or subjective terms. Explain everything in clear simple language at a fifth grade reading level like most newspapers. Show your math. Include your regression charts if necessary. This is especially important if the subject doesn't conform to the median home in the area. I've noticed most of the big media cases of alleged appraiser bias were nonconforming homes with major issues on the edge of two very different neighborhoods. Of course they wanted their home to be worth as much as the larger, upgraded homes with views in a different neighborhood that sells for twice as much even though they initially bought it at a huge discount.

If you are given comps and they are not comparable, mention all of them in your report. They'll end up in a Reconsideration of Value ROV anyway. Specifically state why they are not comparable. State why they are worth more than subject, i.e. larger, fully remodeled, full ocean view, cul-de-sac, different neighborhood...

If anyone has any suggestions on how to counter bias against appraisers and their reports, please, leave a comment. This is a huge problem that affects us all.

"From Cindy's Desk

I’ve heard from many appraisers, particularly residential appraisers, that the Appraisal Institute should have done better at standing up for them by making the public aware of their skills and professional discipline. I agree. Sweeping, sensationalized claims of “bias” about our profession ignore appraisers’ core skills, ethical standards and professional disciplines. The valuer is the only party to a real estate transaction without a financial interest in its outcome; moreover, the appraiser’s duty is to uphold the public trust, by providing an unbiased, impartial opinion of value based on a rigorous process that is continually refined and improved by the profession. Appraisers are heavily regulated to ensure quality standards, held to a rigorous ethical professional code of conduct, and our SRA and MAI designations reflect the profession’s highest standards. Why then has it been difficult for appraisers to respond effectively as a profession to unfair accusations of bias?

One reason is that claims of bias are antithetical to what appraisers do. (In case you’re interested, philosophers and linguists call this a “failure of presupposition,” and it is hard to address because it assumes something that is not actually the case.) As of now, the public is hearing from the media and politicians about a certain terrible kind of bias. What they need to know is that professional real estate appraisal has long been built on eliminating all kinds of irrational bias. Appraisers, ironically, have been ahead of the curve in working continuously to identify and eliminate every kind of bias from their professional analysis.

Thanks to Daniel Kahneman, who died recently at the age of 90, and his partner Amos Tversky, the scientific community has recognized for over half a century that there is a normal human tendency toward bias, which they termed “cognitive bias.” Their research showed that cognitive bias is part of the way all our brains work normally. In fact, our survival depends upon it.

These Nobel Prize winners (followed by several more in the following decades) demonstrated that our rationality is a myth and bias is the norm, and it has been a good thing for humans, evolutionarily speaking, because bias allows us to not have to think too much in cases where a quick judgment increases our odds of survival. Roughly defined as “any predictable error that inclines your judgment in a particular direction,” bias is a natural feature of the way humans think.

It’s easy to recognize some of our most common biases that reflect what is “normal.” We are naturally more averse (two times more!) to negative consequences than we are attracted to positive consequences. This is called “loss aversion,” which helps explain why we don’t like to change, even when things are going poorly. Being twice as likely to avoid downside as to pursue upside helped kept us away from poison plants and cliff edges, but it also often keeps us from pursuing the best courses of action. There are many, many such examples of normal (not good, but normal and understandable) cognitive bias, including “anchoring bias,” the tendency to rely too heavily on the first piece of information one receives, “availability heuristic,” our tendency to overestimate the importance of information we remember easily, and “confirmation bias,” the tendency to focus on information that confirms our pre-existing hypothesis.

Cognitive bias is powerful and can only be managed through the application of methodologies and procedures that require disciplined analysis of data and information (sound familiar, appraisers?). In fact, cognitive bias is why we depend on professionals trained to be unbiased specifically where our proneness to irrationality could create serious problems, such as science, finance, and economics. Appraisers’ impartial analysis protects the public from our hard-wired, everyday biases that would undermine the healthy function of the real estate industry.

Appraisers are essential to a healthy economy because there are all kinds of opportunities for cognitive bias to infect real property valuation; real estate is a context ripe for “loss aversion,” “anchoring bias,” ”availability bias,” “conformity bias” or “conflict avoidance,” to name a few. Appraisers are trained not to fall into these irrationality traps. Appraisers are continually trained to adjust their opinions of value based on data and professional discipline, precisely to avoid cognitive biases to which homeowners, loan officers, and all of us are susceptible. And in case you think machine learning and AI will save us, it is worth noting that AVMs and AI-generated results are not more rational; on the contrary, machines proliferate biases reliably, that is, unless there are educated appraisers who are regularly producing inputs to correct them.

In reality, appraisers have a great story to tell, but we have a long way to go to refocus the terribly flawed “appraiser bias” narrative onto facts and science. With facts, fairness and science all on our side, and with your help, my team and I have committed to advocacy and communications built on each member’s commitment to doing the right thing, the right way.

There’s more to say about bias. That’s why this is part 1 of a 3-part series on bias…next up…the normal biases of homeowners and loan officers, “noise” and bias, cultural bias, the GSEs, and “banned words”…

Cindy Chance, CEO of the Appraisal Institute"

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Mary Cummins

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

NAR Sitzer-Burnett Settlement FAQ, National Association of Realtors, by Mary Cummins real estate appraiser

nar,national association of realtors,mary cummins, real estate appraiser, real estate appraisal, los angeles, california, realtor, settlement, commission, buyer,seller

Notice I just received from NAR on the National Association of Realtors Sitzer-Burnett settlement. Key points: It takes effect mid July 2024. Sellers can't offer buyer commission in MLS offerings. They can still offer buyer concessions in MLS but buyer commissions must be negotiated off MLS. Put it in the contract. Buyers must have agreements with buyer agents before showing properties.

