Appraisal Institute News

Jan 19, 2022 08:30 AM

Inflation at 40-year High, Rates Could Rise: Labor Report

Consumer prices increased 0.5% in December causing inflation to reach its highest level in nearly four decades and creating an expectation that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates as soon as March, according to a Labor Department report released Jan. 12, Reuters reported. Rents showed some of the largest increases, up 0.4% for the month and 4.1% for the year.

Jan 19, 2022 08:30 AM

Smaller Beats Bigger in Small-cap CRE Space: Data

Smaller markets outperformed larger ones in the small-cap commercial real estate space, with price growth in smaller markets up 13.2% for the year compared with 12.3% price growth in larger markets, according to Boxwood Means, MBA NewsLink reported Jan. 12. Top secondary market include Wilmington, Delaware; Hartford, Connecticut; and Springfield, Massachusetts.

Jan 19, 2022 08:30 AM

CRE Price Growth Up Last Year; 2022 Could See Double-digit Increases, Index Shows

Commercial property prices increased 24% in 2021, with significant price increases in nearly every sector, and especially strong showings in the multifamily and industrial sectors, according to the Green Street commercial property price index, MBA NewsLink reported Jan. 11. Property price growth for 2022 is not expected to match last year’s but could still achieve double-digit increases.

Jan 13, 2022 08:30 AM

Single-tenant Net Lease Cap Rates Up: The Boulder Group

Cap rates in the single-tenant net lease sector increased slightly during the fourth quarter to 5.88% for retail and 6.77% for industrial, while net lease office remained unchanged at 6.80%, according to the Q4 2021 Net Lease Market Report released Jan. 6 by The Boulder Group. A limited supply of properties primarily drove the increase.

Jan 13, 2022 08:30 AM

State Attorneys General Target FHA Loan Violations

Attorneys general from 20 states have accused mortgage servicers employed by Federal Housing Administration-approved lenders of failing to properly implement loan modification options, including options to reduce principal and interest, that the agency introduced in July, according to a Dec. 21 letter sent to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, HousingWire reported Jan. 5.

Jan 13, 2022 08:30 AM

Nation’s Large Office Markets Stable and Active, Boston Tops for Leasing: CBRE

The nation’s 12 largest office markets showed stability toward the end of 2021, with normal levels of leasing activity despite uncertainty about COVID-19, according to CBRE’s Pulse of U.S. Office Demand survey, MBA NewsLink reported Jan. 4. The most active markets were Boston; Dallas-Fort Worth; Los Angeles; Manhattan; and Washington, D.C.

Dec 22, 2021 08:30 AM

Residential Sector Sets 10 Records in 2021, Redfin Reports

Housing was hot in 2021, breaking 10 records, including highest median sale price, lowest inventory of for-sale properties and strongest demand for second homes, Redfin reported Dec. 13. The pandemic changed the residential sector, creating a seismic shift in how people live and work and why and where they purchased homes.

Dec 22, 2021 08:30 AM

Residential Appraisals Shouldn’t Reference Neighborhood Demographics: FHFA

The Federal Housing Finance Agency on Dec. 14 reported that its analysis of millions of property valuations found many residential appraisal reports that contained improper references to a neighborhood’s racial demographics. Examples include the percentages of an area's racial and ethnic makeup; the languages spoken in an area; and amenities specifically geared to a race, ethnic, or religious group.

Dec 22, 2021 08:29 AM

Lenders Expect ‘Normal’ Housing Market in 2022: Fannie Mae

Sixty-five percent of mortgage lenders said they expect profit margins will drop during the next quarter, up from 46% who said so last quarter, Fannie Mae reported Dec. 15 in its Q4 2021 Mortgage Lender Sentiment Survey. The shifting expectations suggest that the housing market may return to a more 'normal' state after a couple of boom years.

Dec 15, 2021 12:30 PM

White House Mulls Restrictions on All-cash Property Sales

The U.S. Department of the Treasury will start to develop regulations that could expand reporting requirements for all-cash real estate purchases, Bloomberg reported Dec. 6. The effort aims to reduce global corruption, and could mandate that title insurance companies turn over information about cash purchases made through shell companies.