Agents vs. Appraisers.
It seems to be a never-ending battle between the two groups of industry professionals.
So BAM is hosting a debate a year in the making to finally clear the air.
Real estate broker and BAM co-founder Byron Lazine is taking on Mark “Skap” Skapinetz, an appraiser with over 22 years of experience and creator of the 100% Real Estate Appraiser Group. During the debate, they’ll go deep on what each group brings to the transaction process.
Wednesday, November 30th
3:00 pm EST
Subscribe to BAM’s YouTube channel, so you don’t miss it!
How it Started
On episode 177 of The Real Word, hosts Byron Lazine and Nicole White discussed a Housing Wire article titled “Is the appraisal process color blind?”
The article outlined multiple reports of race-based appraisal bias and the June 2021 White House Fact Sheet, which addressed discrimination in the housing market.
Byron argued that appraisals aren’t always valid even when racial bias isn’t occurring.
You have one human being come into a house for 10 minutes….This industry is ripe for massive disruption.
It wasn’t long before the comments section on YouTube went into overdrive. Agents were quick to share their own stories of appraisals gone wrong.
Appraisers also jumped into the discussion to point out the discrepancies in the article and the distorted view agents typically have of appraisers. Two of the most vocal appraisers in the comments were Warren Sumner and Mark “Skap” Skapintez. Warren even joined Byron and Nicole to present the other side of the argument on episode 178 of The Real Word.
The comments section quieted down after that.
Until recently.
Heating Up
On episode 236 of The Real Word, Byron and Nicole a New York Times article about another case of racial bias in the appraisal industry—this one sharing details of the same property in Maryland receiving two wildly different appraisals.
When the Black owner of the home answered the door and showed the appraiser the property, they received an appraisal of $472,000. When the owner asked for a second appraisal and staged the home to look like it had white owners, the appraisal came back at $750,000.
Byron didn’t shy down from his belief that “the appraisal process is an absolute joke,” largely because it leaves the value of a home up to one person’s opinion.
A few weeks later, on episode 244, Byron and Nicole covered a REALTOR Magazine article titled, “Why Appraisers Say ‘We Have Targets on Our Backs.’” This article outlines the biggest challenges appraisers face.
Once again, the comments section filled up, and Skap took on Byron’s challenge for a debate.
BAM Debate: Agents vs. Appraisers
This week, Byron and Skap will face off during BAM’s second-ever debate: Agents vs. Appraisers.
Here are the details: mark your calendars, so you don’t miss it!
BAM Debate: Agents vs. Appraisers
Wednesday, November 30th
3:00 pm EST
Watch the BAM Debate here!
