Business

Many appraisers are setting their rates by guessing or copying competitors. Figuring your exact hourly rate is critical to your success. Click to view..

Over the last couple of months, as I’ve been dealing with analyzing, publicizing, and trying to affect the final “look and feel” of the HVCC, I’ve been surprised frankly at the near-irrational venom directed by appraisers toward mortgage brokers. Click to view..

In November of 2007, we revealed DaVinci as the newest member of our product line. Since that announcement, thousands of appraisers across the country have downloaded and installed DaVinci, making it their primary sketcher for report creation. We’re thrilled with the adoption and usage of the product. Click to view..

In this reprint from Brian Davis's AppraisalScoop.com, Kat Davis gives an excellent lesson in building dynamic charts in MS Excel from raw market data. Click to view..

With the price of fuel soaring through the roof, every appraiser is looking for ways to economize and save money, especially when it comes to gas. Today I’ll share my “secret weapon” for fuel savings; a way to save gas each and every time you head out to the field for an inspection. It’s CoPilot® from ALK Technologies. Click to view..

In order to integrate DaVinci Mobile Pro into my workflow, I recently purchased the Lenovo ThinkPad X61 convertible tablet PC. Click to view..

I have spent over twenty years reviewing appraisals for a variety of reasons. But my experience as a member of the New Jersey Board of Real Estate Appraisers was a real eye opener. Click to view..

As we’ve reported in previous editions of AppraisalPress, progress on the sixth generation of WinTOTAL, codenamed Armstrong, is well under way. And even in these early stages, it’s already earned the Certified for Windows Vista™ designation. Click to view..

In the May issue, our story “Stealing your signature is easy” opened a lot of eyes and garnered a ton of feedback. Many readers told us they were surprised to learn that PDFs can be easily hacked, and that their data and signature can be lifted or altered easily. And many commented that they’d never considered the notion that a “digital signature” is really nothing more than a picture with no intelligence and no way of being verified. Click to view..

Have you ever lost your wallet? I know I have. And every time I do I go through that same feeling — utter panic. In a careless minute, everything is gone — my driver’s license, all of my credit cards, and money… LOTS and LOTS of money. OK… maybe I made that last part up. Click to view..

In the May issue, our article “Realistic Ways To Cut Costs” highlighted a number of creative ways appraisers are saving money. In continuing with that theme, I wanted to remind WinTOTAL users of two simple ways already at your fingertips to cut down on paper, ink/toner and storage costs. Click to view..

As we said in our May article “31,000 respond to the HVCC,” tens of thousands of appraisers made their voices heard in opposition to the HVCC. You should be congratulated for such a phenomenal response. But the fight is far from over, and there’s still much to be done. Click to view..

As a result of your efforts and our Washington team, we are making progress explaining to Congress the negative impact the current version of the Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC) will have on consumers and independent appraisers. The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO) has heard our message loud and clear: The HVCC needs to be fixed to create a level playing field. The magnitude of the issue means that we have to press on and make sure we get a fair hearing and amend the HVCC. Click to view..

No matter where you live or what committees your members of Congress may be on, it’s essential that you contact your Representative and both Senators immediately and make your opinion heard on the HVCC and legislation affecting you. Click to view..

I’ve been fascinated with politics since I was in the second grade. I remember our teacher even conducted a mini-election. Who wouldn’t be fascinated with the political events of those days? It was 1968. Bobby Kennedy was assassinated and the last chance to implement many of his brother’s policies died along with him. Click to view..

In the last issue, we discussed the size of the overall appraisal fee business in the lead article (“How Big is the Appraisal Pie?”). Logically, the next step is to consider what amount of damage is done to that market by the HVCC. Click to view..

For perhaps the first time since the S & L crisis of the 1980’s, appraisers are faced with an alphabet soup of proposed regulations which will dramatically and permanently alter the valuation industry landscape. But unlike the S & L crisis, appraisers and others are forming political, legal, and business assault teams and preparing for a long, painful fight over the HVCC, as well as other real estate reform bills. Click to view..

I developed an Expert Market system several years ago utilizing a diminishing rate of return engine. I remember demonstrating it to the Appraisal Standards Committee of the Appraisal Institute. They were very impressed with it, but didn't know quite what to do with it; neither did I. Since then I have experimented with artificial intelligence, and regression analysis. Click to view..

While the URAR form provides for the appraiser’s observations, the challenge is not the answers inside the boxes, but what is being asked … outside the boxes. Click to view..

Like many of you, I’m at the age where I have two driving teenagers now: A son who’s 18 and about to graduate from high school, and a daughter who just turned 16 a few months ago. Click to view..