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 aei. Show all posts
Showing posts with label aei. Show all posts

Monday, August 5, 2024

National Fair Housing Alliance NFHA and HUD Promote False Racist Narrative About Real Estate Appraisers, Lenders For Money by Mary Cummins

mary cummins, real estate appraiser, real estate appraisal, aei, hud, nfha, national fair housing alliance, race, discrimination, bias, settlements,
National Fair Housing Alliance NFHA Promotes False Racist Narrative about Real Estate Appraisers for MONEY, mary cummins, real estate appraiser, real estate appraisal, aei, hud, nfha, national fair housing alliance, race, discrimination, bias, settlements,


UPDATE: Appraisal Institute just posted about this issue here.

"Recently, a HUD-funded billboard campaign stated, “Home appraisals should be based on property, not people.”

We wholeheartedly agree. Bias in appraisals is not only unethical—it’s illegal. However, this campaign unfairly targets a profession built on independence, impartiality, and consumer protection. In a powerful response, Sandra K. Adomatis, SRA, President of the Appraisal Institute, clarifies the critical role of appraisers, addresses misconceptions, and highlights the need for meaningful policy change to support housing equity.

Read Sandra’s full letter and learn why appraisers are key advocates for fair and objective valuations 👉 https://bit.ly/490vHl6 "


11/16/2024 I was in the market and picked up Essence magazine because Serena is on the cover and I love her. It's a black women's lifestyle magazine. Inside was another targeted racist ad against appraisers. I then decided to look at the white women's lifestyle magazines. No racist ads in there. This was targeted to black women. 




10/16/2024 Just found the PSA and script for the new NFHA ads. This is disgraceful! HUD, NFHA is basically defaming all real estate appraisers calling them racist. This has to be unconstitutional for the government to spend money making, promoting these "ads" to spread racist falsehoods against nonblacks, nonLatinos. It's unconstitutional for the government to give preference or money to specific races. It must be unconstitutional to harm specific races. Research based on their own data proves this is false. AEI's research showed there is no racism in appraisal values. 






Radio spot script

"Robbed" (:60)

WOMAN V/O: My husband and I were ready to sell our home of 25 years,

so we got it appraised. We thought we knew what to expect, but when our

home appraisal came back, we felt…robbed. Compared to a similar home

right around the corner, our appraisal was $80,000 less. That’s a big

difference. It was the same type of home, in the same neighborhood, in

the same condition and age.

NARRATOR V/O: A recent study found that Latino and Black

homeowners are about twice as likely as white homeowners to get low

appraisals. For example, one Black homeowner received an appraisal

more than double the original, after removing family photos, Black art, and

books from her home.

If you believe your home has been unfairly appraised because of race or

national origin, that could violate the Fair Housing Act. Contact HUD at

HUD.gov/fairhousing – that’s HUD.gov/ fairhousing. Everyone has a right

to fair housing.

A public service message from HUD in partnership with the National Fair

Housing Alliance."

Radio spot 2 "Hide" (:60)

HUSBAND V/O: After getting my promotion, the time had come to sell our

home. So we got an appraisal.

WIFE V/O: But it was much lower than we expected. Before we had it

appraised again, a friend suggested we make some changes.

HUSBAND V/O: I put my framed vintage Negro League Baseball shirt,

our African art, and family photos into storage. And that second appraisal

came back much higher!

WIFE V/O: It’s a shame we had to hide who we are to get a fair home

appraisal.

NARRATOR V/O: A recent study found that Black and Latino

homeowners are about twice as likely as white homeowners to get low

appraisals. For example, one Black homeowner received an appraisal

more than double the original, after removing family photos, Black art, and

books from her home.

If you believe your home has been unfairly appraised because of race or

national origin, that could violate the Fair Housing Act. Contact HUD at

HUD.gov/fairhousing – that’s HUD.gov/fairhousing. Everyone has a right

to fair housing.

