"As of September 1, 2011 appraisals will change drastically. We now must complete appraisals in what is defined as UAD or Uniform Appraisal Dataset format. This is a GSE Fannie, Freddie requirement." I saw this blog just this morning posted by Bobbie Smith, a Realtor up in the Poconos. An appraiser in her area, Mary Thompson, was giving her a "heads up" about new appraisal rules coming this September that will make all our lives even more challenging. As a result of the difficult housing market of the past few years, appraisals are the most difficult part of every real estate transaction.
"What does this mean for you?The new reports will look foreign to you and your clients with all the codes we have to use in the reports, so you will have to be versed on what the codes mean. Instead of the old days where we described a property as being Good in condition or Good in Quality of Construction, we will now be using codes such as Q=3 and C-2, etc. It will be far less user friendly to read and more automated system friendly. Fannie and Freddie want consistency across the board for all appraisals nationwide and the codes are the way they are trying to get this accomplished. They have clearly defined what Fair, Poor, Average, Good, Very Good and Excellent Quality and Condition should entail. No more leeway in how appraisers determine this on their own. Lenders are also gearing up for uniform delivery of their loan packages and the UAD is part of this whole process." READ MORE