Appraisal & Consulting

Collateral Underwriter - Fannie Mae's new tool

There will be many articles written about the new Collateral Underwriter tool being implemented by Fannie Mae. According to a letter sent to...

President's message: A full schedule of education

The first month of Spring on the Celtic calendar. One trip to the Emerald Isle and you will understand how February 1st is an inflection poi...

The long awaited collateral underwriter has arrived

The long awaited or perhaps dreaded lender letter from Fannie Mae regarding the collateral underwriter (CU) was sent out to lenders last wee...

Volatility and stability in the securities market in 2015

The experts and pundits have been forecasting ongoing volatility in the securities market resulting from a variety of forces. Many have char...

Z to A: Zoning to accessory unit for appraisers

According to MLS Property Information there are approximately 200 single family dwellings with an "accessory apartment" that are either curr...

First HVCC, then MC1004, then UAD, now CU - When will the acronyms cease?

As of 1/26/15, Collateral Underwriter (CU) is now a fact in the marketplace. What is it? It's a "proprietary appraisal risk assessment appl...

Over supply of apartments: Home ownership to the rescue

Exactly three years ago, I wrote an article for NEREJ questioning whether the millennial generation had permanently shifted to rental apartm...

CRE Message: Pricing and capital flows still strong

Broach the subject of commercial real estate values these days and you will likely get a host of reactions ranging from laughter to knitted ...

Act 250: Vermont's state-wide land use law

Almost all municipalities have zoning ordinances that control the legal use of the land and define minimum requirements for development in l...

President's message: Embrace Appraisal Institute

Time to brush up on the writing skills. I will try to avoid the bullet points and snippets we have all become so accustomed to in our every ...