![]() News and Tips for ClickFORMS™ Users • Issue 189 • November 6, 2009 From: Jeff Bradford To: All ClickFORMS Users Subject: CompCruncher: New Computer-Aided Appraisal Software Today we are announcing a new software application that we have been working on for quite some time. It’s called CompCruncher. It does not compete with ClickFORMS nor does it compete with WinTotal or ACI. It is a completely new application dedicated to performing valuations outside of loan origination and refinance. This is a multi-billion dollar valuation market that is currently dominated by “alternative” valuation products. Appraisers are essentially shut out of this market. We want to change that. This is why we created CompCruncher and a new Collateral Valuation Report (CVR). CompCruncher is not an AVM. Nor is it a form-filler. It is a data management and analysis program. We essentially added some science to the "art of valuation" and are now able to provide you with a tool to take on the alternative valuation products and compete in this multi-billion dollar market. We are creating a network of appraisers who can use CompCruncher, otherwise known as the "CompCruncher Network" to handle alternative valuation order on a national basis. If you are interested in joining, or just want to learn more about earning extra income, please go to www.appraisalworld.com/CompCruncher On the page is a link where you can sign up to join or just receive additional information. The initial cost to use CompCruncher is simply the cost of education and training. We have developed a comprehensive program to teach you the analytics and train you on the software. It is quite extensive and involves considerable one-on-one interaction. By the end, you will have the skill and confidence to fully utilize CompCruncher in performing collateral valuations. There is a fee for each report. It is a service transaction fee to cover the cost of data and our services. The cost of the initial training program is $499 and includes the benefits of AppraisalWorld Premier Membership ($149). If you already are a Premier Member, the cost is $399. I encourage you to learn more about the work we are doing and to seriously consider joining the "CompCruncher Network". We need national coverage to get the orders flowing. It’s additional income previously not available to any appraiser. Below is the Open Letter to the Appraisal Industry that we distributed. Jeff Bradford, CEO An Open Letter to the Appraisal IndustryThe valuation profession is at a tipping point. Lenders are seeking valuations that meet their requirements and are spending billions of dollars on alternative valuation solutions because the appraiser community is not meeting their needs. Almost everyone agrees that our industry must change if it is to meet those needs and challenges. This year alone, there were two conferences and numerous white papers on re-engineering the appraisal process. At Bradford Technologies, we also agree that changes are needed. For 23 years, our goal has always been to empower appraisers with software to complete an appraisal report faster, better and cheaper than the next guy. It's a simple goal and we are very good at it. But the problems facing the industry today will not be solved by developing faster form fillers. Appraisers don't need a better form filler (or form) - they need better analysis tools and better solutions to industry problems if they are going to effectively compete. Today we are pleased to introduce CompCruncher™ , a new class of software called Computer-Aided Appraisal Software . Three years in the making, it puts appraisers squarely in the middle of the valuation process, giving them the ability to produce supportable, transparent, accurate valuations quickly. We are also introducing a new data rich Collateral Valuation Report™ (CVR) , and a rigorous education and training curriculum to ensure competency in the use of the analytics and software. In addition, we partnered with national data providers to bring all the information an appraiser needs to their desktop - instantly - ready to be analyzed. For instance, we provide up to 500 sales with three year sales history, imagery, geospatial information, economic trends for forecasting in addition to integration with over 700 MLS systems. The end result is that a skilled appraiser using CompCruncher is able to provide their client with an accurate, supportable estimate of value in less than an hour. With our sophisticated forecasting module, values for 30 to 360 days out from the effective date can be estimated helping risk managers and portfolio managers make long term value projections. Repeatedly, in blind test after test, results have shown that CompCruncher can assist a knowledgeable appraiser in producing supportable valuations that are accurate to within a few percentage points of the actual contract price. Generally the value estimates have taken less than an hour to produce. Please download our white paper for a detailed description of the overall solution and test results. (see the links at the end) This analytical capability is unprecedented and so today we are also introducing a new concept in deploying software. The initial cost to use CompCruncher is simply the cost of education. Before anyone can use the software, they must successfully complete our education and training curriculum - which is our way of ensuring competency in the use of the analytics. Thereafter the cost is a service transaction fee to cover the cost of data and our services. For the last nine months, we've conducted tests across the country in partnership with one of the nation's premier appraisal companies - Forsythe Appraisals LLC. The property data varied widely but the analytics proved solid, consistently producing accurate results in record time. As Alan Hummel, Senior VP - Chief Appraiser of Forsythe Appraisals stated, "this is a game changer". Welcome to the New Era of Computer-Aided AppraisalsToday, we have appraisers across the country using CompCruncher. Over the coming months we will be expanding our national network of appraisers skilled in the use of the software. We will also be developing relationships with the lending and investment community to ensure their non-lending valuation needs are being met by "CompCruncher" skilled appraisers. Instead of ordering a BPO, we want them to order a CVR from an appraiser. We are excited about the future of the appraisal profession. We believe that the technology and solutions we have developed (and will develop) will help advance the profession. During the development of CompCruncher, we explored, among other analytical techniques, the use of DNA software to analyze neighborhoods and 3D cluster analysis to view markets. We are on our third generation and work has already begun on the fourth generation of CompCruncher. It is our firm belief that appraisers equipped with the education, training and tools to systematically analyze markets are the best choice to meet the valuation needs of this country and reclaim the billion dollar alternative valuation market. We are looking forward to working with all appraisers and industry leaders to ensure that the non-lending valuation needs of the financial community are met by a professional appraiser. We also look forward to working with Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae and FHA/VA to incorporate these advances into their traditional residential valuation needs. Our mission is clear and our goal is compelling - we want to empower appraisers with tools they need to reclaim the billion dollar alternative valuation market they have lost to inferior products. It's time for valuations and appraisers to move to the next level. We are there. Join us. Respectfully, Jeff Bradford P.S. I encourage you to learn more about the work we are doing. Please stop by our booth at following conferences:
Thanks for supporting us. Have a relaxing Labor Day,
|