A public service message from HUD in partnership with the National Fair

Housing Alliance"

https://causewaypsa.com/EPK/65056_HUD_Radio_EN/HUD_EPK.pdf

HUD, NFHA is basically defaming all real estate appraisers calling them racist. This has to be unconstitutional for the government to spend money on these "ads" to spread racist falsehoods. Reseach based on their own data proves this is false. AEI's research showed there is no racism in appraisal values. 

ORIGINAL: The private nonprofit group National Fair Housing Alliance NFHA  promotes the false narrative about alleged racist, biased real estate appraisers, lenders, AMCs to get donations, grants and millions in legal settlements per year. They falsely promote fake debunked papers about race and home values. Currently they're running advertisements falsely stating that real estate appraisers lowball blacks and Latinos. Private NFHA brings in $30,000,000 a year in donations and has $23,000,000 in assets in 2021. They're probably bringing in double that today in 2024 because of a recent 2022 $53,000,000 settlement from Fannie Mae and 2022 $4,000,000 settlement from Redfin. EIN 52­1676364 Phone (202) 898 ­1661

Here is their main profile in Guidestar. https://www.guidestar.org/profile/52-1676364

Here is their most recent IRS form 990 for 2021. 
https://pdf.guidestar.org/PDF_Images/2022/521/676/2022-521676364-202322239349301757-9.pdf

2023 audit shows $28M assets.
https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_audit/2023-09-GSAFAC-0000045422

They became a nonprofit in 1990. Lisa Rice is the CEO. They're headquarters are in Washington, D.C. but they're not part of the government. HUD refers people to NFHA to do their work filing complaints but they aren't a contractor. HUD runs ad campaigns about fair housing with NFHA. HUD did award over $30,000,000 in Fair Housing grants in 2024 alone to NFHA type programs. In 2021 they got a huge increase in litigation settlements i.e. $17,000,000 with legal costs of about $500,000. I wonder if they get pro bono lawyers to help them for free so they make more profit. In 2022 they got $53,000,000 from Fannie Mae racial discrimination settlement. They are clearly motivated to shake down appraisers, lenders and AMCs for money. It's been a huge financial boon to sue people to get them to cough up a settlement to end litigation, harassment, defamation and bad press caused by NFHA and their national press releases, conferences and misleading articles and videos. NFHA gets donations and press just from the press releases about their frivolous meritless lawsuits. They include a donation link in the press releases.

Nonprofit doesn't mean there are no profits or they aren't motivated by money. The main employees and sometimes board members generally get generous salaries, bonuses and perks. They are motivated by the money, power and prestige. The nonprofit sometimes donates to other groups which are generally friends of the main employees. They sometimes hire friends of the CEO, husbands, wives, children. Many nonprofits are actually just for profit businesses in disguise who don't pay taxes. A prime example is Shedd aquarium vs Sea World. They're both aquarium business with sea animals doing tricks which bring in about a billion per year. Shedd is a nonprofit and Sea World is a business doing the exact same thing. Here's an article I wrote about that. 

Lisa Rice CEO makes almost $300,000 a year. Catherine Cloud the COO makes almost the same. They spend $3,000,000 in wages. They spend $500,000 on conferences and $250,000 just at the Hyatt Hotel. They receive grants from the government after paying $500,000 to lobby the government.


Have you seen these ads which NFHA, HUD run in major magazines, websites and on TV?  They are very deceptive. American Enterprise Institute AEI proved that appraisers don't lowball anyone let alone blacks and Latinos. First time buyers in lower income areas buying lower priced homes are more likely to be black and Latino because of the income gap. The real estate purchases are more likely to have concessions for repairs and closing costs in these areas. This is why some appraisal values are sometimes 3% lower than contract value. The contracts include the concessions for repairs and closing costs which pads the sales price by about 3%. Appraisers have to adjust for concessions which lowers appraisal value by the concession amount for repairs and such.








I just realized that NFHA has done advertisement campaigns in the past with HUD. I just saw a full ad with HUD disclaimer on the bottom of one ad.