My comment. Don't expect total price or total commission amount to go down. They've always been negotiable. Sellers can pay a one time fee of $500 just for an agent to list the home in MLS. They can pay to stage a home, professional photos, sign, flyers, CMA, BPO... separately. Or they can pay a commission which was generally 5-6% of home sales price split 50/50 buyer/seller agents. With full commission sellers agents show the home, do open houses, speak with buyers, present offers, take photos, make flyers... and help negotiate the best price and terms. If the listing expires, agent eats their invested costs. Most sellers paid 5% offering 2.5% to buyer's agent. There may be some buyers agents who will write, present, negotiate an offer, order escrow, check documents, help with inspections...for a fee but most want 2.5%. The seller will be keeping price the same. They won't be getting an extra 2.5-3% to keep. It will end up on the buyer side in one way or another as a cost. Buyers most likely won't be paying the buyer's agent commission along with down payment. That would be stupid and expensive as it's already incorporated into the price. Buyers will just add it to the offer, contract, escrow in price then loan funds it. We'll see how this shakes out after a year but I think it's just an MLS technicality for now.

#NAR #NARsettlement #marycummins #realestateappraiser #realestatecommission #realestate #commission https://forms.themls.com/forms/NAR-Settlement-FAQ.pdf

"NAR Settlement FAQ
Understanding Broker Commission Changes

Q1: What is the NAR agreement regarding home seller class action lawsuits? A1: The NAR has reached a proposed settlement agreement to resolve litigation related to claims brought on behalf of home sellers regarding broker commissions. This agreement aims to end disputes against NAR, over one million NAR members, state and local REALTOR® associations, association-owned Multiple Listing Services (MLSs), and certain qualifying brokerages.

Q2: What prompted the need for this agreement? A2: The Sitzer-Burnett verdict and subsequent similar cases raised concerns about real estate practices and consumer compensation in the industry. NAR has been working to address these concerns and provide a resolution for its members and the broader industry.

Q3: What are the main goals of this proposed settlement? A3: The settlement aims to secure a release of liability for as many NAR members, associations, and MLSs as possible, and to maintain consumer choice regarding real estate services and compensation.

Q4: What are the significant changes proposed by this settlement? A4: In the proposed settlement, NAR agreed to put in place several practice changes, including: ● Prohibiting offers of compensation on the MLS. Offers of compensation could continue to be an option consumers can pursue off-MLS through negotiation and consultation with real estate professionals. This rule will not prevent sellers from offering buyer concessions on an MLS (for example – concessions for buyer closing costs). ● Additionally, NAR has agreed to require MLS participants working with buyers to enter into written representation agreements with their buyers before touring a home.

Q5: What is the timeline for implementing these changes? A5: The new rules regarding offers of compensation and written agreements are set to go into effect in mid-July 2024.

Q6: What are the next steps in the settlement process? A6: The settlement is subject to court approval, which is expected to take several months or more. Interested parties may raise objections during this process. NAR will provide updates as the settlement process unfolds.

Q7: How does NAR justify settling these claims? A7: While NAR continues to deny any wrongdoing, settling the lawsuits aims to provide closure for over one million NAR members and other parties involved. Exploring other legal options like appeals or reorganization could have prolonged uncertainty for members and consumers.

Q8: What is the MLS's role in the real estate market moving forward? A8: Despite these changes, the MLS will remain a vital resource, providing accurate and timely information for professionals and consumers alike. It will continue to serve as the foundation upon which housing decisions are made, offering clarity and insight into the market.

Q9: What is the outlook for the MLS and its members amidst these changes? A9: While NAR’s announcement marks the beginning of a period of change, we are prepared to respond and adapt. The MLS will remain a cornerstone of the real estate market, facilitating transactions and ensuring its continued functionality. The MLS will uphold its mission to make the real estate market work. It will continue to provide essential information and support transactions, fostering transparency and competitiveness in the housing market.

Additional Resources: See NAR’s full announcement March 15, 2024 NAR Provides FAQs and Resources Regarding Settlement March 19, 2024

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Mary Cummins

Sunday, March 17, 2024

Old Inglewood Board of Realtors MLS Listing Pages, Flyers by Mary Cummins Real Estate Appraiser

inglewood board of realtors, nar, national board of realtors, mary cummins, real estate, real estate appraiser, real estate appraisal, mls, flyers, los angeles, california, inglewood

I was walking down the street and found these on the sidewalk. I followed the literal paper trail to a trash can full of Inglewood Board of Realtors MLS listing sheets from 1950-1990. Anyone need some historical Inglewood comps? :-D I took a huge bag full of them for historical reference.They now fill a large shoe box. They're also from the Southwest Branch of the Los Angeles Board of Realtors. Click image to see larger.

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Mary Cummins

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Why Did Marcia Fudge "Resign" from HUD? by Mary Cummins Real Estate Appraiser

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*This article has embedded linked research and articles which support the statements. You may not be able to see the links based on your browser settings so hover. Everything in this article is backed up with independent research based on government data.

