Appraisal Buzzcast – Details, episodes & analysis

There’s a shortage of affordable housing in the U.S. What can we do about it? The answer seems obvious: Build more houses, fast. 

Easier said than done. We fell behind on home-building after 2008 and never quite caught up. There’s a shortage of labor. Restrictive zoning and archaic codes make it slow, expensive, or even impossible in some places, to come out of the ground with new homes. 

Our guest, Ivan Rupnik, has been thinking about this problem for years. He’s got some ideas that could transform the construction industry and help get millions of new, high-quality homes built much faster. Listen to find out how.

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At The Appraisal Buzzcast, we host weekly interviews with experts and leaders in the appraisal industry who share their insights on current events and hot topics in our field. Subscribe and turn on notifications to catch our episode premieres every Wednesday!

Last fall, we put out a call for nominations for our first inaugural Buzzy Awards. This was the brainchild of Jim Morrison, the producer of this podcast. Jim wanted to recognize appraisers around the country who are innovators, champions of their colleagues, tireless volunteers, and excellent, ethical professionals. These folks inspire us. 

We tallied your votes, and last week, we announced the winners in the Appraisal Buzz newsletter. Between now and Val Expo, we’ll host one of those winners every few weeks on the Buzzcast. In this episode, we’ll introduce the Buzzy Awards Appraiser of the Year. Listen in to find out who it is and why she won.


At The Appraisal Buzzcast, we host weekly interviews with experts and leaders in the appraisal industry who share their insights on current events and hot topics in our field. Subscribe and turn on notifications to catch our episode premieres every Wednesday!

In the 200th episode of the Appraisal Buzzcast, we’re thrilled to finally welcome Tim Andersen of The Appraiser's Advocate to the show! Why is critical thinking such a game-changer in the world of appraisal? How can we expand on the data and tools from technology and make it even better?  Tim shares his insights, experience, and tips for taking your skills to the next level.

Tim's brand-new course on this topic, Objectivity: Market Change and GLA, is happening next Wednesday! Learn more or register here: https://appraiserelearning.com/product/objectivity-market-change-and-gla-live-zoom-class-wednesday-november-6th-2024/

At The Appraisal Buzzcast, we host weekly episodes with leaders and experts in the appraisal industry about current events and relevant topics in our field. Subscribe and turn on notifications to catch our episode premieres every Wednesday!

Two longtime institutions within the real estate appraisal industry – Valuation Expo and the Appraisal Buzz Newsletter & podcast, – have a new owner, effective today.

Joan Trice, who created the two entities and has been a leader in this industry for the better part of three decades, has sold the two businesses to Appraiser eLearning (AEL), an education media publisher with its own growing presence in the industry. AEL is a subsidiary of StoryBoard EMP, whose CEO Jim McLeod negotiated the purchase, in collaboration with AEL officers Hal Humphreys and Bryan Reynolds.

Under the new management team, the staff of both Valuation Expo and Appraisal Buzz will remain in place and no changes are planned to either entity. The next Valuation Expo is scheduled for August 7-9 at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas.

“Joan Trice is one of the most well-known leaders in the real estate appraisal industry, and it will be our honor – and our challenge – to continue these two important resources for the industry,” said McLeod. “Joan has done an incredible job of making both extremely successful, and our team at AEL is uniquely qualified to maintain and build upon that success.”

Trice will continue to be active in the industry. She is the President of the Collateral Risk Network (CRN), a non-profit group that will continue to hold its annual meeting in conjunction with Val Expo. Trice is also CEO of Clearbox, a software database company.

“I love this industry,” Trice said, “And even though I’m a conference junkie and love everything about this business, I have reached the point where I need to scale back, so I have hand-picked my successor. The team at Appraiser eLearning has really impressed me, not only with their continuing education products and communication skills, but also their conference management skills. They bring real energy and a love of this business, and I am confident they will build on the success of these two companies.”

Trice started Val Expo two decades ago, in 2003, and has grown it into one of the most well-attended and highly anticipated education and networking gatherings in the industry. As the industry grew, Trice identified a similar need for a regular – in fact, weekly – communication resource that keep appraisers, lenders, regulators and others up-to-date on this fast-changing business.

