The “New Language” of Appraisal

The one true constant in our industry is change.  As real estate agents, you have a comprehensive understanding of your market, and you fully describe the properties you list, market and sell. You can identify the components for condition and quality as good, average and poor.  You can define a view and its perception in the market. And, you know how to read the grid section of an appraisal, and comprehend and identify with the comments.

As we all know, when you throw a stone in the water, you get a ripple effect, which in this case will be referred to as the Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD), the “new language” of appraisal. This ripple will require a new understanding of the definitions and terms utilized in an appraisal that will code the quality and condition rating of a property. There will be new codes and abbreviations for rooms below grade, view and location codes. One and two story descriptions of the design/style of a home will be a thing of the past; now it will be architectural descriptions only. 61 different fields on four different appraisal report forms will reflect these new changes.

The Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD) is the “big news” in the appraisal and lending world today. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have established a specific set of responses that all appraisers will be required to comply with for any appraisal being submitted to the secondary market. The intent is to support consistent appraisal reporting, regardless of the geographic location of the property or any localized reporting conventions, by clarifying vague data currently utilized in the typical appraisal report.  

Effective September 1, 2011, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are set to roll out the Uniform Mortgage Data  Program (UMDP) creating a uniform approach for receiving and handling appraisal data with the intent to improve the quality and consistency of appraisal data on loans delivered to the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs). This standardization was mandated at the direction of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) to improve operational efficiencies and to require appraisers, lenders, and appraisal management companies to conform to the new standardized requirements. HUD/FHA has also indicated they will be implementing the Uniform Appraisal Dataset later this year.

For more specific information about the “New Language” of appraisal, visit Fannie Mae’s website at www.efanniemae.com. Then, search for the Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD). Once there, click “UAD Field-Specific Standardization Requirements,” and print pages 34 – 37 for a useful reference of the codes and definitions. As a Certified Appraiser and Vice President of the Rose City Chapter of NAIFA, I encourage you to contact a Board Member or your NAIFA Appraiser at www.ifanw.com for additional information.