Today March 11, 2024 Marcia Fudge announced her resignation as the head of the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Department via email. Her resignation will be effective March 22, 2024. Below is Marcia Fudge's press release about her departure as the Secretary of Housing in President Joe Biden's White House cabinet. The press release also includes a list of her alleged achievements. https://www.hud.gov/press/press_releases_media_advisories/HUD_No_24_048

The New York Times posted an article about Marcia Fudge's departure. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/11/us/politics/marcia-fudge-hud-resigns.html The article stated that President Joe Biden told his Department heads last fall that he wanted them to either leave quickly or stay on until after the election. Marcia Fudge promised she would stay then all of a sudden she "resigned" with "mixed emotions." Just March 7, 2024 the White House stated they had a cabinet in place that will stay for the election then four days later she resigned. Many question giving only 11 days notice to leave a cabinet position. One other cabinet member Eric Lander stepped down due to reports of bullying staff. Maybe that was also Fudge's issue. Fudge stated "I do believe strongly that I have done just about everything I could do at HUD for this administration as we go into this crazy silly season of an election." "Silly election season" makes one thinks she believes her departure is politically motivated. Maybe her ouster has to do with the Dept being audited and/or the campaign and election. In the NY Times article she stated she wants to spend more time with her 92 year old mother. If that were true, she would have left a while ago. I saw her at the State of the Union address happily shaking everyone's hands. No one knows the real reason but some have possible explanations for the quick unexpected departure.

As a real estate broker, appraiser I have been following Marcia Fudge very closely ever since she was nominated to be the head of HUD. She had no background in real estate, housing, economics yet she was confirmed to be the head of the Housing Department. Many believe she was appointed because of Joe Biden's diversity promises. He promised to appoint black women to positions of power. I'm all for diversity. We all know Biden's predecessor's cabinet was as white as a sheet and almost all male. We desperately need more people of color and women in the upper echelons of government. They just should be qualified, honest and able to get along with people for the greater good of the nation. As a Representative Fudge was never on a housing committee or involved in any housing organization. Fudge herself even mentions the concept of tokenism by stating to Politico November 2020 “We’re going to have to stop looking at only certain agencies as those that people like me fit in. You know, it’s always ‘we want to put a Black person in labor or HUD.’” Sounds like she didn't even want to be at HUD.

My personal issue with Marcia Fudge is the outright lies she told the American people. Fudge's lies hurt everyone in the US because millions were diverted to "fix" a problem that doesn't exist. That money should have been used to fix the real problem which is income inequality which doesn't even fall under her department. She also defamed and attacked real estate appraisers in the process.

Fudge promoted the false narrative of the "old white racist male" appraiser low-balling blacks and Latinos without any proof whatsoever. I believe it's because she is racist. She promoted the false and totally misleading paper from Andre Perry's book "Know Your Price." Fudge insisted on stating the lie as fact that live appraisers "low ball" the appraisal values of blacks and Latinos and caused them to lose $156,000,000,000 in home equity. American Enterprise Institute AEI proved that Andre Perry's paper was totally false.

The real issue is income inequality among whites, blacks, Latinos. People who make more money buy more expensive homes. They also buy more expensive cars. Whites make more money than blacks, Latinos so they buy and own more expensive homes in more expensive areas. The correlation between value of white and black homes is income and not race. Appraisers have nothing to do with income inequality. We appraisers didn't even make the appraisals used in Perry's paper. Perry used totally inaccurate robot Zillow values! Appraisers generally don't even know the race of the homeowners or borrowers.

Perry's paper was based on Zillow robot Automated Valuation Methods and not appraisals made by live appraisers. Fudge didn't care and lied stating "old white male" appraisers were responsible for the differences in value. The narrative fit her racist agenda. Those statements were proven to be totally false by independent research by American Enterprise Institute. There is no racism in real estate appraisal values. Fudge then used this fake paper and false facts to write the Biden ordered PAVE Task Force report. AEI has refuted the report in their reply to the government. Fudge wasted millions in resources to write a fake report about a fake problem then stated she alone could fix it then she didn't. Nothing has changed! Fudge didn't fix anything and definitely not the real issues which don't even fall under her department. The real issue is income inequality which falls under the department of labor. Fudge just wanted the extra funding and attention to her department. The entire PAVE report was based on Fudge's lies and wasn't even needed.

Fudge also promoted her fake story about the home across the highway from her home being worth twice as much as her home "only" because a white person owned it. In fact this lie may have finally been part of her undoing. Late January 2024 Joe Biden told this crazy fake story which is based on Marcia Fudge's outright lie. "Today, a home owned by a Black family on one side of a highway, built by the same builder on the other side of the highway and a white guy living in it, the white guy's home is valued more than the Black guy's!," he said. "I know you know it. And guess what, that's how you build generational wealth."

