Appraiser eNews
Winter 2020 Issue
Hello appraiser members of GRAR! Based on input from you and your fellow appraisers, we have been busy trying to find educational opportunities for your group. We have several coming up this winter. One offers CE and the other three are workshops that will help make you more efficient with tools you have available, mainly Matrix and RPR (REALTORS Property Resource). We hope to be able to offer more CE on these in the future but do not see that happening in early 2020. Also working on a Matrix session for appraisers. See below for registration info on all.

In addition, following are some updates that may be of interest on other topics.
Realist Upgrade
As many have been noticing, Realist needs Adobe Flash to operate and this has been causing problems in several browsers. We are expecting an upgrade to Realist tentatively on March 18 that will bring Realist out of the Adobe Flash era and still be usable. It will function much how it does now so no training should be required but will work like Matrix, without Flash. Stay tuned for details.  

As a reminder in the meantime, if you just want the Realist Property Report for a property, you can get that in Matrix now. Click on Search and then Public Records in Matrix. This is just like searching in Realist, Adobe Flash not required. 
Reporting Data Errors in Matrix
You may have noticed that starting in mid-December, when you report a data error, you no longer get an email that thanks you for submitting it and so we are not replying to those. The report now gets logged right into Matrix for us so it is easier for us to investigate in Matrix/Realist. 

The end result is that it doesn’t send an email to us and/or to whoever reported it so we can’t easily reply. Instead you will see a confirmation screen when you report something and then you can see right on your Matrix Homepage all the ones you reported over time. Look for the Listing Data Checker widget on the Matrix homepage. Click on the Reported Violations link. Keep in mind that we get so many reports that we can’t send an update on all of them whether we corrected them or not. We do contact whoever reports a violation if we have questions but not on the results as our interactions with members have to remain confidential.
Note - we continue to tweak this system. When you report an issue, this is via the "REPORT IT" function. The "Violation State" may say "REPORTIT NOT VALID" which could mean either that the violation was corrected (it will say that going forward) or it could mean that we found nothing correctable and or it was not an actual violation.
Square Footage Display Changes
One of the most frequent conversations we have with appraisers has to do with frustration on incorrect square footage on listings. We have recently requested some changes to Matrix displays that will include Realist info regarding square footage right in Matrix displays/reports. We expect to add the value shown in Realist for both Above Grade Square Feet and Total Square Feet in addition to whatever the Listing Agent entered into the listing for square feet to Matrix displays this winter.

If the square feet varies from Realist, Listing Agents are instructed to put an explanation and the source of the corrected square feet in the "Public Remarks" field. Whatever the Listing Agent enters in the square feet field is what would be searchable in Matrix and what would go in data feeds to web sites. Same as today. These additions will go on Realtor and client facing reports.
Learning Opportunities for Appraisers at GRAR

3445 Winton Place, Rochester, NY 14623 (second floor). Registration required.
7-hour National USPAP Update Course for Real Property

Date: Tuesday, February 18
Time: 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM (1/2 hr. lunch)
CE Credit: 7 hours
Cost: $192.00 and includes manuals
(Non-members pay the same price but must call 585-292-5000 to register)

Instructor: Rebecca (Becky) Jones, Regional Appraisal Instructor
Format: Live classroom instruction

  • This course is developed by the Appraisal Foundation and is revised every two years. Stay current with the latest 2020-2021 edition of USPAP.

  • In addition to the student manual, each student will be provided with a copy of the 2020-2021 USPAP, USPAP Advisory Opinions, and USPAP Frequently Asked Questions.
Matrix Workshop Geared to Appraisers
Date: Tuesday, March 3
Time: 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
CE Credit: 0 hours
Cost: FREE (registration required)
Instructor: Willie Fluck, CoreLogic National Instructor
Format: Webinar for GRAR Members at GRAR

Become a Matrix™ power user!

This course is geared towards appraisers, teaching the advanced features of Matrix 360 with appraisal processes and practices in mind.

Start with customizing the Matrix displays to work the way you do. Learn how to use the many search functions to find comparable properties and relevant market data for analysis, including how to create custom searches and displays.
Discover how to avoid redundancy, by saving your searches and search results for easy storage and retrieval.

See new ways statistical tools and reporting options can be leveraged to identify area trends and market adjustments. In situations where more advanced analytics are necessary, learn how to export data from Matrix for use in other applications.

Also, observe ways to quickly validate property characteristics, confirm sales transactions, find tax information and identify neighborhood demographics using Realist®.
RPR Sales Comparison Analysis Tool
Date: Friday, March 27
Time: 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
CE Credit: 0 hours
Cost: FREE (registration required)
Instructor: Veronica McManus, RPR National Instructor
Format: Live classroom instruction

Attend this interactive course using your appraisal knowledge to learn how to utilize RPR’s advanced Sales Comparison Analysis tool and Valuation Workbook. This tool will help you create an in-depth report using advanced analysis and property valuation best practices, leveraging RPR’s nationwide, parcel-centric database in a way that has not been done until now. We will also use this time for Veronica to evaluate where we may create more appraiser focused RPR sessions by interacting with attendees in this session.
DataMaster for Appraisers Demo
Date: Friday, March 27
Time: 10:45 AM - 11:15 AM
CE Credit: 0 hours
Cost: FREE (registration required)
Presenter: Rick Lifferth, President, DataMaster For Appraisers
Format: Webinar for GRAR Members at GRAR

Come for RPR at 9am and then join us for a 20 minute interactive overview of DataMaster with some time allowed for Q&A.

Get your appraisals done easily. DataMaster's data import and formatting processes make it simple for you to save time and energy on every appraisal. 
DataMaster electronically links appraisal software with MLS data, public records data and other data sources. It is paid for by appraisers on a monthly subscription basis. Learn more about DataMaster for Appraisers here.