Appraisal Expert

Government watchdog says licensing agencies are hoarding money. The agencies that license real estate agents and appraisers in the state of Texas are ignoring a customer service “crisis” while hoarding money that could be used to address a laundry list of problems, a Texas government watchdog recently said. The Texas Sunset Commission, a state government watchdog agency that advises the state’s legislature on the effectiveness of state agencies, said in a report published this month that the Texas Real Estate Commission and the Texas Appraiser Licensing and Certification Board are keeping excess revenue in their coffers to pay for a new building rather than using the money to deal with customer service problems that are “overwhelming” the agencies. According to the Sunset Commission report, the Texas Real Estate Commission has not kept up with the state’s booming housing market. The report states that from 2013 to 2017, the number of Texas Real Estate Commission licensees gr...

Effective August 7th 2018, Fannie Mae released an update stating the 1004MC form is no longer required. The 1004MC form was introduced to standardize appraiser reporting and analysis of market conditions after the 2008 housing crisis. Though the form is no longer a Fannie Mae requirement, they’ve released the following note: “Appraisers remain responsible for analyzing market conditions and accurately reporting them in the Neighborhood section of our appraisal forms.” Click here to view the full update from Fannie Mae. Source: This news was first published at CoesterVMS.net , which is an official blog of CoesterVMS , appraisal management company in USA .

The tiny home trend happened for various reasons. The millennials are one of the most prominent home buying groups, and they are leading the market toward the more sustainable construction, which includes downsizing. Also, they prefer living in urban areas over large suburban houses. Furthermore, the generation of baby boomers is making their way into retirement and replacing their family homes with two-person apartments. However, moving into a small apartment doesn’t mean you have to feel cramped and imprisoned. There are ways to make a tiny space more functional and create an illusion of spaciousness, which will open it up and make your life more comfortable. Banish The Clutter Piles of disorganized things can make even the most enormous room feel constricted, and they can be devastating for small spaces. To get rid of the junk that is taking up your space, analyze which things are a priority for you, and which can go away. You can organize a garage sale to sell the extra stuff, ...

A companion series to Channel 5’s “Nightmare Tenants, Slum Landlords”, the latest series of “Bad Tenants, Rogue Landlords” delves into the problems that can surround private renting, and brings to light the issue of fake tenant references. Presenting some of the worst cases of nightmare tenants who leave houses in terrible conditions and don’t pay rent, and landlords who let out uninhabitable properties, the programmes aired on Channel 5 arguably do not accurately portray the private rented sector in the UK. The vast majority of landlords work hard to ensure their properties are fit for habitation, carry out maintenance and repairs and do not break the law, while most tenants who have passed their reference checks keep up with rental payments and uphold their side of the tenancy agreement. However, one issue the programme does bring to light is the danger of fake tenant references, which eviction specialist and founder of Landlord Action Paul Shamplina believes is becoming mo...