The new content covers answers to:

• How much geographic coverage does the application provide?;
• How does the application handle new construction?;
• How does it handle properties in rural locations?;
• Will appraisers have access to the application?;
• Will the use of the application as an appraisal review tool by Fannie Mae lenders result in more work for appraisers, who may be asked to make changes based on the CU feedback?; and
• Will Fannie Mae purchase loans that receive high-risk scores and/or risk flags generated by the application?

Summers and other Polley instructors discuss the frequently-asked questions sheet, as well as the responsibilities of appraisers affected by Collateral Underwriter, during the school’s “Defensible Appraisal Practices” course. It currently is scheduled to be held May 14 and June 12 in Newtown Square PA; and April 30 and June 2 in Blue Bell PA.

An Adobe Acrobat copy of the document is available for download from Polley Associates, here.

Photo from Google Images

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Executive Director Robert Kinniebrew noted the renewal cycle began April 1, and directed licensees to “go to the (commission’s) Real Estate Online Licensing Services Menu – found here – for all the information” licensees need, including the state’s 2015 Real Estate License Renewal Notification and all necessary links to its Online Services Login pages.

The commission is a division of the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance.

Photo from Google Images

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“A sparkling resume does not always equal a sparkling personality. And the face-to-face interviews needed to accurately judge prospective hires can consume a lot of time and money,” the article said. Read it here.

The chief executive officer of a Fort Washington PA-based video conferencing firm told the GlobeStreet reporter that “recent technological advances” in video streaming “have greatly improved its quality and lowered the expense.” The spread of web cams and in-phone cameras has also made the interview by video method convenient for hopeful applicants, he added.

The post Commercial Brokers Increasingly Interview By Video appeared first on Polley Associates School of Real Estate.

In an exercise that’s known among journalists as “crowdsourcing,” ProPublica is asking those who are “victims” of defective drywall to “take a moment to fill out our online form. With your help, we’ll be able to finally measure the scope and severity of this crisis,” it said.

The form can be found here.

Once information is received, ProPublica reporters follow up with home owners to confirm facts, gather more information, and flesh out details. In past reporting, its efforts have usually resulted in a series of stories – and occasionally video and podcasts – that delve deeply into the issue.

ProPublica is collaborating on the stories with the Sarasota FL Herald Tribune newspaper.

Crowdsourcing also is being used for a different ProPublica real estate-related series on the federal home loan modification program. “Nearly 800 struggling home owners have told ProPublica stories about their efforts to get a loan modification,” it reported.

Problem is, the response has been too overwhelming. ProPublica can use only a fraction of those in its coverage, it noted, so it wants to introduce those sources to local journalists working on similar stories. A sign-up form for them can be found here.

Photo from ProPublica

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And, possibly most important, will you as a sales or broker licensee rank in that winning crowd, or another?

No one we know has those answers. There are, however, plenty of experts who are willing to speculate on what 2015 holds for the industry. Collectively, much of what they predict is good. Here at Polley Associates, we recommend four short reads we think you’ll enjoy and from which you might benefit.

Two are somewhat regional in nature; they address real estate markets in Washington DC and inland California. Two others are broader in topic and less geographically specific. All offer tips and suggestions that have can easily apply to real estate salesmanship in southeastern Pennsylvania.

The reading list:

• “Will 2015 Be Better Or Worse For Real Estate?,” published Dec. 29 in Forbes;
• “Five real estate trends to watch in 2015,” published Dec. 30 by The Washington Post;
• “REAL ESTATE: Predictions for 2015,” published Dec. 28 by the Press-Enterprise newspaper in Riverside CA; and
• “5 Trends That Changed the Face of Real Estate in 2014,” published Dec. 27 by Money. We paid particular attention to its section on “What Millenials Want.”

Polley Associates wishes you the most prosperous New Year possible, and we thank you for your trust, confidence and business with us during 2014.

The post Four Short Reads To Ring In The New Year appeared first on Polley Associates School of Real Estate.

During 2015, the company announced this week (Dec. 29, 2014), Polley’s offices will be closed on the following nine dates for the holidays listed:

• Jan. 1 (Thursday), New Year’s Day;
• May 25 (Monday), Memorial Day;
• July 3 (Friday), Independence Day;
• Sept. 7 (Monday), Labor Day;
• Nov. 26-27 (Thursday and Friday), Thanksgiving; and
• Dec. 23-25, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday), Christmas.

You can call and leave a message, or send an e-mail, at any time but we won’t hear or read it until we’re back at our desks.

The post You Won’t Find Us Here On These Days During 2015 appeared first on Polley Associates School of Real Estate.

The Pennsylvania State Board of Certified Real Estate Appraisers has informed Polley Associates that if your appraiser trainee license was issued:

Before July 1 (2014), you will be required to complete 28 hours of appraisal recertification education, including the 7-hour National USPAP Update course and a Pennsylvania Mandated Law course of at least 2 hours, to renew your license;

Between July 1 and Dec. 27 (2014), you will be required to complete 14 hours of appraisal recertification education, including the 7-hour National USPAP Update course and and a Pennsylvania Mandated Law course of at least 2 hours, to renew your license; or

Between Dec. 28 (2014) and June 30 (2015), you will NOT be required to complete appraisal recertification education as a condition of license renewal

The post CE May Be Due For PA Licensed Appraiser Trainees appeared first on Polley Associates School of Real Estate.

Many pages produced by or for Polley Associates’ primary and related websites contain embedded links to information at other locations on the Internet. The Internet is a dynamic medium, one that’s constantly changing. As a result, websites may move or delete content to which we linked.

It’s incredibly frustrating to believe you’ve found just the information you wanted, clicked on the link, and then discovered the linked page no longer exists. If that’s happened to you during one of your visits to our sites, we apologize for any inconvenience.

We hate dead web links as much as you probably do. If you find one on our sites, please send an e-mail here and tell us the specifics.

By the way:

• Information on this and other Polley Associates websites, or those sites to which they link, should NOT be considered expert or professional advice. Contact your attorney, tax adviser or other expert for professional advice on a specific situation.
• Information on this website is believed to be accurate at the time of publication.
• The act of embedding links to other websites should NOT be considered an endorsement by Polley Associates of the linked sites, their content, or their accuracy.

You probably could have guessed all that.

Photo from Google Images

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For those former NJ licensees, 12 hours of specific continuing education will be required for both the preceding license term (July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2013), as well as the current term (July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2015), according to the commission website. Reinstatement applications were being accepted as of Aug. 1 (2013).

Additional general information about NJ continuing education requirements also are available on the website, here.

The post Want To Reinstate A 2011 NJ License? Some Advice appeared first on Polley Associates School of Real Estate.