I couldn't read the fine print in the ad I originally posted above. HUD is working with NFHA on these misleading ads. The block of text after "Everyone has a right to fair housing" could say "A public service message from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in partnership with
the National Fair Housing Alliance. The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status or disability. For more information, visit www.hud.gov/fairhousing." It still makes it seem that private NFHA is part of the government when it's not. 

Here is their income from settlements, shakedowns.


NFHA stated that appraisers lowball blacks and Latinos in the US. This is false. AEI proved with the government's own data that appraisers aren't lowballing anyone, see links below. The data NFHA used for this false statement was based on robot appraisals. No appraisers were involved. AEI debunked Andre Perry's false and misleading paper. It was not peer reviewed research. This is again correlation and not causation. Blacks, Latinos make less money than white people. If you make less money, you have less money and you will buy/own a lower priced home in a lower priced area. It's the income gap. Same thing happens to lower income whites, Asians ... everyone. Blacks, Latinos own lower priced cars for the same reason. Will they also blame that on real estate appraisers? If they really care about the issue, they should fix the income gap which has nothing to do with housing.

NFHA and HUD are lying to the public about appraisal bias.  FTR anyone can use the HUD logo. HUD clearly states this in their website. I could use the HUD logo in my website and falsely state all non Latino appraisers lowball Latinos so Latinos should only use me, a Latina, for their appraisal. I could probably make money lying like that but I'd never do that because it's dishonest and racist. NFHA makes money being dishonest. They know they are promoting a false racist narrative for their own agenda which is money. 

I just noticed that NFHA has different ads for different publications based on most likely race of viewer based on subscriber statistics. Some are Latinos, blacks, Asians and whites. Is this racist? Should they be sued for racism, targeted racism, colorism like they are suing lenders? They're doing the same exact thing they are accusing others for money. The ad in Sports Illustrated showed white people. The one in a mainly a black magazine showed black people. Who is the racist here?




Just found one of the ads blown up so I can see the text. It is from NFHA and HUD. Click to view larger to read the text. 


Great article by Jeremy Bagott on this same issue. He shows the bigger picture which is the use of the false narrative of the racist biased appraiser to get rid of appraisers to make lenders, AMCs more money. Lenders have lobbied the government to use AVMs, appraisal waivers, value acceptance, hybrid appraisals, desktop appraisals to get rid of appraisers in favor of free robots. These robots are more biased than any appraiser because they don't know or consider all factors in appraisal. Robots don't know condition, view, lot type, actual size, actual bed/bath count, permitted size, upgrades, amenities, specific location...which are main factors in valuation. https://mailchi.mp/c5f09f56ce7f/regulatory-capture-hud-and-a-crony-nonprofit-9382139

References

How Common is Appraiser Bias?
https://www.aei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/How-Common-is-Appraiser-Racial-Bias-An-Update-May-2022-FINAL-corrected-1.pdf?x91208

Exploring Alternative Explanations for Appraisal Under-Valuation
https://www.aei.org/research-products/report/exploring-alternative-explanations-for-appraisal-under-valuation/

The Impact of Race and Socio-Economic Status on the Value of Homes by Neighborhood A Critique of the Brookings Institution’s “The Devaluation of Assets in Black Neighborhoods”
https://www.aei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Impact-of-Race-and-Socio-Economic-Status-on-the-Value-of-Homes-by-Neighborhood-Presentation-8.5.21-FINAL-v4.pdf?x85095

Racial Bias in Appraisals: New Research
https://www.aei.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Racial-Bias-in-Appraisals-New-Research-FINAL_revised.pdf?x91208

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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Friday, August 11, 2023

AEI Report Shows Andre Perry's Paper is Fraudulent. Same Difference in Home Values in White Areas.

This is from an email from Jeremy Bagott, MAI. AEI used Andre's Perry own dataset and methodology to study race and home values.  February 2023 the report was updated. Andre Perry previously stated the main difference in home values between white and black is race alone. Perry blamed that on home valuations. AEI's research has proven the main difference is caused almost entirely by socioeconomic factors and not race. I've been yelling this from the mountain tops since Perry's paper first came out but AEI has nailed it down with facts and independent research. People who make more money have more money and buy more expensive homes in more expensive areas, period. 