Trice noted that AEL’s technological expertise and education focus promise to “raise the bar” for both the conference and the newsletter. “With this change, I will have more time to focus on CRN, and I can tell you I plan to rely on Appraisal Buzz to get the word out, whenever I have news to share,” Trice said. “I am very proud of what we have created and very glad that the new management team plans to keep our team in place. They are rock stars.”

Trice has worked with a four-member team to manage Val Expo and Appraisal Buzz – Jim Morrison, Karen Connolly, Irimar Waters, and Navi Johnson – who all will remain with the organization.

AEL will also continue to partner with the National Association of Appraisers (NAA) as co-host of two annual appraisal conferences, the ACTS Conference held in Sacramento in April 2023, and the Appraisal Summit Conference held in Las Vegas in Septem

Today’s Buzzcast interview is with Brent Jones, CEO of R3 AMC. We discussed racial bias in the appraisal industry and how appraisers can protect themselves in the future from these types of claims.

What are some of the key things regarding E&O insurance that appraisers should be aware of? What are some of the ways that your AMC is promoting education on racial bias? How can I submit a question for the new segment – The Anonymous Appraiser? These questions and much more will be answered between Brent and Jim Morrison as they dive into this subject.

Here is the program for appraisers that are interested in the training he offers: Bias Training for Appraisers by Brent Jones

Have any comments or would you like to submit content of your own? Email comments@appraisalbuzz.com.

Today’s Buzzcast interview is with Kim Perotti, Cofounder and Copresident of Axis, and Jim Jenkins, Chief appraiser at Axis. We discussed what appraisers and AMCs can do to push through this tough market.

What are some of the key steps appraisers and AMCs can take now to ensure a productive future? What is appraiser bias and how is it being challenged today? How can I submit a question for the new segment – The Anonymous Appraiser? These questions and much more will be answered between Kim, Jim, and Jim Morrison as they dive into this subject.

Have any comments or would you like to submit content of your own? Email comments@appraisalbuzz.com.

Today’s Buzzcast interview is with Joshua Walitt, Principal Analyst of Walitt Solutions. We discussed non-lender work for appraisers in this market and his upcoming in-person CE course, “Non-Lending Appraisal Assignments” hosted on February 17th.

What is non-lender work? How does an appraiser get started in looking for non-lender work? What will I be learning in this CE course? These questions and much more will be answered between Josh and Jim as they dive into this subject.

Here are the upcoming events:

Non-Lending Appraisals CE Course -
https://appraisalbuzz.com/ce-events/diversify-your-business-with-non-lending-appraisals/

Making New Year's Plans: Operational and Regulatory Compliance for AMCs - https://www.bigmarker.com/Appraisal-Buzz/Making-New-Year-s-Plans-Operational-and-Regulatory-Compliance-for-AMCs

Have any comments or would you like to submit content of your own? Email comments@appraisalbuzz.com.

Today’s Buzzcast interview is with Craig Steinley, 2023 President of the Appraisal Institute. We discussed what the Appraisal Institute has in store for 2023 and the plan he has for this upcoming year as the president.

What does AI have planned for 2023? What are the five specific points on this years agenda that AI wants to focus on? How is FIRREA being impacted this year? These questions and much more will be answered between Craig and Joan as they dive into this subject.

Have any comments or would you like to submit content of your own? Email comments@appraisalbuzz.com.

Today’s Buzzcast interview is with Navi Johnson, Social Media Manager for Allterra Group, LLC. We discussed how a social media presence in 2023 is a must for appraisers and what they need to know in order to have an interactive following.

What are the benefits to upkeeping social media as an appraiser? What are the specific sites I should be using to target my demographic? How can I get started this late in my career? These questions and much more will be answered between Navi and Jim as they dive into this subject.

Have any comments or would you like to submit content of your own? Email comments@appraisalbuzz.com.

Today’s Buzzcast interview is with Chris Knight, CEO of Opteon. We discussed one of the most debated topics in the appraisal industry: Appraisal Modernization.

What is the big debate surrounding appraisal modernization? What are some of the differences between how appraisals are completed in Australia and here in the United States? How is Opteon on the cutting edge of this new technology? These questions and much more will be answered between Chris and Joan as they dive into this subject.

Have any comments or would you like to submit content of your own? Email comments@appraisalbuzz.com.