Thursday, July 16, 2009

Buying a Home? New Appraisal Rules Could Impact You

In the last several years, significant changes have impacted financing for residential real estate. The issue I would like to bring to your attention today could impact the value that will be used to underwrite your loan.The Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC), effective May 1, 2009, governs the way in which appraisals must be ordered for all residential real estate transactions, where the loans are sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.The purpose of this new regulation is to ensure that the value of the home - on which a mortgage is being issued - is arrived at both independently and objectively.While I have traditionally been able to order appraisals directly from local appraisers whom I know are familiar with the neighborhood or region, this legislation will prohibit this practice and will instead randomly assign an appraiser, potentially to someone not in the immediate area. The new legislation also eliminates my ability to discuss the property with the appraiser.As a result, the task of providing information that will help the appraiser arrive at an accurate value now falls upon the seller and the real estate agents involved.While your real estate agent may already be providing this assistance, I thought it would be appropriate to stress how important this becomes in light of HVCC.If any issues occur in arriving at a fair value for your home, I will work with you to resolve them. While I don't expect any problems, being prepared is always a best practice.
Sincerely,
Jeff Eisenberg
Southern Oaks Mortgage, Inc.
661.964.2600
jeff@southernoaksmortgage.com
www.somloans.com
www.loanmanjeff.com

1 comment:

ChrisP said...

Before purchasing a property, primarily secure that you have enough source of income. Be certain that you have sufficient funds on a long-term basis to insure that you'll be capable of paying your monthly amortization.