New, Tougher Appraisal Guidelines Are Coming Soon, Courtesy Of Fannie Mae And Freddie Mac!

February 28, 2014

Taken from an excerpt written by Hank Miller, SRA

   

While you slept, the appraisal industry had yet another “check” placed upon it: Collateral Underwriting. Weeks into it appraisers are adjusting, but the warnings are clear; appraisers must have justification for everything in the report. Opinions? Fuggettaboutit – did you agents and sellers hear that?

Regulations state that appraisal adjustments cannot be based upon an appraiser’s opinion. According to federal and state law, adjustments must be based on support and evidence – proof if you will, and an appraiser’s opinion is not considered to be “support.” Many appraisers have failed to support their adjustments and as a result have had their licenses revoked, penalties assessed and lawsuits lost, all because the they failed to understand a single but important requirement. – Richard Hagar, SRA

So what’s the impact on home buyers and sellers AND agents? It’s pretty simple and the basic tenant hasn’t changed – provide tangible data to support value and adjustment positions. What has changed, is the noose that’s even tighter on appraisers. Fannie Mae defines Collateral Underwriting as:

Collateral Underwriter (CU) is a proprietary model-driven tool developed by Fannie Mae that provides an automated appraisal risk assessment to support proactive management of appraisal quality. Fannie Mae will make CU available in 2015 to provide transparency and help lenders more effectively and efficiently identify issues with appraisals.

In case you missed it, reread the first sentence and note the word “automated”. The marble mouthed government speak is best said as “appraisals will be reviewed by software to validate adjustments and comparable selection”.  Boil it down even further, most understand a “zesstimate” and most are also annoyed when they complete one on their home. A zestimate is an AVM – defined as:

Automated valuation model (AVM) is the name given to a service that can provide real estate property valuations using mathematical modelling combined with a database. Most AVMs calculate a property’s value at a specific point in time by analyzing values of comparable properties.

Right. In simple terms, it’s a computer program that “analyzes” data to arrive at an estimated market value. There are obvious fundamental flaws using computers for this – real estate is perhaps the most unique entity in the world, no two parcels or homes are alike and conditions behind a sale are never the same.

So if you as a seller or your agent feel that changing the cabinet pulls adds $7500 or replacing the gold “brass look” ’88 bathroom strip light adds $2000, bring something to support that. That condo on the 10th floor is worth $75000 more than the same exact units on the 5th and 6th floor? Support it.

The idea that “checks” are going to be made by computer programs is completely asinine – the unique nature of real estate precludes this type of blanket research. However, the appraisal organizations allowed this to occur and this has been in motion for years. Collateral Underwriting involves more than this but the end result is clear: an appraiser’s opinion, agent’s opinion or seller’s opinion is not considered to be “support”.

 

Kristen Haynes, Broker In Charge, Realtor, NC / SC, GC, CMRS

Says Kristen from New Home Buyers Brokers / Realty Pros, www.NewHomesNC-SC.com: “I would argue appraisals in truth serve no purpose in residential real estate transactions. Market value is and should be defined as what a ready, willing and able buyer will pay for the property. Appraisals have always served only one, true purpose: to supply the bank a scapegoat if they end up foreclosing and then can’t get the property sold for what’s left outstanding on the mortgage. Yet, “Automated Appraisal “reviews are allowed, and even encouraged? Don’t make me laugh- they are as pointless as automated estimates of value (think Zillow’s Zestimates)-utterly worthless. Just sayin’. we have been fighting low ball appraisals for years after the banking fall out, due to Appraisers not wanting to get in trouble with the feds due to what was the new federal HVCC rules (we call in HAVOC in the business). We have a socialistic system that doen’t allow lenders to choose the best, local or most experienced appraisers- we have appraisers sfrom Salisbury chosen to come down into Indian Land, or appraisers who don’t know how to value new construction doing appraisals that they can’t “find comps” for (call the builder, most “to-be-builts” never hit the MLS, as they are built for a particular homeowner, unless they are a “spec” or cancelled contract. So now, more regulations, when we are just starting to see Appraisals get more realistic?” What’s your opinion?

          

FANNIE MAE IS NOW GIVING AWAY A FREE 3.50 % DOWN PAYMENT FOR A LIMITED TIME TO HOME BUYERS WHO QUALIFY!

 FANNIE MAE IS OFFERING A FREE 3.50% DOWN PAYMENT (AND OTHER INCENTIVES) FOR A VERY LIMITED TIME!

Please distribute to your network, so as many people as possible have the opportunity to benefit from this unique, one-time deal, never before offered by the federal government!

To reduce its inventory of foreclosed homes, Fannie Mae is now offering qualified owner-occupant purchasers cash incentives toward closing costs in the amount of 3.5% of the purchase price of a home!

By Kenneth R. Harney February 27, 2014, 5:00 a.m.

WASHINGTON — If you’re planning to shop for a home in the next few weeks, here’s an early spring buying season come-on that just might save you some money if you qualify. Fannie Mae, the largest mortgage investor in the country, has a bulging portfolio of houses acquired through foreclosures nationwide. About 31,000 of these properties are listed on its resale marketing site.

