There are many changes within the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac guidelines which are causing some confusion in the Real Estate and Finance Industry. Let’s see if this brief list will help clear up some common questions or concerns.
One of the new requirements is banks, mortgage companies or lenders are required to receive a copy of a real estate purchase contract and all addendums associated with the contract prior to completing an appraisal report. Why this wasn’t a guideline from the beginning is beyond me. Any amendments to the purchase contract prior to the appraisal must be submitted to the appraisal company immediately.
Appraisals that only value a portion of a parcel are forbidden. The comparative market analysis by the appraiser has to include the entire parcel of the subject property or parcel of land. The key word here is “entire”.
Sellers beware! If you thought the foreclosed property next door in your neighborhood was not included in the market value of your home, think again. REO’s, short sales and foreclosed homes now have to be considered by the appraiser in determining the market value of your home. The appraisal companies in the past were ignoring the REO’s, short sales and foreclosures.
When information about values within a neighborhood is provided by someone who has a financial interest in the transaction, the appraiser must verify this information with a third party who is “arms-length” from the transaction. One would think this would be common sense.
Any structural defects or abnormal repairs found with a property must be corrected before an appraisal company finalizes the market value of a home or parcel. FHA created the 203K loan to address these concerns.
If management in the appraisal company has an “employee” complete an appraisal, before management or a review appraiser can sign off on the appraisal, they must complete their own inspection on the property. Management cannot depend solely on the “employees” expertise.
Since this downturn in the real estate market, the Home Valuation Code was amended to cease “favoritism” or the “influence” of market values. Protecting the consumer was also taken into consideration. These are positive changes but I still foresee this putting a damper on the timeline that it takes to close a transaction.