Dealing with Appraisals: Regulations and Requirements

Date:

Mar 6, 2020

The past few years have seen significant developments in real estate appraisals and evaluation rules and regulations. Revised Interagency Guidelines and new rules under Reg Z have been issued, and we've seen additional requirements finalized recently due to Dodd-Frank. Just in the last six months we’ve seen significant proposed and final regulations changing some thresholds and proposing some additional exceptions from the requirement. In some cases (called "flipping transactions"), lenders will even have to obtain two appraisals on the same property for one loan.

Because breakdowns in appraisal practices have been partly blamed for the mortgage crisis, regulators raised their expectations; lenders' appraisal and evaluation programs must include more elements than ever before. Some themes now emphasized by the agencies are independence of the appraiser, and evaluator, reviews, and qualifications.

There are also restrictions against using AVMs (automated valuation models), BPOs (broker price opinions), and tax valuations that have upset many in the industry.

Do you know the requirements? We'll provide in-depth details of the appraisal and valuation process, from both the lender and appraiser side of the game, to provide a thorough understanding of what is required and what you need.