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AbstractThis paper presents a chronology, beginning in the early 1900s, of the regulatory environment faced by residential real estate appraisers in the United States. The presentation informs the reader about two financial crises, the savings and loan crisis and the Subprime mortgage crisis. The conditions that led to each crisis, the response of Congress to address each crisis, and the effect of both on residential real estate appraisers are included in the presentation. Prior to these crises, appraisers were basically self-regulated, but today because of concern that inflated appraisals were a contributing cause of the crises they are subject to rules and regulations imposed by both federal, and state authorities. The regulatory measures instituted to address the savings and loan crisis failed to prevent the subsequent Subprime mortgage crisis, and measures instituted to end the Subprime mortgage crisis had unintended negative effects. This begs the question, will the regulations in place now prevent the occurrence of a future crisis.

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ABSTRACT In this article, the potential impact of cemeteries on value is addressed empirically using regression analysis on data from 575 transactions of single-family houses in the vicinity of four [...]

The promotional activities of high and low performing agents were compared based on data gathered from a survey of real estate agents. High performing agents see open house marketing as ineffective in contrast to low performing agents. High performers also view yard signs more positively than low performers.

abstract This study reports a finding of a significant effect on the selling price of a single-family house given its proximity to a registered sex offender's residence. The effect is [...]

The large number of transfers handled by relocation companies each year indicates that the marketing of corporately owned houses is an important niche in the residential brokerage industry. Some authorities [...]

The explosion of information technology and the resulting increase in the use of computers in the workplace has significantly raised the incidence of repetitive strain injuries (RSI). This condition, which is common among frequent users of computer keyboards and mouse device, has an adverse impact not only on individuals but also on their employers. These companies incur such direct costs as medical treatment, lost work time and replacement of equipment as well as indirect costs, such as decreased product output and recruitment and training of replacement employees. Although the court does not generally side with employers who sustain RSI, sufferers may be considered as a disabled under the Americans with Disabilities Act and therefore require reasonable accommodation. Guidelines on how to prevent RSI in the workplace are discussed.

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Recent research in theoretical statistics indicates that even if the data best fit a linear specification, a model is not necessarily correctly specified if estimated by ordinary least squares (OLS) regression analysis. Alternative estimation techniques have been developed that account for nonnormal residuals and result in more efficient estimators. This article reports the results of an empirical test to determine whether these alternatives provide better predictors of real property selling price compared with least squares. Based on several different criteria, the results indicate that, for small samples, the alternative formulation techniques do not produce statistically better predictions compared with those derived using ordinary least squares. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Poor communication within any police department can limit the information flow between managers and line personnel. Getting the information from one unit to another before it becomes outdated is an [...]