Real Estate Appraisers

Environmental Due Diligence

In 1994 Fannie Mae formally introduced environmental due diligence to the appraisal industry- so what has changed? The Appraisal Journal (January 1995), published by the Appraisal Institute, included an article that reviewed what was then new environmental reporting requirements put in place by Fannie Mae and the new Uniform Residential Appraisal Report (URAR) form (effective January… Read More

Readers Respond

Readers Respond Fighting Your Way off Blacklist After reading your article, I am in the process of trying to make the same complaint to see if it gets me anywhere. They (very large bank) don’t give you a chance to rebut or even threaten you.  They simply send you a letter stating you have been placed… Read More

From the Publisher

From the Publisher Moving Ahead According to our How’s Business? survey (click for results), most appraisers are as busy or busier than last year. There’s still a lot of grumbling on the blogs but the silent majority seem to be back to work. Most appraisers we talk to at OREP, to place their insurance, tell… Read More

Calculating Diminution of a Contaminated Property

If you are appraising an environmentally contaminated property, you may need to consider more than just the cost of remediation (cost to cure). The property may suffer from stigma associated with the contamination. Stigmatized properties can take months and even years to recover from a blighted image. The Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal (USPAP) describe stigma… Read More