I debunked Marcia Fudge's big lie here in this blog by valuing her home and the ones across the highway. You can't find the article via Google search because someone (Marcia?) complained and it was removed from search results. The home across the highway from Marcia Fudge's home is newer luxury quality built in a new private community built way off the highway on private streets. Fudge's home is much older, lower quality, fairer condition built on the main highway. The homes are totally different in very different locations so of course they would have different values. This shows that either Fudge doesn't understand the basics of property valuation and is incompetent to be the head of HUD or she's just a racist liar promoting her own agenda. I doubt she even knows the color of the people who own the homes across the highway from her. Race, color isn't listed on ownership deeds. The tenant isn't always the owner. On top of this Fudge is complaining about their inaccurate Zillow values. She's not talking about their actual market or appraisal values. There are no appraisals of Fudge's home and the homes across the street to compare. No appraisers were involved.

Many real estate experts, agents, appraisers have sent in many letters to HUD about Marcia Fudge's many lies. I've sent in a few. Nothing happened except Fudge repeated the lies. Maybe this story making Biden look like a total blithering idiot was the final straw. Many media sites picked up on the crazy nonsensical story. Fudge has stated this same fake story all over the media. Here I debunk her false CNN presentation. I'm pretty sure these false stories by Fudge would have been used against Biden during the campaign. Clearly Biden believed her bullshit until he repeated her fake home story and everyone called him a crazy idiot. I doubt he'll repeat that story.

Fudge also got way too cozy with lenders, AMCs during her tenure at HUD. They pitched her the idea of getting rid of appraisers/appraisals to save consumers money and time. They lied and supported her lie that appraisers are biased so they could make more money while allegedly reducing bias. They asked to use appraisal waivers, AVMs, drive-by appraisals and hybrid appraisals done by non appraisers. HUD agreed and consumers didn't save any money. Instead lenders, AMCs keep the valuation fee in house for reviewing an AVM. Not only that but waivers, AVMs, drive-by appraisals and hybrids have real built in bias by their very nature. No one really knows the true market value of all those homes. Maybe there was insufficient equity or the homes never met loan requirements. Many of these loans are sold and resold as investment vehicles. Many could go bad and they actually have.

Another issue I have with Fudge is her giving government money to her friends. Fudge gave grants to her friends at private fair housing organizations. These organizations promoted Fudge's false narrative of the racist white appraiser. They stated their research, legal actions against innocent appraisers are the "solution" to US's housing issues. Government money was wasted and lives were destroyed in the process while no racial bias was found. They supported and widely shared the fake paper by Andre Perry. Maybe she was finally caught giving contracts to close, close friends. Her cronyism at HUD was definitely off the charts.

Another issue though minor is Fudge violating the Hatch Act. In March 2021, during a White House press conference, Fudge made comments on the upcoming Senate election in her home state of Ohio suggesting that Democrats could win it. As a result, she was accused of violating the Hatch Act of 1939. After an investigation, the Office of Special Counsel determined she had violated the Hatch Act. Fudge received a warning. Not a big deal really but still.

Another point "in 2015, Fudge wrote a letter asking for leniency in the sentencing of Cleveland politician Lance Mason on felony assault and domestic violence charges. Fudge described Mason as "kind", and wrote that "Lance [...] has assured me that something like this will never happen again." Mason subsequently attacked and killed his ex-wife, in 2018, stabbing her 59 times. After the murder, Fudge released a statement saying she condemned the crimes committed by Mason."

On top of all of this Fudge is extremely abrasive and abusive. She truly enjoys attacking, degrading appraisers and others in public meetings. She has a huge race, wealth chip on her shoulder which she doesn't hide but proudly flaunts. She wanted to be the head of Agriculture Dept so that may be part of it. Almost every meeting she starts in the same way walking to the podium and stating "Good afternoon." If everyone in the room does not loudly say "Good afternoon, Madam Fudge!" she will put her finger in her ear, shake her head at the audience negatively like she didn't hear their response and say it again to force people to respond as if the audience were in the army or prison. She clearly has major personal insecurities to feel the need to treat people in this manner. One example here https://www.instagram.com/p/C4Y8FhuOiu_/

If you search this blog, you will see the other articles I've written about her insulting, harassing, demeaning behavior in government meetings. I highly doubt she wanted to leave this position on her own as she clearly enjoys and relishes being abusive. I believe she was pushed out which is why she has "mixed emotions." Maybe the campaign audited her department and realized she was wasting funds and not accomplishing the goals of HUD. This will be used against Biden in the campaign and election by the GOP.

I personally feel Marcia Fudge was probably asked to resign because she's a liability in the upcoming election. The lie she told to Joe Biden about her home value which he repeated was the wake-up call for Biden's campaign. The lies she told in the PAVE report and government money she wasted on worthless "solutions" were probably other factors. Her cronyism and giving money to friends also hurt her. Lastly her horribly abrasive, abusive personality and media appearances harm Biden and his campaign.

Fudge's press release about her departure reads like a golden handshake. She mainly touts a few odd suspect accomplishments resume style. I think she saw the end coming because of an investigation into her actions because she released something similar in February which I thought was odd. It wasn't end of year reporting. I'll be writing another article about her housing "accomplishments" during her term but a few notes. Don't get me wrong. She was 1,000x better than Ben Carson. I just think Trump probably told him to run the Dept into the ground. Even I could have done better than Carson.