Maybe lower income white people should be yelling about home value differences compared to higher income white and black people. Maybe they should be demanding money, free homes, cheap loans, debt relief like Andre Perry and his following have been doing. "Rich white people have stolen $46,000 from every poorer white person's home value in the US!" Maybe all poor people need their own type of reparations for being trapped by low wages and poverty for generations. It won't solve the problem because the income gap is the main cause for everyone but the story will probably sell online media ads. We need to reduce the income/wealth gap among everyone. AEI stated this in their summary but the government will not listen to facts for some reason on this issue.

https://mailchi.mp/0b513ed845f9/report-finding-of-bias-in-home-valuations-fails-by-own-measure-8037698

"REPORT: FINDING OF BIAS IN HOME VALUATIONS FAILS BY OWN MEASURE

VENTURA, Calif. (August 11, 2023) – In an updated refutation of the findings of Brookings Institution researcher Andre Perry, Edward Pinto and Tobias Peter of the AEI Housing Center demonstrated just how broken the Brookings research was.

Perry’s 2018 research, titled “The Devaluation of Assets in Black Neighborhoods,” pinned the nation’s racial wealth gap on 80,000 state-licensed real property appraisers.

Unfortunately, these now-discredited findings have been levered by housing-industry lobbyists, partisan policymakers, agitators and grievance groups to malign the nation’s 80,000 real property appraisers and hollow out America’s mortgage underwriting safeguards.

A dataset provided to Pinto and Peter earlier in the year by Perry allowed the AEI Housing Center to fully refute the latter’s conclusions.

While their original refutation was still largely correct, Pinto and Peter have now updated their key findings and takeaways using the new dataset. To the surprise of no one, their redacted study found that what Perry et al. had characterized as race-based differences in home valuations were almost entirely due to socio-economic status, not racial bias by real estate appraisers.

Using the dataset and Perry’s own methodology, Pinto and Peter created a simple case study of so-called “entirely white” tracts (tracts demographers rate as 97.5% white or greater). In those tracts, racial animus, by definition, is ruled out as a factor. The duo then compared high and low socio-economic status in these so-called all-white neighborhoods and found differences as large as – or even larger than – the ones Perry et al. incorrectly attributed to racial bias.

But much damage has been done by Perry’s now-discredited findings. Perry’s 2018 report took the nation’s real property appraisers from the table and onto the menu. The flawed findings have most recently served as a pretext to justify the current administration’s whole-of-government effort to insert race into every corner of the mortgage underwriting process, including collateral valuation.

Pinto and Peter determined:

• That while lower socio-economic status may leave blacks at a large income (and wealth) disadvantage relative to most whites, this is not due to any statistically relevant bias in home appraisals

• The primary remedy would be policies that work to address the income and wealth gap, not those that scapegoat appraisers.

• The focus should be on increasing financial security, creating generational wealth, and shrinking the socio-economic gap through sustainable home ownership. This is largely a buying power issue, not a valuation one. To do otherwise risks repeating the mistakes of the past."


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

Thursday, August 3, 2023

AEI Response to PAVE Task Force AVM. Appraisers Are Not Racists and Don't Lowball Blacks, Latinos, comments by Mary Cummins

UPDATE 11/03/2023AEI proves once again that HUD, US Government lied about appraisers allegedly low-balling people of color. This is exactly what appraisers have been saying all along. "We find that seemingly large differences in the share of under-valuations–appraisals where the appraised value is below the contract price– received by people of color are almost entirely or entirely due to differences in geographies where people, regardless of race or ethnicity, reside. When comparing appraisals for people of color to those for non-Hispanic white people within the same census tract, we find that there are no or minimal differences.