To move them quickly out of inventory, Fannie Mae temporarily is offering qualified owner-occupant purchasers — but not investors until after a waiting period — cash incentives toward closing costs of 3.5% of the purchase price. But you have to submit your initial offer no later than March 31 and close by May 31.

What sort of houses are we talking about? Have your Realtor send you information or go to: www.homepath.com and you’ll see. They run the gamut — from a one-bedroom condo in San Diego to a four-bedroom, four-bath single-family home in suburban Montgomery Village, Md. Some states have thousands of HomePath listings online: Florida has nearly 12,000; Illinois, 4,360; Ohio, 2,800; California, more than 2,300; Washington state, nearly 1,800; and Nevada, about 1,400.

Asking prices range from $30,000 to $600,000 or more. On a $400,000 house, the 3.5% closing cost incentive would amount to $14,000. • Also • Finding ways to help young adults make their first home purchases • Strategies for getting a mortgage amid tougher federal rules • Mortgage servicer shenanigans keep consumer watchdogs busy. To ensure that buyers who intend to occupy its homes get an opportunity to fully check them out and bid without competition from investment groups offering all-cash deals, Fannie has instituted what it calls a First Look program. It essentially prohibits bids from investors on properties during the first 20 days after listing (30 days in Nevada).

After that, investors are free to jump in. Each First Look listing has a countdown clock attached to it that indicates the number of days remaining before bidding is opened to all comers. The new 3.5% closing cost offer is available only during active First Look periods from mid-February through March, so there’s not a lot of time to get involved. Bidders will need to indicate upfront that they want to be considered for a closing-cost discount. Who is eligible? First, you’ve got to be a bona fide owner-occupant purchaser and commit to live in the house as a primary residence for at least a year.

You’ll need to fill out a certification to that effect that can be found on the site. Properties are not available in all states. You don’t have to be a first-time buyer, though the Fannie program is likely to attract substantial numbers of them. The 3.5% closing cost discount helps with one of the biggest problems faced by first-timers — upfront cash. As with most home purchases, you’ll need to be able to qualify for mortgage financing. Though Fannie may end up owning or securitizing the loan you obtain, it won’t be financing you directly.

On HomePath purchases, you shop for a mortgage just as you would on any other house. Ideally, you nail down a financing source and get prequalified for mortgage money up to a specific dollar limit at current interest rates. If you’ve already located a First Look property and qualify, the lender is likely to take the 3.5% closing cost incentive into consideration in evaluating your application.

While you shop on HomePath, however, keep this important factor in mind: These are foreclosed, previously occupied homes. Though some of them are repaired, painted and spiffed up before they are listed, many could use some additional work. They are sold “as is” and that’s built into the pricing. Fannie identifies what it calls “improved” properties on the HomePath site — those that have undergone significant repairs — with either the “Home Depot” logo (when repairs have been made by contractors from that company) or a hammer and roof symbol (when repairs have been completed by independent contractors hired by Fannie).

Your Realtor will help you make a bid on the property of your choice. It’s best to use the service of an experienced Realtor due to the myriad of contract provisions that need to be met throughout the process (like home inspections, de-winterizing a property for inspections, using an approved lender and attorney, etc). You may also want to check out other sources for distressed properties with your Realtor, such as HUD homes: www.HUD.gov.

Your Realtor / Broker will be experienced with distressed properties, such as foreclosures, pre-foreclosures, and HUD homes, and will be a vital resource to help you navigate through the maze of these type of purchases (one thing is for sure- these deals do not work like “normal” home purchases).

If you can’t find the First Look house you want, don’t give up. Freddie Mac, the other giant federal mortgage investor, also has thousands of foreclosed homes that it’s trying to dispose of — and its own First Look program — at its Home Path marketing site. Though Freddie Mac currently has no closing cost incentive offer, it does provide a $500 allowance toward the purchase of a home warranty policy, and it promotes special mortgage financing options on houses in some areas. If you qualify, that could mean a loan with no mortgage insurance, no appraisal and a 5% maximum down payment.

Want to know how much home you can qualify to buy? Contact Jenny Stoner or Kim Venable of Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation: http://fairwaync.com

These are definitely worth checking out, whether you are on the fence about buying a home, or you are a seasoned investor looking for an extra-special deal!

Contact me for a list of properties in your area:

Direct: 704-905-4062 or Toll-Free: 1-877-372-2252.

Kristen Haynes, Realtor, BIC, GC, CMRS New Home Buyers Brokers / Realty Pros

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Email: khaynes@newhomesnc-sc.com

Web: http://newhomesnc-sc.com

          

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VT-dxbePQs&feature=youtu.be

Broker In Charge, Unlimited Building General Contractor, Certified Military Residential Specialist
Boards: 2009-2014, Professional Standards Committee, Charlotte Regional Realtor Association
2008-2009, Independent Broker Owner Council, Charlotte Regional Realtor Association
Member: Charlotte Regional Multiple Listing Service,Charleston-Trident Multiple Listing Service, National Association of Realtors, National HUD Broker, Charlotte Regional Realtor Association, NC Licensing Board for General Contractors, BBB. EHO