"HUD's mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all." Our housing crisis is much worse since she was head of HUD. Per HUD homelessness is way up and housing affordability is way down. Things haven't improved. Here's just one fake accomplishment from her list "Ensuring that people who have paid their debt to society can get a fair shot at a second chance and have a home;" Fudge proposed changing a rule to allow convicted criminals convicted of fraud or perjury to do work for HUD in relation to fair housing investigations. Why would someone hire someone convicted of lying and committing fraud to do legal investigations which could possibly end up in a court of law? Their testimony could be easily tossed because they are convicted liars. Comments were due 01/11/24. I don't know if it became law.

Fudge's replacement will be Deputy Secretary Adrianne Todman. Joe Biden will not nominate a new head until after the election. They'd never be confirmed in time before the election. Todman is just like Fudge so nothing will change until they find a new head. I can only hope they find someone who is qualified who won't lie and can actually improve housing for our country. We don't have enough housing which is one cause of the homeless and affordability issues. It's also an issue for our economy especially because of recent rate hikes. We also have an income inequality issue.

@secfudge @hudgov @mary_cummins

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Mary Cummins

Friday, February 16, 2024

The End of Buyer's Broker's Real Estate Commissions in Multiple Listing Services? by Mary Cummins Real Estate Appraiser

The 2020 Nosalek lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Boston alleged that MLS PIN, Keller Williams, RE/MAX, Anywhere, and HomeServices of America colluded to inflate real estate agent commissions. The suit claimed that the defendants agreed to rule changes including allowing compensation offers of $0 to buyer agents and proactively informing consumers that commissions are negotiable.

The Department of Justice is examining whether the commissions system violates antitrust law. Today the DOJ stated sellers shouldn't offer any commission to buyer's brokers in the MLS. This will allegedly bring down the price of real estate commissions.

I personally feel buyer's agents will just include a 2.5% commission in the offers. It will be paid by proceeds of sale. Buyer, seller still paying a commission fee one way or another. Homes will be listed for the same prices. Commissions have always been negotiable. Appraisers have to read sales contracts for purchase appraisals. We see the negotiations all the time. I doubt things will change much unless flat fee buyers agents start popping up like flat fee selling agents who only list the property on the MLS.

#realestatecommission #marycummins #realestateappraiser #realestatesales #realestateappraisal #realestate

https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/justice-department-says-settlement-too-lax-real-estate-commission-case-2024-02-16/

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Mary Cummins

Friday, January 12, 2024

McKissock Learning Will No Longer Offer PAREA Due to Costs by Mary Cummins Real Estate Appraiser

mckissock learning, mckissock,appraisal institute, parea, real estate appraiser, mary cummins, real estate appraisal, training, certified, residential, license, hud, fha

PAREA is the Practical Applications of Real Estate Appraisal. In order to become a licensed appraiser you currently need about a year or two and 1,000-1,500 hours of training experience as a trainee with another licensed and generally certified appraiser. You also need basic classes and other requirements. Because it was so difficult to find mentors willing to train trainees for free the government allowed the PAREA training alternative to hours with a live mentor. Real Estate Appraiser education provider McKissock Learning was going to be one of the government approved companies, organizations offering PAREA training. The Appraisal Institute is another organization offering the training.

Yesterday January 12, 2024 McKissock emailed people who were interested in the program that they would no longer be offering the PAREA program. See below email.

"Happy New Year to you and yours. We hope this letter finds you well. With a strong commitment to responsibility and transparency, we want to inform you about a significant decision regarding the McKissock PAREA (Practical Applications of Real Estate Appraisal) project.

After careful consideration and thorough evaluation of various factors, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the McKissock PAREA project. We understand that this news may be unexpected, and we want to provide you with a clear understanding of our reasoning and the steps we are taking moving forward.

One of the primary factors contributing to the cancellation is the substantial resource cost required to provide a product of the quality we envisioned. In our pursuit to deliver a premium solution, the associated costs exceeded initial estimates, resulting in a higher-end price to our customers. Regrettably, we recognize that this higher cost would inadvertently create a new barrier to entry into the appraisal profession – specifically, a financial obstacle."

The cost of the program was always a major issue and hurdle to entrance in the field. You couldn't even start the program without first paying for and taking $1,700 worth of McKissock classes. The Appraisal Institute stated the PAREA program would cost about $10,000 per a July 19, 2023 webinar. All of the training would be online. There would be no in person mentorship.

From a monetary point of view the expensive cost of the training might be a total waste without real mentorship. This is not a trial an error occupation. You need someone training you in the beginning. You won't make any money if you don't know what you're doing. The only people who could end up making money from the training were possibly the training organization. They'd make money from government grants, nonprofit grants and class fees from paying students. It'd be like those worthless online degrees.

Another main problem is the real estate appraisal market today is at its absolute lowest point. There's very little lending work. The main cause is our current high interest rates. No one is selling if they have to buy another home. Why lose a 2.5% interest rate and triple your monthly mortgage at 7.5% or so. No one would want to refinance for the same reason. Sales volume is at its lowest in about 20 years per Ryan Lundquist's fantastic statistics. I've seen the same in Los Angeles, California.

Another even bigger issue is the use of live appraisers has been decreasing recently because of appraisal waivers, AVMs (Automated Valuation Methods) and hybrid type appraisals. Even though a live appraiser is used for part of the hybrid appraisal they aren't being paid as much as a full appraisal, i.e. $75-$165 vs $300-$500. The few full inspection appraisals done by live appraisers are very complex appraisals which only appraisers with many years experience are allowed to do. There's just not as much work today for anyone.

