AppraisalScoop.com offers advise for the new year--broaden your appraisal business to survive and thrive. Besides working with lenders, other possible clients include divorcing couples, probate and estate business, senior citizens and much more.

Did Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac play a role in inflating appraisals? New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has supoenaed record from the two agencies to find out. Cuomo's office is looking at flawed appraisals and securitization of mortgage loans.

The AppraisalScoop.com provides a video tutorial on regression analysis for appraisers. Introduction to Regression Analysis, Introduction to Regression Analysis Add-On Module Part 2 and Introduction to Regression Analysis, Introduction to Regression Analysis Add-On Module Part 3 make up the tutorial.

New technologies, shifting economy, increased customer expectations. It could be time for you to re-think your business plan. NAR's Virtual Library eBooks Collection has the tools to help you think like an entrepreneur and plan for the immediate, near, and long-term future. Visit eBooks.realtor.org to borrow Anatomy of a Business Plan (Adobe), Business Planning: 25 Keys to a Sound Business Plan (audio), Business Plans Kit for Dummies (Adobe), Business Plans that Work (Adobe), How to Write a Business Plan (Adobe), The Easy Step by Step Guide to Writing a Business Plan and Making it Work (Adobe), and others. NAR members and staff can borrow up to three digital books, audiobooks, and/or videos at a time -- for FREE! (Have your NRDS number ready.)

A bill exempting online home value websites from state licensing law has passed both state houses in Arizona. After initially falling short of the two-thirds majority, the bill passed the House of Representatives last week and will now move on to a conference committee before going to the governor to sign. As reported earlier, The Arizona Board of Appraisal has issued two cease-and-desist letters to Zillow in the past year asking the firm to cease its automated valuations, called “Zestimates,” for properties in Arizona. The board has charged that Zillow is violating state licensing laws by offering the zestimates without an appraiser's license.