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

Mary Cummins, Real Estate Appraiser, Animal Advocates, Los Angeles, California
WEBSITE       RESUME       CONTACT       FACEBOOK        LINKEDIN       

Friday, December 13, 2024

Appraisal Institute States FHFA Study is Deeply Flawed, Comments by Mary Cummins Real Estate Appraiser


Appraisal Institute states FHFA "study" is flawed. The "study" also used the Zillow Home Value Index aka Zestimate which includes tax assessor data, MLS listings, public data, info provided by alleged property owners... The data, analysis and conclusions are all flawed. GIGO, Garbage In Garbage Out. No one would ever publish their paper in a peer reviewed journal for those reasons yet the government sends it out as "factual research." Biased. #appraisalinstitute #FHFA #zillow #zestimatefails #Zestimate #marycummins #realestateappraiser #realestateappraisal

From the article.

"A study on the use of time adjustments by appraisers conducted by two researchers at the Federal Housing Finance Agency in November contains serious flaws that misrepresent the appraisal process and further demonize the appraisal profession regarding racial bias. The study, Underappraisal Disparities and Time Adjustments to Comparable Sales Prices in Mortgage Appraisals, contends appraised values often fail to reflect rapidly increasing home prices in competitive markets. It further casts housing equity concerns, claiming that time adjustments are used less in curing “underappraisal” in majority Black and Hispanic neighborhoods than in major White neighborhoods. The study suggests appraisers should use automated valuation models and lenders should randomly assign appraisal orders to mitigate bias.

For one, the assumption that appraisals should perfectly mirror the pace of rising market prices oversimplifies the role of appraisers and the appraisal process. The study does not sufficiently account for the complexity of making time adjustments in markets with uneven price growth or where transaction volumes are low, limiting the availability of comparable sales.

The study also interprets caution by appraisers as “underappraisal,” when this may represent a prudent check against market volatility. In rapidly appreciating markets, appraisals may appear low compared to contract prices, but this could serve as a risk-mitigation tool, in protecting buyers from overpaying during speculative bubbles.

Further, the research ignores critical dynamics of the appraisal process in how comparable sales may be accounted for by appraisers in the narrative section of appraisals. For example, in some markets, a market change might occur with an increase of as much as 1% per month. Therefore, a comparable sale that is as recent as 2 or 3 months ago, could require a 2% or 3% positive adjustment to the sale price. On the other hand, with a market that is moving at a mere 3% a year, then a three-month old sale would correspond to only a .75% adjustment. An appraiser might well not apply such adjustment, as it could be argued as being of virtual rounding error. An appraiser might well handle the issue in the reconciliation of the three to four or more comparable sales presented in the sales comparison approach, which is completely overlooked by the study.

There may be a myriad of other factors at play. For instance, and for whatever reason, an appraiser’s analysis could indicate that one of the comparable sales sold on the “high” side. Applying a time adjustment for an above-the-market sale, while requiring explanation, might not be appropriate at all.

The study also leans heavily on the use of automated valuation model information from Zillow, which has its own credibility and accuracy problems."

Read the rest at the link.

Link to article

https://www.appraisalinstitute.org/cmspages/newsletters/getemailbrowsercontent.ashx?issueGuid=a47d3875-adac-4c06-976f-a74cf075c4f3&recipientEmail=adomatis%40hotmail.com&hash=dee4bfd3032a0548215443494269a5ad0ce160df6bf2e9f5eb5bd5cbc41fc36a&utm_source=ainewsletter_appraisal_now_20241213_a_b&utm_campaign=ainewsletter&utm_medium=email&fbclid=IwY2xjawHJbQtleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHRhQEY41enGI_9PE2g1aIpBP89mxTLlgApt8kVLq_Amh_Gru75czg-oGFw_aem_RMT7BVcsvwnhpT-8Tkl0FA

Link to the flawed FHFA "study" "Underappraisal Disparities and Time Adjustments to Comparable Sales Prices in Mortgage Appraisals" by William M. Doerner, Scott Susin, November 2024. Working Paper 24-07

https://www.fhfa.gov/sites/default/files/2024-11/wp2407.pdf

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, December 6, 2024

Taking a Listing in Probate and Trust webinar by Paul Horn Attorney, notes by Mary Cummins Real Estate Appraiser


I attended a webinar given by California probate estate attorney Paul Horn. It was very informative and entertaining. Paul Horn Esq definitely knows wills, trusts, probate and real estate. He gave some great advice which I've actually heard from other estate attorneys.

It's important to order a date of death historical appraisal to determine market value at time of death. Paul Horn stated it's well worth the $500 cost. One person asked if they must sell the property for the appraisal value. He said "of course not." Sell it for what you believe is the highest current market value. 

In order to sell a home in probate you will need three main things i.e., Order for Probate, Letters, Notice of Proposed Action. These are all legal forms which can be found at lacourt.org He posted samples but they had names so I won't repost them. A real estate agent would get these items from the attorney handling the probate, estate. The real estate agent does not fill them out. The attorney does.


This is the California Probate Process.


The best thing is to avoid probate altogether. It will save you time, money and headaches. Get a will and a trust. Put the property in the trust. Make sure not to put the name of your heirs on the deed. Put the name of the trust only. This image shows the benefits of a trust versus a will. If you only have a will, you have to go through probate.


These are the essentials of good estate planning.

A married couple should take ownership as community property to avoid extra taxes.


 Here is one of Paul Horn's videos on the probate process.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZtMW7hlH-c

You should have an attorney handle your will and trust. This is not legal advice. I am not an attorney. I would recommend Paul Horn to handle trusts, wills and probate. He knows what he's talking about. I've been doing historical date of death appraisals for over 40 years. I've had to deal with estates and probates so I've dealt with many estate and planning attorneys. 

@paulhornesq https://www.paulhornlawfirm.com/

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

Sunday, December 1, 2024

CLAW MLS Allows Agents to Remove Photos at Close of Sale by Mary Cummins Real Estate Appraiser Los Angeles


Combined Los Angeles Westside Multiple Listing Services CLAW MLS via Vesta Plus allows all subject photos except main photo to be removed, unpublished from the listing when the property is sold. It's for privacy reasons which I totally understand. Seeing the condition of the listed and sold comparables is such a vital data source for real estate appraisers. I wrote an email to the MLS asking if there is a way real estate appraisers could view the photos . 

"I received notice yesterday that all photos except one main photo could be removed from the MLS when the sale closes. As a real estate appraiser this will be a huge loss of data and information. It will affect the appraisals of all homes if we can't see the condition, upgrades or amenities of the comparables. 

Is there a way for appraisers to access the hidden photos for appraisals? We can agree never to post the photos publicly."

CLAW MLS response.

"Thank you for your email and we understand your concerns.  Please note that as of right now, selling agents do already remove all photos except the main one once a listing is sold.  Unfortunately, once the photos are unpublished, there is no way to retrieve them.

Removing all photos is a very common request as selling agents are constantly being asked by the new owners to remove photos due to safety concerns."


Someone commented on LinkedIn that the photos would still be on Zillow. Only if the owner doesn't request their removal. You can remove all photos of a house you claim to own. 

It may be a good idea for appraisers to print out the MLS listing of comps used with photos for the work file in case there are questions later. Click print, with photos, save as pdf. 



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