Previously the government said there were not enough appraisers and now there are definitely way too many. If you look at Facebook appraiser groups, everyone is hurting. Many have retired or had to get side gigs. If a fully trained and experienced appraiser of 20 years can't get work, a newbie has no chance at making enough money to survive. Even people with 20-40 years of experience are quitting due to lack of work.

You'd have to really be an idiot to shell out $1,700 for basic classes, $10,000 for PAREA, $6,000 appraisal costs first year just to make no money. Few can afford that upfront cost even if they could make the money back in a year or two. Another huge hurdle is lenders only use appraisers with three years minimum experience. No one would hire you fresh out of PAREA.

I believe that McKissock realized there probably won't be enough people willing to pay for the classes at the moment to justify their training costs. They couldn't make enough profit off the program today. Even if the government and nonprofits offered grants to pay for the training the students probably wouldn't get any work from the program. No one would be happy. There would be a lot of online complaints.

I'm actually glad McKissock is not continuing with the program at this time for the sake of the potential new appraisers. Now is not the time to start out as an appraiser because of the market conditions. I would at a minimum wait until things rebound when rates go down. Maybe by then there will be an affordable PAREA program maybe subsidized by the government for people who can't afford it. You'd still need live experience and will have to deal with all the other issues noted above but it'd be better than what we have today.

*FTR I've been taking classes with McKissock since they first started around 1990. Back in the day they only offered in person classes taught by the McKissock's out of a small classroom in Orange County, California. Today I take bundled classes with Calypso because they're cheaper.

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Mary Cummins

Sunday, November 12, 2023

Caltrans Rents Area Under 10, 5, 60, 405 Freeways in Los Angeles, California by Mary Cummins Real Estate Appraiser

fire, 10 freeway, los angeles, california, downtown,

real estate appraisal,real estate appraiser, mary cummins ,real estate,appraisal,fire,california,appraiser,los angeles,caltrans, freeway Photo: Caltrans

UPDATE 11/22/2023 As expected the freeway is not repaired. It's only braced. It will take months to repair the freeway. "Though the shored-up freeway is safe for drivers again, repairs for the damaged overpass will take months, officials said. None of the damaged columns that hold up the overpass east of Alameda Street have been repaired yet, according to Caltrans spokesperson Michael Comeaux.

“Columns damaged by the fire will need to be repaired. The repair strategy may vary between individual columns depending on the extent of damage. The repairs will include the removal of any damaged concrete, patching of the damage, and wrapping the columns with steel casings,” Comeaux said in an email."

"The fire has drawn scrutiny to the state’s open-air lease program. On Wednesday, Caltrans announced inspectors assessed 601 leased sites across the state and of 38 sites that pose a potential risk, only a few present a specific fire or safety risk."

An engineer with Caltrans who was not authorized to speak publicly said 45 columns show clear evidence of spalling, the technical term for the cracking and disintegration of concrete when it is exposed to extremely high temperatures. The heat evaporates water molecules inside the concrete, which makes the material weak and brittle.

Construction crews will have to remove the damaged concrete from each column. In many cases, the engineer said, that damage extends to the reinforcing metal known as rebar that is embedded inside the concrete and spirals around vertical lengths extending from the foundation to the freeway overhead.

Engineers have identified eight columns where the heat of the fire reached far deeper into the concrete. For those columns, crews will have to remove not only the compromised concrete but also the spiral of rebar, the engineer said.

Once the damaged concrete and steel have been removed, the columns will be rebuilt, most likely with steel jackets similar to those used in seismic retrofits of bridge columns (an earthquake review in the 1990s did not lead to jackets being placed around the columns at this location). Grout or concrete will then be injected between the jacket and column."

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-11-22/downtown-los-angeles-10-freeway-fire-repairs

11/18/2023 Authorities release photo of person of interest in the alleged arson fire of the 10 freeway. Mayor Karen Bass said it was definitely not a homeless person. This looks like a homeless person to me. I'm in that immediate area all the time. I see the people down there. I was there last week and saw a homeless guy light a wood pallet on fire for no reason. They don't just do it to keep warm but because they can. People dump shit and trash on the street. Homeless light it on fire especially at night. Someone dumps an old tv that doesn't work. They will beat and crush it then light it on fire as a fun activity like a school bonfire. Once I found a dead dog that'd been put in a shopping cart, lit of fire then pushed down the street into a fence. I'm pretty sure the dog was dead before they lit it on fire or at least I hope so.There are young'ish men down there with mental illness and lots of anger. They will destroy and burn something just as an outlet, to rage against "the man" or just for fun. All those wood pallets, stacks of boxes, trash were begging to be burned. If you go down there, you will see fire marks on all the overpasses.

https://ktla.com/10-freeway-fire/10-freeway-arson-suspect-description-released/

11/16/2023 Governor Gavin Newsom said the freeway will be open by next Tuesday November 21, 2023! The supports weren't as badly damaged as first thought.

Per various articles "state officials filed a lawsuit against Apex saying the company owes $78,000 (or $600,000) in unpaid rent." "Apex Development Inc. has leased the land under I-10 since 2008. One condition of Apex’s contract stipulated it not allow flammable or hazardous materials to be stored there."

