• Approved appointments to the recently created University Relations Committee;
• Approved an appointment to fill a vacancy on the Women’s Initiative Committee; and
• Approved the transfer of funds from AI’s reserve fund to its operating fund.

Craig Steinley, MAI, SRA, AI-GRS, AI-RRS, of Rapid City, South Dakota, was nominated for 2021 Appraisal Institute vice president by the AI National Nominating Committee at its May 6 meeting, which was held via videoconference due to the coronavirus pandemic.

National Nominating Committee Chair Stephen S. Wagner, MAI, SRA, AI-GRS, submitted the committee’s nomination to the AI Board of Directors at its May 7 meeting. Board members may file petitions for additional nominees in accordance with the Appraisal Institute Bylaws. The AI Board of Directors is expected to elect the 2021 vice president at its Aug. 5-6 meeting.

The Appraisal Institute is devoted to helping appraisers reach their highest potential and making sure they have all the knowledge needed to work in the valuation profession, according to the latest video from the organization. In the video, Tonia Vailas, MAI, AI-GRS, and Michael V. Tankersley, MAI, SRA, AI-GRS, AI-RRS, share their experiences working with trainees.

These appraisers discuss what steps they are taking to make sure their trainees succeed in the profession and the best ways that trainees can find licensed appraisers to work alongside.

President Trump on April 24 signed the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, bipartisan legislation that provides $320 billion in additional funding for small businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The Small Business Administration started accepting applications April 27, and already has approved more than 100,000 loans.

Read more here.

Federal banking regulators last week moved to allow banks to delay getting an appraisal on a property for as many as 120 days after a mortgage closes, and now, credit unions can do the same thing.

In order to “allow credit unions to expeditiously extend liquidity to creditworthy households and businesses in light of recent strains on the U.S. economy as a result of the National Emergency declared in connection with coronavirus disease,” the National Credit Union Administration will allow credit unions to postpone obtaining an appraisal until four months after a mortgage closes.

Be sure to attend this week's AI Answers, a one-hour Facebook Live session on current affairs affecting appraisers. Adam Johnston, SRA, AI-RRS, of Genworth Mortgage Insurance, will discuss strengths and weaknesses of residential appraisal virtual inspection applications, and Justin Glasser, MAI, of Cushman & Wakefield Valuation and Advisory, will address impairment accounting considerations. 

The Appraisal Institute’s April 17, 2020, webinar featured about a dozen nationally recognized commercial real estate experts who addressed changing market conditions during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Click here or below to view.

The North Carolina Chapter of the Appraisal Institute (NCAI) continues to monitor developments regarding the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak. The health and safety of our members and event participants is of the highest importance and we are taking this outbreak very seriously.  

In an effort for us all to stay informed, NCAI has created a COVID-19 Resources Webpage that provides the latest news regarding the COVID-19 situation at the state, national, and industry levels. 

The Appraisal Institute issued guidance cultivated from its Professional Practice staff on March 16 to help AI professionals and other real estate valuers serve their clients during the rapidly evolving global coronavirus pandemic.

“Appraisers should take care not to put themselves in harm’s way while completing their assignments,” the guidance said, which directed appraisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s current risk assessment.

The Appraisal Institute announced March 18 that it is aggressively engaging all primary appraisal policy makers to help guide appraisers during the coronavirus pandemic. AI expects some guidance to be released as early as this week about exterior-only and/or desktop appraisals for loans sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Representatives of the Appraisal Institute have raised appraisers’ concerns regarding property inspections and appraisal waivers and exemptions, seeking a measured or balanced approach to risk mitigation.

So far, most policy discussions have focused on credit issues over collateral concerns and on servicing over loan purchasing issues to keep people who will be facing financial hardship in their homes during the coming weeks and months. The Federal Housing Finance Agency, which oversees Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, has begun to engage on appraisal-related issues with many additional issues requiring solutions, including determining how loans will close in areas where courthouses are closed and there are no e-closing procedures, a situation that reportedly affects 20% of the country.

Click here to read more.