This analysis suggests that commonalities in people’s experiences in buying a home (e.g. first-time home buyer status) or local market conditions (e.g. the presence of a market frenzy or seller concessions) are far more important than differences in people’s race or ethnicity when it comes to determining who receives an under-valuation and who does not. This suggests that studies by FHFA, Brookings, or Freddie Mac with their singular focus on appraiser racial bias have misdiagnosed the issue." #AEI #americanenterpriseinstitute #marycummins #realestateappraiser #realestateappraisal #HUD https://www.aei.org/research-products/report/confirming-alternative-explanations-for-appraisal-under-valuations-new-evidence-from-appraisal-level-data/

ORIGINAL: American Enterprise Institute (AEI) made some important independently researched statements in their comment letter about the PAVE Task Force, AVMs and real estate appraisers. It shows with verified facts the flaws in the research cited by PAVE. The research cited by PAVE was poorly done by the Urban Institute, Andre Perry then twisted to meet the agenda of UI, Perry. I have no issues with promoting the interests of black people. I'm Latino and promote the interests of Latinos, Blacks, Asians, women, lower income, homeless... I do have a problem with people falsifying research to promote an agenda with racist lies which hurt innocent people. Below are a few important issues raised in AEI's comment letter to the PAVE Task Force.

1. AEI stated First Time Buyers (FTBs) tend to overpay for properties. There are also more seller concessions. This would explain appraisals being at market value which is lower than contract price. I see this all the time because I appraise in these areas. It's not the result of biased, racist appraisers.

Urban Institute, HUD, PAVE stated that "racist old white male" appraisers were intentionally low balling blacks and Latinos. Their "proof" was a difference in contract price and appraisal values in census tract areas with more Blacks, Latinos. I'd commented at the time it was probably because there is a correlation between race and income. Whites make more money than blacks, Latinos. People who make more money have more money and buy more expensive homes in more expensive areas. Areas which are predominantly black, Latino are lower income areas with many first time buyers. 

"The presence of first-time homebuyers (FTBs) or the use of seller concessions could affect the sale price relative to the AVM. Our analysis in “Exploring Alternative Explanations for Appraisal UnderValuation” shows a significantly higher share of FTBs in tracts with lower levels of non-Hispanic White residents. This is significant because the literature shows that FTBs tend to overbid for a home by approximately $3,000, or about 1% of the contract price for the average home compared to repeat buyers and that they use a higher share of seller concessions, which can amount to 2.01-3% of the property price."

2. The letter noted that homes in lower priced areas that are more likely to be predominantly black, Latino are generally in lower rated condition which would be C4, C5 rating as opposed to C3 and above. I see this every day in my inspections of these areas. Again, it has to do with money. The more money you have, the more you will spend to properly maintain and upgrade your home.

"Even though the paper controls for home quality as measured by an exterior condition rating, we found in other work that exterior condition ratings can be quite different from interior condition ones. We also found that home interior quality can be a significant factor in the difference between an AVM and a home’s sale price and that for a small number of properties with extreme conditions that difference was significant."

3. The letter also again stated that AEI found no effect of race on appraisal value

"We have pointed out serious flaws in numerous studies that purport to show widespread appraiser bias or systemic devaluations of neighborhoods." https://www.aei.org/research-products/report/exploring-alternative-explanations-for-appraisal-under-valuation/

They suggest "To better measure and document appraiser racial bias, we once again propose reviewing every appraiser for racial bias and deliberate inaccuracies based on a comprehensive review of their past refinance appraisals. To that end, we have demonstrated a working methodology in “A Blueprint for Mass Screening Appraisers for Racial Bias and Inaccuracy Based on an Atlanta, GA Study” that could be implemented today by either FHFA, Fannie Mae, or Freddie Mac.Ultimately, the goal of public policy should be to identify biased and inaccurate appraisers and to prosecute the former and to educate and retrain the latter."

