Recapping Valuation Expo in Baltimore, MD.

Last week we were in Baltimore, MD for the East Coast Valuation Expo. The weather was beautiful and attendees took advantage to explore the hidden treasurers of the Inner Harbor. Inside the conference our continuing education panels were addressing some hot topics and providing insight about the future of the industry. For those unable to attend this Valuation Expo conference, here is a peek of what happen.

The conference kicked off on Monday, July 11^th, with the quarterly Collateral Risk Network meeting. The moderators, Steven Feyerick of CoreLogic and Kimberly Morrison-Schop of 1^st National Appraisal Source, kept things moving while speakers addressed updates on Ginnie Mae, regulatory updates, AARO, collateral risk, and the Appraisal Institute. Speakers included Kathleen Gibbons of Ginnie Mae, Morey Barns Yost of Alston & Bird, Janine Bjorn of CoreLogic, AARO President Elect, Debbie Rudd, Robert Parson from the OCC, Suzy Gardner of FDIC, Carmen Holly of FRB, Tim Segerson of NCUA, and Scott Robinson from the Appraisal Institute.

ACI offered a Sky Lab featuring the latest technology on Monday. These training sessions covered different aspects of their new cloud based appraisal platform ACI Sky and using ACI One Software.

In the evening the trade show floor opened with a reception of drinks and hos devours, giving exhibitors and attendees a chance to meet and interact before the two days of continuing education.

On Tuesday, July 12^th, the day began with our keynote address from Bob Ehrlich, Senior Counsel for King & Spalding and former Maryland Governor (2003-2007). Mr. Ehrlich addressed the state of our economy and how it will affect collateral risk in the future. The morning continuing education session continued with moderator Samir Agarwal of Assurant Mortgage Solutions and a panel of fraud experts discussing how appraisers can avoid entanglements in fraud transactions and red flags to be aware of. Panel speakers included Ann Fulmer of Paladin Advisory Services, LLC, Bill King of Real Info, and FBI Special Agent Carrie Fisher.

After lunch, our CE session for the day continued with a Regulatory Update moderated by George Paquette of USRES. This panel of speakers included Jim Park of the Appraisal Subcommittee, Bruce Unangst from the Louisiana Real Estate Commission, and Zach Dawson of Fannie Mae. The panel continued the discussion of current/new regulation and guidelines in the industry and new procedures appraisers might be facing in the future.

Wednesday, July 13^th, was the last day of our CE sessions. This day was all about the appraiser and focused on appraiser training. Rick Langdon and the talented team from Wells Fargo spent the day discussing practical methods on developing an appraisal report. Some of the topics covered included understanding current market conditions, support for significant adjustments, regression, and QC tools used today.

During the lunch break we took some time to draw the winners from the Appraisal Bee. As always our vendors go above and beyond with some fabulous prizes. Here is a list of prizes that our sponsors donated and the lucky winners.

EXHIBITOR: PRIZE – WINNER

ACI: Go Pro Hero 4 – Anthony Cherundolo
Appraiser Coach: The Go Create Some Value, Two-day, Online Workshop ($295 value) – Todd Rose
Appraiser Coach: A full year of the Appraiser Coach Dream Team ($495 value) – Russell Barrows
Allterra Online: 39” Vizio Smart TV – Jack Sheffrin
Anow: $100 Under Armor gift card – Mike Coyne
AXIS: $100 cash – Tom Reynolds
Bradford Technology: Sports Camera and Memory Card – Jessica Christopher
Clearbox: Apple TV – Steven Wik
Datamaster: $150 Amazon gift card – Michael Moran
Exatech: $100 AMEX gift card – Daniel Green
Genie Cloud: Kindle Fire – Angeline Berry
GeoDataPlus: $100 AMEX gift card – Tom Allen
InHouseUSA: Leica Disto – Luke Tomaszewski
Intercorp, Inc: $100 Staples gift card – Dave Shugars
Landy Insurance: Amazon Fire TV – Janice Whitson Waycaster
LIA: $50 AMEX gift card – Vishnu Jasdar
Real Pro E&O: Fitbit Charge – Michael Manganaro
Solidifi: Fitbit Blaze – Paul Dykes
TSI Appraisal: Leica Disto – Bill King
ServiceLink: $250 Best Buy gift card – Bob Danehy

We want to thank all of our sponsors and exhibitors who participated this year for donating such fantastic prizes and congratulate all of our winners again!

If you missed us on the East Coast, don’t fret! This year we will also be in Las Vegas, NV, November 10^th – 12^th. The West Coast Valuation Expo will be offering all new CE, different panel sessions, great speakers, and a buzzing trade show floor. So register today to be able to include your name for one of the great Appraisal Bee prizes.

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