“Apex rented and improved the rundown yard and made substantial capital investments during the period that it had possession of the yard,” D’Attaray said. “Caltrans inspected the premises periodically, at least once a year, and CalTrans was fully aware of the sublessees and their operations. Even the State of California’s Fire Marshall inspected the premises.”

He said Apex had also repeatedly called the fire department to report fires started by homeless encampments, including along the fence line and at other yards."

https://apnews.com/article/freeway-fire-los-angeles-interstate-10-newsom-3ab9682a866c4e60b80b2d5d185847ac

11/15/2023 Caltrans knew of an incident where portion of Interstate 85 in Atlanta collapsed after combustible material stored under the interstate caught fire. That incident closed the interstate for six weeks. They wrote a policy directive based on that incident which prohibited storage of flammable materials under bridges and required access for inspections. Engineers stated Caltrans knew about the problem but can't get under the bridges to inspect because of all the junk. In all honesty there is not much in a tightly packed warehouse that isn't combustible. These areas aren't even enclosed so you can't block off a fire like you can in a building. There should at least be smoke, fire, CO detectors, fire sprinklers and fire fighting equipment easily accessible and functioning.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-11-14/l-a-facing-more-traffic-gridlock-amid-signs-of-hope-over-10-freeway-closure

11/14/2023 Governor Newsome said the freeway will open in 3-5 weeks. "Inspectors determined the section of the freeway affected would not need to be demolished and replaced, allowing workers to focus instead on repairing the existing structure, Newsom told reporters. That means reopening the freeways will take a matter of weeks, he said, rather than the months long endeavor some were initially bracing for." He later said maybe only 4/5 lanes will be open initially.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/13/us/i-10-freeway-la-fire-closure-tuesday/index.html

11/13/2023 Fire Department is now saying arson may be the cause. They also stated flammable hand sanitizer from Covid was being stored at the location.

There is no real address, legal description, Assessor's Parcel Number APN I can find to use to see if there are complaints in Building and Safety ladbs.org . Generally people file complaints based on real address, APN or legal description there which are investigated. Maybe people can't file or view complaints on Caltrans property because it's under a state and not a city, county jurisdiction? Caltrans just said there is no property tax so there would be no APN. That would be a big problem because all building and safety, fire investigations are complaint driven by site location. There are no annual property inspections. Clearly we can't trust the California Department of Transportation to do the complaints and investigations. They should have used emergency powers to clear or safeguard the site. Sadly the entire area down there is very similar. There are many, many shoddy storage facilities under the freeway with homeless camps.

Caltrans own press release of the fire states the address is 1700 E 14th St which is blocks away. The site is in District 7. https://dot.ca.gov/fix-10

Recent article noted one property was leased by Calabasas based Apex Development Inc which was subleasing storage without permission from state and federal authorities. The company stopped paying rent and was out of compliance with the lease.

I see 85 lawsuits involving Apex Development in lacourt.org Below is the eviction lawsuit which is recent by state of California. It includes the companies on the site that burned. The ONLY cause for eviction on the form is non payment of rent. It's not for violations of terms of the lease. Obviously not paying rent is a violation of terms of lease. It's not for allowing the site to be a danger to people and property. Caltrans should have filed emergency eviction for unsafe premises.

~~I'll post docs in a sec.~~ I see a previous lawsuit 20STCV42245 filed by Apex against Caltrans. It was dismissed. I see another suit against Caltrans 23STCV15418 for breach of contract that's recent for interference with contract and unjust enrichment 06/2023. Apex appears to be litigious. I don't know if they have cause for the suits. I was hoping to find a lease agreement but none were filed or maybe they were filed under seal. I don't know if Apex is claiming Covid hardship for rent payments.

Case Number: 23STCV22798

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORINA, ACTING BY AND THROUGH THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION VS APEX DEVELOPMENT, INC., A CALIFORNIA CORPORATION, ET AL.

Filing Courthouse: Stanley Mosk Courthouse
Filing Date: 09/20/2023
Case Type: Unlawful Detainer/Commercial (not drugs or wrongful eviction) (General Jurisdiction)
Status: Pending

Next hearing. 02/15/2024 at 08:30 AM in Department 37 at 111 North Hill Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012 Case Management Conference

Many parties didn't reply and defaults were filed.

APEX DEVELOPMENT INC. - Defendant

CHOI DANIEL - Attorney for Plaintiff

D'ATTARAY MAINAK - Attorney for Defendant

EAGLE WOOD SERVICE - Defendant

ECO-RAIN TANK OF AMERICA - Defendant

GLUCK STEVEN M - Attorney for Defendant

KATZ JEFFREY E. - Attorney for Defendant

LARA ALFREDO MENDOZA - Defendant

MAX RECYCLING - Defendant

MCA TRUCKING - Defendant

NOWAID ANTHONY - Defendant

PACIFIC EXPRESS PALLETS - Defendant

SERAFIN DISTRIBUTION - Defendant serafindistribution.com/home 1361 Lawrence
http://serafinsdistribution.com/contact-us

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA - Plaintiff

TORRES TAURINO M. - Defendant claims to live at 1361 Lawrence

Below are jpgs of main current eviction lawsuit.

Another article stated 100 columns of the freeway were damaged. Nine or ten were damaged severely. They don't know if they will have to tear down the overpass or just retrofit it. I believe some of these were previously retrofitted after the 1994 earthquake. The original freeway was built 1933-1957 or so.