I fully support this. Please, fairly audit everyone's appraisals. I'd be the first to take racist appraisers out behind the woodshed. Take away their license, charge them with actual crimes and send them to prison. Stop blaming every appraiser for racism and bias. What really irks me is that these people are claiming racism and bias when they are doing exactly that to real estate appraisers. If you're against racism, bias, you should be against ALL racism or bias against everyone or else you're a hypocrite.

https://www.aei.org/research-products/report/a-response-to-the-recommendations-of-the-pave-working-group/

https://www.aei.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/A-Response-to-the-Recommendations-of-the-PAVE-Working-Group-FINAL-1.pdf?x91208


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

Tuesday, February 14, 2023

Real Reasons Appraisers Come in Below Contract Price by AEI. It's not Racism, by Mary Cummins



AEI just released a report about appraisers coming in below contract price in areas with lower income buyers, lower priced homes and more blacks and Latinos. This is exactly what I've been talking about. Again, AEI proves it with science and facts. Just FYI AEI is considered a "conservative" source. 

"Our critique points out some significant shortcomings of these studies. Notably, they focus on entire
neighborhoods, when they should study the actions of individual appraisers. They use the greater share
of under-valuations as evidence of racial bias, when they should consider explanations unrelated to bias
that might account for under-valuations, including for example the greater share of first-time
homebuyers, who tend to overbid, or the greater presence of seller concessions, which will reduce the
appraisal amount when they are properly accounted for. They also fail to note the size of these undervaluations. Using the Aggregate Statistics Data File and Dashboards, our analysis indicates they are relatively small, averaging about $1,100 to $1,900.5 These levels are too high if they are in fact due to racial bias. However, our analysis finds multiple other plausible explanations for under valuations of this magnitude such as the greater presence of first-time homebuyers or seller concessions. We also note
that under valuations of this magnitude of are unlikely to depress entire neighborhoods and, they may
in fact provide a disproportionate consumer benefit to minority homebuyers.

We conclude with a renewed call on Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and regulators such as the FHFA to mass screen individual appraisers for racial bias and inaccuracies. We have already laid the groundwork for this research with a published working methodology." 

The most important issue which I've stated previously is they focus on appraisal value and contract price for purchases and no refinances. When doing an appraisal for purchase the appraiser NEVER sees, meets the borrower, buyer. We may see the seller or the seller's agent but never the borrower. The government study also doesn't know the race or color of the borrower, buyer AND appraiser. What if it's only black appraisers coming in low with black borrowers? A recent horrible unreliable "study" showed that the appraiser who came in the lowest for black people was themselves black. 

More important observations from AEI's study. Contract price does not equal market value. First time home buyers which are more likely in these lower priced areas are more likely to over bid. They don't always know they can negotiate. These same areas tend to have homes in lower condition. The appraiser adds more comps to appraisals which are below contract price. I do this to fully back up my work so everyone can understand the value. An appraisal that comes in below the contract price would not endear you to the AMC or lender. Appraisers HATE coming in below contract price but we do it because it's the right legal fair thing to do. The appraisal is to secure the loan not help a buyer or seller.

Some good snippets though you should read the entire report.

Fist time buyers offer over market value. "Shui and Murthy (2019) conclude that first-time homebuyers using Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac financing overbid for a home by approximately $3,000, or about 1% of the contract price for the average home compared to repeat buyers. They also find that FTBs with higher LTVs tend to overpay by more compared those with lower LTVs. FHA borrowers, who are disproportionally concentrated in minority census tracts and largely FTBs, typically have higher LTVs and lower credit scores and may thus be more likely to overpay than other buyers."

There are more seller concessions in these first time buyers, buyers using gov funding and these areas. If a home sells for $100,000 and has a $3,000 seller concession, appraisers subtract $3,000 from $100,000 in the adjustments. The net price is $97,000 which is under contract price now by 3%. There are more concessions to help buyers buy the property and because of condition.

There are more buyers for lower priced homes. This causes buyers to over bid for homes based on supply and demand. We saw this during the recent Covid runup. Buyers bid and paid over list price. They had to make up the difference in loan amount with a larger down payment. 

