Appraisers Mildly Optimistic On State Of Housing Market

LEAWOOD, Kan., April 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- A recently completed survey conducted by United States Appraisals found appraisers mildly encouraged by the current housing market. When asked, "What is your current level of confidence in the housing market?" 54.7% of respondents answered mildly or moderately strong, while 24.9% were neutral. The survey was completed by United States Appraisals' nationwide panel of residential appraisers. United States Appraisals plans to conduct this survey quarterly to monitor trends and opinions in their appraiser network.

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"Appraisers tend to be realistic, focused on their local markets and unmoved by news stories and national numbers," said Aaron Fowler, President of United States Appraisals. "We believe they provide a good gauge of the status of the housing market. After the last few years, a mildly strong level of confidence shows some definite improvement in appraiser attitudes."

Opinions were slightly higher regarding home values with 46.2% of respondents reporting a mild increase in values in their area. 15.6% were seeing a moderate value increase, while 24% were neutral. Despite somewhat tepid feelings on the market in general, most appraisers reported increased order volume. 26.1% saw mild increases, 17.8% saw moderate increases and 18.5% reported significant volume increases. Only 15.3% of respondents reported any reduction in their order volume.

Several comments regarding the housing market provided some insight into appraiser confidence:

"Improving, people seem tired of waiting."

"Significantly more activity at middle and upper end of the value range and the supply of existing housing is down significantly as well."

"Appears to be somewhat fragile but is trying to rebound in a positive way at this time."

"It appears to be improving slowly."

Still there is plenty of caution:

"Inventory is down, buyer activity is strong. There have been quite a few cash sales and interest rates are low. If the cash sale activity slows down and the interest rate rises, the resale market could slow down." 

"I feel this could be a false increase in values and could be repeating history for our market area."

"I have seen some upward bump, but too many foreclosures and short sales still on the market are holding prices down."

"We all know the real estate market is a zip code by zip code driven business," explained Fowler. "Our appraisers are our eyes into the local markets and the backbone of our business. We want to make sure we stay engaged and understand their vision of the marketplace."

About United States Appraisals
Headquartered in the Kansas City area, United States Appraisals is a nationwide appraisal management company providing a comprehensive suite of residential valuation products to lenders and other mortgage origination firms. Led by a management team with over 120 combined years of mortgage and residential real estate experience, United States Appraisals provides its clients with a fully compliant appraisal solution that delivers superior customer service, unprecedented quality and cutting edge technology. United States Appraisals is a proud member of the Mortgage Bankers Association, the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association and the Collateral Risk Network. For more information, visit the company's website at http://unitedstatesappraisals.com or call 1-888-562-0123.

Contact: Brad Summers, SVP - Marketing
913.951.2669 | [email protected]

SOURCE United States Appraisals