Episode 133 - Agents Doing The Appraiser's Job Desktop appraisals are becoming more prevalent and will only continue to grow in popularity in the lending world. How will this affect appraisers, agents, and your clients? Be ready to kick in some more work to help get that appraisal done, agents. The road ahead looks a little messy.   SHOW NOTES 03:00 – What is a desktop appraisal? 06:58 – How does the appraiser collect information about the property? 10:38 – What if the public information...

Episode 132 - Tips to Prepare for the Slowdown The slowdown has started. Some of you may have been through this before, but most have not. Are you prepared? You business relies on several pieces that many owners do not take into account. This episode talks about a few items that get missed when you are busy such as budgets, saving, and marketing. There is never a bad time to start any of these. Let’s get on them!   SHOW NOTES 00:50 – Is Brian in the Wizard of Oz? 02:15 – Economic cycles...

Episode 131 - Times Are Changing: Does Down Payment and Concessions Affect Value? The past two years have made selling real estate easy. Wait! That was easy, you ask? It was easy for listing agents to negotiate. Times are changing and negotiations are on their way back. Do you know how to navigate them? Make sure to ask the lender how they will address repairs, concessions, and down payment. The industry is working its way back to normalcy, are you ready?   SHOW NOTES 01:10 – Mark...

Episode 130 - Is YOUR Market Increasing? Headlines and social media are showing all kinds of market changes. Good, bad, ugly – who knows? You do, if you perform your proper due diligence. Don’t quote national and state statistics that are wrong and based upon data that may not be indicative of your local markets. Pay attention to the actual pieces that affect your market and be the expert.   SHOW NOTES 01:40 – Is YOUR market increasing? Talk of inflation, recession, etc. is driving...

Episode 129 - Be Honest. Do Not Be Disingenuous We learned in elementary school that honesty is the best policy. It applies to the real estate world too. Work through solutions by being honest with appraisers, lenders, and agents to close the transaction. That transparency may help the other parties find a way to help work out issues. Hiding information, acting in a deceitful manner, or attempting to trick someone will not end well for your client.   SHOW NOTES 02:30 – CMA done for...

Episode 128 - Who is the Lender Looking Out For? Knowing how to protect your client and your business is critical to future success. Learn the steps and the processes the lender uses to underwrite the appraisal for your client, so your client can make informed decisions. Note: I can’t believe how many times I used the phrase, “Throw them under the bus.” Jeez!!  Ha!!  -Brian   SHOW NOTES 03:00 – Desktop appraisals, hybrid reports, and waivers. 06:20 – Lenders are making decisions based...

Episode 127 - Change Your Mind Brian is back!  What frustrates you may just be yourself. Open yourself to hearing other opinions and change your mind about your ingrained attitudes. The only way to effect a change is to have an understanding of the entire issue. Whether it be personal, business, appraisal, social issues, or anything, the only person you can change is yourself. Do that and find more happiness and success.   SHOW NOTES 00:30 – I’m back. 01:00 – THANK YOU to everyone that...

Episode 126 - Personal Responsibility Personal responsibility. We owe it to ourselves and those that we interact with. Two “events” happened recently, which has affected Brian and sharing can be cathartic and help with healing. How does this translate to you and your life, both personally and professionally.   SHOW NOTES 02:45 – Accusation of racism. 14:00 – Out of Order podcast is no longer happening. 17:40 – Translating Brian’s recent issues can help agents in transactions and in their...

Episode 125 - Racial Bias in Appraisals with Guest Marcus Fillyaw Talking about a difficult topic is always tough. Racism and appraisal is certainly one of those topics. While it is tough to dicuss, and open, honest dialogue must take place if there is to be any solutions or understanding. In this episode, Brian invites Marcus Fillyaw to discuss racial bias and the appraisal industry. The start made both a little nervous, but in the end, they realized the differences really aren’t that...

Episode 124 - B Reaps What He Sows with Lexi and Jackson What better way to keep your legacy than to invite your kids on your podcast show. Be careful what you wish for though, as Brian finds out his kids don’t always go along with his thoughts and sometimes keep him in check.   SHOW NOTES 01:35 – Welcome to Lexi and Jackson. 02:55 – Kids introduce themselves. 04:10 – What is the favorite thing that daddy cooks? 05:50 – What does daddy do for a living? 06:35 – Is daddy smart? Smarter...

Episode 123 - Do you Claim to be a Wise Person? Wisdom comes from the knowledge that you don’t know everything and that there is always more to learn. Even if you are at the top of your game, there something else to consider. Are you truly a wise agent?   SHOW NOTES 05:25 – Even a nuclear scientist doesn’t know everything. 06:50 – Communication is a huge part of wisdom. 07:45 – If you truly know about a subject, you must be able to explain what it is. 08:50 – You must also be open to...

Episode 122 - Why You Should Hire an Appraiser Plain and simple: Liability is increasing for agents on many levels. Hiring an expert has always been the best practice, so consider hiring a competent appraiser for your next   SHOW NOTES 01:40 – Hiring an appraiser is “worth it.” 03:20 – You don’t need to hire an appraiser for every single property, but if something causes concern, it would be a good idea to hire a professional. 05:20 – Just like you would hire an expert for taxes, legal...