First time buyers aren't just competing against other buyers but also against their rent. Many only compare what they are paying in rent to what their mortgage will be. Quick story. Friend of mine was buying a cheap mobile home. She wanted to buy a cheap home because the mortgage is less than her rent. She was buying it to save monthly expenses. Appraisal came in $20,000 below contract price of $85,000. She asked me for help. I told her appraisal value looked correct. I told her to ask seller to reduce price. She said "but it's actually worth $85,000! It's almost the cheapest house on the market! I will lose the home to someone else! I have to buy this home because the monthly payments are cheaper than my cheap rent!" She didn't care about the price but the monthly payment being less than rent. She only wanted to find a way to get $20,000 more cash for the down payment. Thankfully seller reduced the price. The appraisal gap prevented her from over paying for her first home. Many first time buyers in less expensive areas feel the same way. 

Buyers using government funding tend to overbid. They're buying the home with someone else's money because of lower down payment requirements.They just want the home at any price believing it will instantly go up in value and they will have thousands in equity to take eventually. The government told them this is the American dream.

The actual appraisal gap is small. There is almost no gap in Latino areas and 1% in black areas. The government made this huge stink about appraisal gap and there barely is one! "In our prior critique of Freddie Mac’s research note, we find that “there appears to be no gap [in home purchase appraisals] relative to White tracts for Latino tracts and a relatively small gap [in home purchase appraisals] of 1-2% for Black tracts.” They mean predominantly white, Latino or black census tracts. None are 100% white, black or brown. That means whites are having the same issues in those areas as blacks and Latinos. The gap is not a color issue because the same things happens to whites in the same area. 

AEI again debunks Andre Perry's "paper." Perry stated appraisers devalue black owned property by $48,000 per home. That's much more than the difference in contract price and appraised value of 1%. AEI pointed out that homes owned by poor whites are also valued less than homes owned by wealthier whites. It's not because of skin color but income, wealth and location.

Appraisals coming in below contract price can help lower income Latino, black buyers. They can renegotiate with the seller. The government didn't say the buyers never closed on the properties and the deals died. They're prevented from overpaying and ending up upside down. AEI state that the government is part of the problem. They help and allow buyers to over pay for  homes at the top of the market only to lose those homes later when the market tanks or they have a financial emergency. And you know who the government falsely blames for that? Appraisers!

This kind of reminds me of the destroyed apartment buildings in the Turkey earthquake. Their President bragged that he reduced earthquake requirements to allow the construction of 300,000+ homes for lower income people. That is one of the major causes of the high fatalities in the earthquake. The President basically killed people. FHA and the government like to brag that they helped low income people buy homes. Then they lose their homes because they over paid at the peak of the market and couldn't easily pay the mortgage. Also reminds me of our student loan problems. Latinos, blacks are the ones stuck with huge student loans while the government brags they helped them get an education. Most didn't even finish their education and get the degree or certificate. Most of the ones that did didn't even get the better paying promised job. Governments just want to brag that they "helped" people not caring that they actually destroyed them financially. If the government helped them find a way to earn more money, they could buy a home on their own and afford to stay in it. 

AEI suggest mass screening of appraisers to check for racial bias. I support this. If any appraiser knew of a racist appraiser who came in low on a black, Latino owned home because of their racial bias, they would love to take that appraiser back behind the wood shed. All appraisers are being attacked, vilified, defamed based on this false narrative of the "racist old white male appraiser." While racism sure as hell exists, not all appraisers are racists who lowball Latinos and blacks. If there are appraisers doing this, other appraisers would be the first to hold them accountable and strip them of their license. 

