Technologies To Improve The Decision-Making Process Of Real Estate Appraisers: XML, Intelligent Agents, Avms, And Web Services

Abstract

Pressure to expedite mortgage originations has prompted the need to accelerate the appraisal process for residential real estate.  The appraisal aspect of a mortgage origination is one area where decision support can play a major role in redefining the process. This study presents propositions that incorporate new technologies into the decision-making process of a residential real estate appraiser.  The four propositions deal with intelligent agents, XML, automated valuation models (AVMs), and web services. Intelligent agents have the ability to redefine how appraisal firms create, maintain, and update their databases.  XML offers enhanced data handling capabilities, while automated valuation models offer the ability to drastically reduce the time required to render an estimate of value. These two technologies can be combined with web services to make the real estate appraisal application available anywhere and anytime of the day.