By Michael Tucker

The real estate impact of coronavirus will likely be limited in the short-term, but it could grow should the virus aggressively spread, analysts said.

In AI’s latest video, three Designated Members share how receiving an AI designation has enhanced their career.

Leslie P. Sellers, MAI, SRA, AI-GRS, discusses how a designation can provide knowledge, resources and networking opportunities to help valuation professionals remain successful.

The Appraisal Institute and its professionals were mentioned in more than 1,500 news stories in the last six months of 2019, with an audience of nearly 2 billion. The Appraisal Institute’s latest video outlines that coverage.

As the nation’s largest professional association of real estate appraisers, the Appraisal Institute continues to position its individuals as the go-to source for information on real property valuation.

2020 Appraisal Institute President Jefferson L. Sherman, MAI, AI-GRS, outlines the organization’s priorities for the year in AI’s latest video.

The Appraisal Institute will host its Annual Conference Aug. 3-5, 2020, in Orlando, Florida. This event promises to be a fantastic opportunity for valuation professionals to learn, network and have fun. Watch the Appraisal Institute’s latest video to learn more about the valuation profession’s biggest event of the year.

Real estate professionals from around the world are invited to join and:

On January 8, 2020, the Appraisal Institute honored Sheri Colvin, MAI, with the Volunteer of Distinction Award. The Appraisal Institute’s recognition program honors volunteers for their service to the Appraisal Institute, to the real estate valuation profession and to their local communities.

Sheri Colvin, MAI, has been appraising since 1994, and was the 2019 president of the North Carolina Chapter of the Appraisal Institute. She is a founder and principal with Colvin, Sutton, Winters and has been with the company since its inception in 2006. She is a graduate of the University of N.C. at Greensboro, holds an N.C. State Certified General appraiser license, an NC Real Estate Broker license, and the MAI designation from the Appraisal Institute. For the North Carolina chapter of the Appraisal Institute, she currently serves on the Executive Board as well as chairing and participating in various committees. Other associations include being a guest speaker for the 2013 annual CCIM Triad Market Forecast, former board member of the local chapter of CREW (Commercial Real Estate Women), former LDAC participant/chapter representative through the Appraisal Institute (Leadership Development and Advisory Council), and current member of TREBIC (Triad Real Estate & Building Industry Coalition).

Four Appraisal Institute Designated Members shares why they think others should consider pursuing a designation in AI’s latest video.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today issued a Request for Input (RFI) about Fannie Mae’s and Freddie Mac’s (the Enterprises’) pooling practices for the formation of “To-Be-Announced” (TBA)-eligible Uniform Mortgage-Backed Securities (UMBS).  FHFA is also seeking public input about other policies and practices that might affect UMBS fungibility, including the Enterprises’ oversight of UMBS prepayment speeds and alignment.

This RFI follows on the successful launch of UMBS and seeks to ensure that UMBS remain a source of stable, affordable liquidity for the U.S. housing finance system.  The requested input will help FHFA determine whether further action or alignment is necessary to ensure reasonably consistent security cash flows and continued fungibility of the Enterprises’ UMBS.

Click here to read more.

The North Carolina Chapter of the Appraisal Institute would like to inform our members that Governor Roy Cooper has appointed Lynn Carmichael, MAI, and Claire Aufrance, MAI, SRA, to the North Carolina Appraisal Board. We congratulate both Lynn and Claire on their appointments and we thank them for their willingness to be leaders in the appraisal industry. We wish them all the best in their endeavor to promote the highest standards for real estate appraisal practice for the protection of the public trust. 

Click here to read more.

Hiring a Designated Member of the Appraisal Institute can provide a broad range of benefits to commercial and residential clients, the president of the nation’s largest professional association of real estate appraisers said today.

“When hiring a valuation professional, clients should first understand the role of an appraiser,” said Appraisal Institute President Stephen S. Wagner, MAI, SRA, AI-GRS. “The appraiser’s role is to provide objective, impartial and unbiased opinions about the value of real property — helping those who own, manage, sell, invest in and lend money on the security of real estate.”