FTR Dan Wiley of Freddie Mac stated this about their appraisal gap research. "We have not reached any conclusion for cause of the gaps or correlation. Our research showed that further studies are warranted." Danny Wiley and Freddie Mac are doing further research into the possible causes of the appraisal gap. They are looking at all the new data and reviewing all appraisals involved in the appraisal gap research. Of course that hasn't stopped Marcia Fudge, HUD, media... from running with Freddie Mac and other's inconclusive data about appraisal gap from stating it's allegedly caused by racial discrimination by appraisers. 

https://www.aei.org/research-products/report/exploring-alternative-explanations-for-appraisal-under-valuation/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=exploring_alternative_explanations_for_appraisal_under_valuation&utm_term=2023-02-14


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, January 6, 2023

"Appraisers the Convenient Scapegoats," comment by Mary Cummins Real Estate Appraiser

appraisersblogs, appraisers the convenient scapegoats,appraisersblogs, mary cummins, real estate appraiser, real estate appraisal,los angeles,california,aei, american enterprise institute, hud,racial discrimination,poc,andre perry
appraisersblogs, appraisers the convenient scapegoats,appraisersblogs, mary cummins, real estate appraiser, real estate appraisal,los angeles,california,aei, american enterprise institute, hud,racial discrimination,poc,andre perry 

Great article, "Appraisers the Convenient Scapegoats." It's happening yet again as home prices decrease. American Enterprise Institute (AEI) just warned the public in a December 2022 report "Government lending policies are encouraging lower-wealth, cash-constrained homeowners to give up their valuable current low-rate mortgages and use cash-out refinances to meet other financial obligations. This use of “the house as an ATM” particularly during this rising mortgage rate environment can pose inherent risks for borrowers."

And who will be blamed when these people refinance then can't afford the new payment because of the recessionary economy? Appraisers...again! We were blamed for the Great Recession aka Great Financial Crisis. Today they say that was actually because of "racial discrimination by appraisers."

These people are intentionally misinterpreting statistics. Yes, POC are more likely to lose their homes in foreclosure but it's not the fault of appraisers. It's a fact POC make less income than whites. People with less money buy less expensive homes. Politicians should fix the income inequality if they really care about POC. They won't because that's too hard and it's easier to blame appraisers. Because of income inequality POC have less wealth, fewer assets, higher debt and no generational wealth. They generally put a low down payment with the help of government loans. They were also encouraged by the government to get student loans to "get an education to increase income and wealth" which hasn't worked. They just ended up more in debt. The government is actually the one making these people more poor by causing them to lose what little money they have.

When these people refinance, they take out and spend all their home equity while increasing their monthly payment sometimes above their ability to easily repay it. The government even tells them it's a great way to get rid of expensive credit card debt which encourages more credit card debt. Values go down and they owe more than the home is worth. When you have no emergency savings, other assets, home equity and have an emergency, you will lose your home in foreclosure.

It's not the fault of appraisers! Politicians, other say these lies to win votes and support from POC and low income people. They created this non existent racial problem just so they can say "I alone can fix it." They hire like minded people to run HUD and other government programs. These people encourage and spread the false "government backed" narrative. They promote Andre Perry's fake "paper" about racial disparity in home ownership. Years back we were just "deal killers." Now we're all allegedly "racists." 

The "racist old white male real estate appraiser" is a false narrative. The public doesn't seem to realize the real correlation between race and home valuation is race = income = wealth = value of home you can afford to buy and own. It's not race = home value made by racist old white male appraiser. The causation of the value of black, brown owned homes is INCOME and not RACE as proven by independent research by AEI and others. Same goes with cars. More white people own expensive cars than black, brown for same reason. Maybe they should blame Kelly Blue Book for the difference in values between a mint 2022 Rolls Royce and a 1985 Ford Escort in poor condition with 300,000 miles. Maybe Kelly Blue Book should be called a RACIST instead of a software program. The data people cite in this case didn't even come from old white male appraisers. It's a software program that doesn't know race or color. People just prefer to believe their house is worth less only because of a racist old white male appraiser. If people want to fix the problem, fix the income gap between white and black, brown. Attacking appraisers doesn't solve the problem. #realestateappraiser #falsenarrative #homevalue #homevaluation #realestateappraisal #race #income #wealth #generationalwealth 


Cummins Real Estate Services, American Enterprise Institute, #appraisersblogs #marycummins #realestateappraiser #realestateappraisal #AEI #HUD #appraisers #discrimination


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