Episode 121 - My Way is the Right Way! Featuring Cate Waggoner-Lee There is more than one way to skin a cate (what a gross analogy). Your way might work, but guess what, mine probably does too. Don’t get so ingrained in your position that you miss another perspective. Adjustments, comparables, and value are subjective, so don’t get mad when someone thinks something different than you. It is okay to agree to disagree.   SHOW NOTES 03:10 – Change your attitude. Cate is the softer side of...

Episode 120 - Should an Appraiser be a Licensed Agent? Being agent could give the appraiser a much needed perspective that would be beneficial in the valuation of property. Seeing what buyers and sellers are doing in the market can be invaluable to providing credibility to an appraisal report. You don’t have to sell homes to get a perspective that will set you apart from other introverted appraisers that are stuck in their own bubble.   SHOW NOTES 04:05 – Should an appraiser be a...

Episode 119 - Condos: The Silent Change for 2022 The tragic events of the Florida condo complex in 2021set the stage for some big changes from Fannie Mae regarding requirements for condominium properties. If you are an agent, lender, or appraiser, you should start asking questions and recognize the liability the changes will have to your practice and transactions.   SHOW NOTES 03:07 – June 2021 tragic event with the condo collapse started the changes. 04:35 – Concerns with deferred...

Episode 118 - Adjustment Guidelines A quick note on things to consider when adjusting your comparables. The relationship between them and the sale price may be an indicator of comparability.   SHOW NOTES 02:30 – Old adjustment guidelines. 05:10 – The guidelines do have some relevancy but are not critical to maintain. 06:30 – Why is this important? 08:00 – Explain why you made the adjustment. 09:30 – If you are exceeding the old guidelines, maybe the property is not very comparable.   ...

Episode 117 - Why Doesn't The Appraiser Use My Comparables? This question is asked almost as often as why do appraisals come in low. The best question, why is your comparable worthy of use?   SHOW NOTES 02:40 – The agent can suggest potential comparables. 03:27 – Appraiser: “I can’t use the comparable.” 05:15 – Example of when an appraiser might use your comparable. 06:30 – Explain why the appraiser should use your comparable. 09:10 – Have you given any compelling reason to use your...

Episode 116 - Why Can't We All Just Get Along? The world is an angry place. Take the time to see another perspective and realize there is more than one part of the conversation.   SHOW NOTES 03:10 – It’s tough to think of the other perspective. 06:10 – Will Smith and Chris Rock situation. 07:15 – Agents have disgust for each other. 08:45 – Act like a professional. 09:55 – Take a step back and think about the other side.   BETWEEN THE LINES LINKS Email [email protected]   Web ...

Episode 115 - Where is the Industry Heading? Featuring Steve Crellin Steve Crelling with Yawkey Way Appraisals joins the show again to impart his “wisdom” on various changes in the appraisal industry. We hear his take on where things are heading in our community.   SHOW NOTES 01:55 – Hello Steve. 04:00 – Lender policies are dictating many processes. 07:00 – Changes coming down the pike. 12:25 – The failed execution of Fannie Mae for the ANSI standard. 15:00 – Desktop appraisals. 19:25 –...

Episode 114 - ANSI Standards are HERE! ANSI standards define how residential property should be measured for square footage. Fannie Mae has adopted this standard and it WILL affect agents. Are you ready?   SHOW NOTES 02:15 – What is ANSI? Sets a standard to measure property. This will open more liability to agents. 04:15 – Steve Crellin gave a presentation and reported about agents being mad about these changes. 05:20 – This is how to measure property. It is NOT how to value property....

Episode 113 - Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks Learning new things can be difficult. Especially for Brian when his wife, Cate, joins the show. He will never learn. The real estate industry changes and we all must learn to accept those changes. Old habits do die hard, but to be successful, you must change with it...even if you must do it while kicking and screaming.   SHOW NOTES 01:14 – Welcome back Cate. 03:00 – Teach an old dog new tricks, but Cate is not a dog or old. Steve is the old...

Episode 111 - MLS Sheets: Accuracy Matters Agent’s listing sheets can contain vital information to the other real estate professionals. Be the professional and communicate what your property has and doesn’t have. Help appraisers and other agents understand your listing. It might be a comparable down the road and hurt your next sale if you get it wrong.   SHOW NOTES 02:20 – Brian smacks agents back to earth after telling a story about his daughter. 04:58 – Assessor/public data are wrong a...

Episode 110 - A Word or Three About Basements Listener asked a question about basements. Brian recommends a deeper dive into the components of a basement including its size, amount of finished space, and the level of finish. They all matter to buyers.   SHOW NOTES 03:24 – The details of a basement should matter. 04:36 – Full vs. partial basement regarding its size. 05:56 – Full vs. partial finish regarding finished areas and unfinished areas in the basement. 08:09 – What is the level of...

Episode 109 - Costs Does Not Necessarily Equal Value How many times have you heard that? Too many for me. What does that mean in today’s market with low supply, high demand, rising cost of materials, and lack of skilled labor. Brian thinks cost might equal value in this crazy market.   SHOW NOTES 01:10 – Cost does not necessarily equal value. 02:25 – Supply chain issues and lack of skilled workers have increased costs. 02:50 – Supply and demand between builders and buyers. 04:25 – Buyers...