“Federal regulators have proposed loosening real-estate appraisal requirements to enable a majority of U.S. homes to be bought and sold without being evaluated by a licensed human appraiser,” writes The Wall Street Journal.Read more

Critics of automated valuation models (AVMs) have essentially one enduring argument: An algorithm can’t see inside a house. It’s impossible for an AVM to look at a home’s condition, identify any fire or water damage, note whether the kitchen appliances are generic or high-end, or determine whether the house is still under construction. That’s all…

Imagine if credit union members were able to access a real-time valuation for their homes right on the credit union website. They would be able to better understand the value of what is typically their largest asset and whether there is an opportunity to use that home equity for a home improvement. And they could…

Like the rest of the country, we have been spending a great deal of time recently thinking about hurricanes and natural disasters. This inspired a quick analysis on the intersection of hurricanes and what we do for a living.  Immediate effects When it comes to the effects of large scale natural disasters on housing market…

Marcus by Goldman Sachs is a personal loan platform that uses HouseCanary's software to power its home addition calculator. CNBC was the first to break the story about the new collaboration.Read more

"Goldman Sachs is looking to make it easier for borrowers to determine if taking out a home improvement loan is the right move for them by partnering with HouseCanary to launch a 'Home Addition Calculator,'" wrote HousingWire in its coverage of the partnership between HouseCanary and Marcus by Goldman Sachs.Read more

The partnership between Marcus by Goldman Sachs and HouseCanary continues to pick up speed (and ink); today, Mortgage Professional America Magazine covered the story.Read more

Hurricane Florence is going to start hitting the Southeast United States by noon on Thursday, September 13, and although the storm has been downgraded from a Category 4 to a Category 3 hurricane, experts still anticipate winds up to 125 miles per hour and torrential downpours in both South and North Carolina. It’s also expected…

When a vendor or developer tells you that a product they offer is “FIRREA-compliant,” should you believe them?  FIRREA (the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act) is a piece of legislation that was implemented in 1989 after the Savings and Loan Crisis to regulate (among other things) real estate appraisals. FIRREA established the council…

Executive Summary  HouseCanary is developing the most accurate, most comprehensive forecasts for residential real estate. Accurate forecasts are the result of combining granular time series data with the best models. The HouseCanary forecast model is designed to use all available market-level time series data to predict the most likely value of the local home price…