ORIGINAL: November 10/11, 2023 (just after midnight) there was a huge pallet fire under the Santa Monica 10 freeway at Alameda and 14th Street which shut down the freeway and interchange. Many have asked why there were wood pallets under the freeway. People don't seem to realize that the California Department of Transporation Caltrans leases the area under the freeways in Los Angeles for warehouse purposes. 10 Freeway on Wikipedia

Based on current law, "Authorizes Caltrans to lease to public agencies or private entities the use of areas above or below state highways. Generally, leases to private entities have to be made on the basis of competitive bids and at fair market value." They can also lease them for less than fair market value if it's for the public good such as a park, homeless shelter...

Currently most of the area under the 10 in this area is warehouse property that caters to fashion industry. If you drive by you will see auto storage, shipping storage, large machinery storage, wood pallets, trash... I would assume all tenants must have adequate fire protection, insurance and abide by Building and Safety and Fire Department regulations. Any major fire under this old 10 freeway could cause a lot of damage besides disrupting traffic to the area. The 1994 earthquake caused a section between LaCienega and Venice to collapse because the supports were made pre 1971 before they were earthquake proof. Other areas needed repairs and retrofitting. The original section was built around 1955 or 1957. I'm not positive. We're still talking about a 70 year old overpass. When I was there day after fire a block away I saw what appeared to be retrofitting and reinforcement of another overpass few blocks away.

We shall see if Caltrans changes their lease agreement terms after this fire. They should be able to take emergency action against any lessee, sub-lessee who violates the law due to the potential hazards to humans, property and the transportation system.

If you look at these storage sites under the freeway, not all are enclosed with walls. Perhaps the ones not enclosed with solid walls are not considered structures legally so they don't have to abide by Building and Safety regulations? Many just enclose the properties with chain link fencing with barbed wire on top. Perhaps there are not regulations for such enclosures? Clearly there should be. At the very least they need smoke, fire detectors that would not be set off with smoke, exhaust from autos.

The address of the burned properties appear to be subleases located at 4205 E 14th St, Los Angeles, CA 90021 near Lawrence St and 14th St. Also 1349, 1361 Lawrence. Legal tract is 23269. Close APN is 5167-017-004. Thomas Guide map TG634G7. 5166-004-****. Tract H. N. ELLIOTT'S NINTH STREET TRACT. It's council district 14 Kevin DeLeon. Zone is PF-1XL. Sign says "we buy pallets" and "Serafin's Distribution." They tried to get a permit to build a building for a scrap yard in 2014 and were denied. Previous building permit was 1925. Maybe it was built in the 30'sand renamed in the 50's. Below is Google satellite image of site, parcel maps and street view. For these two sites to burn makes me think it was a fire accidentally started by homeless people. It's been getting colder at night in the 50's. Google street images shows lots of homeless, cars, car tires stacked, wood pallets.All these things are highly flammable and difficult to extinguish especially under the enclosed freeway.

Here is the Google map of the burned site. Look at street and satellite view for the area. Lots of places full of pallets, trash, cars and homeless people. Years ago when I went to a motorcycle show that was in an industrial site they made me remove all gas from my motorcycle and tape the gas cap shut or else they wouldn't let my motorcycle in the show. It was because of Fire Department and insurance purposes. I'm sure all those cars had gas and oil in them besides batteries, tires which burn for long periods of time.

Because Caltrans is government they pay no property taxes so there is no assessor's parcel map I can yet find for the site. This is all I see. If you hover over it, it says "no information available." I'm trying to get an address to see if there were complaints about fire dangers or other Building and Safety violations. If there is no address, you can't really file a complaint. There must be something. I'll post when I find it.

Here are photos from Serafindistribution.com which shows interior. Their site states they have boxes, paper products, labels, janitorial supplies...

Here is one such current advertisement for warehouse rental under the 10 freeway blocks from the fire, see photo below. This property is for sale with a ten year renewable land lease from Caltrans.

"Naomi Freeway Distribution1600-1650 S Naomi Ave 39,372 SF Industrial Building Los Angeles, CA$3,890,000 ($99/SF) Warehouses California Los Angeles 1600-1650 S Naomi Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90021 Owner User - Investor Opportunity Located Minutes From Downtown, Arts District & Vernon Divisible into 4 Units, Power 1,200 Amp 240 V Service - Ground Level Doors Cal Trans Ground Lease Expires: 5/11/2031 - 10 Yr Option Concrete Block Construction. Owner Use - Investment Property - 5 Warehouse/Distribution Units - Land is Leased From Cal-trans - Newer Concrete Block Construction - Retail - Wholesale Possible - Garment - Cannabis Uses. 20,000 SF Can Be Occupied at Closing. Heart of Downtown Los Angeles Industrial Area Santa Monica Freeway (10) At Central Avenue Exit" https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/1600-1650-S-Naomi-Ave-Los-Angeles-CA/3612898/ POSS INT LOCATED AT 1650 NAOMI AV LOS ANGELES OWNED BY STATE DEPT OF TRANSP 5130 013 000

#caltrans #california #transportation #fire #marycummins #realestateappraiser #realestateappraisal #losangeles #freeway #landlease #fire

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Mary Cummins

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

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