Our Work
Appraisal Bias
Background on this issue
For most Americans, their home is their single most important financial asset and holds the key to wealth, stability, and opportunity for their family and generations to come. In addition, home values affect the tax base, school funding, and community investments. Moreover, time and again, our nation’s economy and financial markets have been significantly impacted by home valuations, with communities of color often bearing the brunt of failings in the mortgage market and the home appraisal process. Given the importance of homeownership to American families, particularly families of color, governmental and private organizations have called for appraisal reforms and a comprehensive examination of the structure and governance of the appraisal industry.
In response to these calls for reform, we have assembled following resources, which we hope will encourage conversations among key stakeholders in the appraisal and housing industries to seek workable, sustainable solutions that benefit the whole of the housing market, including borrowers of color.
Identifying Bias and Barriers: Promoting Equity
Background on the report –
This groundbreaking report examines standards for the appraisal industry as well as qualifications criteria for appraisers. It details structural components of the modern-day appraisal industry that restrict meaningful industry oversight and manifest systemic bias in appraisal valuation, including issues with the governance of the appraisal industry, gaps in fair housing requirements and training, barriers to entry into the profession, and deficient compliance oversight in administering the valuation process.
Table of Contents
The appraiser has the power to determine the value of a mortgage borrower’s most important financial asset, which can hold the key to determining whether that borrower’s family can purchase a permanent home rather than rent, access credit on reasonable terms, or build wealth for their family and generations to come. Over time, Americans have seen many crises related to homeownership (the Savings and Loan Crisis, the Great Recession, the COVID pandemic) and each time, the housing market players were heavily scrutinized and regulated to prevent harm to the American consumer’s greatest asset…
Read the Full Executive Summary
Appraisers can determine the value of a person’s most important financial asset, which can hold the key to determining whether a family can purchase a permanent home rather than rent, access credit on reasonable terms, or build wealth for their children and generations to come.
Virtual Briefing
On Wednesday, February 9, 2022, the authors of the groundbreaking new study on appraisal standards and appraiser criteria hosted a Virtual Briefing to discuss key elements of the “Appraisal Standards and Appraiser Criteria Report” (“Report”). Our presentation offered a roadmap for Congress, regulators, advocates, lenders, and the appraisal industry to address the nation’s long legacy of bias in the valuation of real estate and build a future in which a family’s most valuable asset is treated fairly.
Click Here to View the Virtual Briefing Webpage.