Around The Web

By blane@housingwire.com Class Valuation, a growing appraisal management company that recently changed its name from Class Appraisal, is investing in a tech company called InsideMaps to bring digital imaging and 3D mapping to the home appraisal process. According to the companies, Class Valuation made an equity investment in InsideMaps, which has developed technology to generate 3D tours and models of …

By Matthew Graham Posted To: MBS Commentary As we watched bond markets sell-off abruptly last week, the best case scenario would have been that the selling was overdone and that we would soon be settling-in to the wider sideways range we expected to see in early March. Why did we expect a wider sideways range? Simply put, the consolidation range …

By Matthew Graham Posted To: Mortgage Rate Watch Mortgage rates finally caught their breath today after rising quickly in the second half of last week. Specifically, the average lender managed to avoid getting any worse. Considering the past few business days, that’s a victory. But is it as much of a victory as the underlying bond market suggests? Bonds dictate …

By Jann Swanson Posted To: MND NewsWire The Census Bureau, still playing catch-up from the partial government shutdown , has released its monthly construction spending report for December 2018. Expenditures for all types of construction were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1.293 trillion during the month, 0.6 percent less than the revised November estimate of $1.301 trillion. The …

Some within the appraisal industry feel the guidelines appraisers must adhere to, as well as the intense regulatory environment; can be burdensome in today’s changing appraisal industry. Is it time for USPAP to reflect emerging trends which are starting to impact on the use of conventional appraisal services? Valuation Review spoke with Allstate Appraisal’s Steven S. Albert for his answer …

Working with an Appraisal Institute (AI) Designated Member can benefit homeowners. Such benefits are evident for homeowners who choose to appeal their property tax assessments. What, specifically must homeowners be award of when it comes making their appeals? Read on to find out, and hear what the AI president had to say on this matter. Via:: AI: Qualified appraisers key …

The American Society of Appraisers (ASA) is concerned. The ASA was deeply disappointed to learn that federal banking agencies rejected a request by numerous groups – including ASA – to hold a public hearing regarding the proposed increase in the residential appraisal threshold to $400,000. Read on to learn more and hear from both the ASA international president and the …

Although only a minority of Americans say they are “very likely” to recommend their bank, they tend to stay with them out of convenience and trust, according to respondents who participated in Fannie Mae’s third quarter 2018 National Housing Survey. Read on to learn more. Via:: Fannie: Banks’ online services appreciated, big tech competitors loom