CUSPAP (Canadian Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice) is a set of guidelines and standards established by the Appraisal Institute of Canada (AIC) that the majority of appraisers in Canada must follow. (There are two professional appraiser organizations in Canada.) To ensure CUSPAP compliance, appraisers need to adhere to the...

In the age of Amazon Alexa, ChatGPT, and cloud-based storage, Canada’s mortgage appraisal industry is largely still running on paper. Value Connect is transforming the way mortgages work, and propelling the industry into the 21st century. Our proprietary software solution automates every part of the mortgage appraisal process from origination to...

Companies big and small are concerned about the economy (heading into a recession)

There are several strategic options, including:

Many consumer surveys suggest people expect a recession in the coming weeks that will last months. Companies are planning for a downturn, exploring ways to insulate themselves from the worst effects of a shrinking economy while still generating ROI for investors. So, what’s the right strategy?Customer Experience (CX) is the best path

You may have read the recent news the number of residential homes sold in April dropped over 40% compared to 2021. While interest rate hikes might be slowing things down, we feel it's important to share we don't feel there will be a significant decrease in prices over the long term. On the contrary, there is solid evidence backing up long-term...

Real estate continues to be on fire in just about every corner of North America. Many markets have seen prices rise by more than 25% in a single year. The pandemic has made a home more than just a home. For many, it's now a workplace, gym, restaurant, and entertainment centre. Murtaza Haider and Stephen Moranis recently wrote a short article for...

You may have read or heard about the recent CBC Marketplace report investigating whether a homeowner's ethnic background affected the appraised value of their home. I for one am a little disappointed by the information portrayed because it gave the impression that ethnic background makes a difference. There are so many things that could have...

Value Connect is pleased to announce we've been adding MIC (Mortgage Investment Company) customers across Canada. Our two most recent additions include RiverRock and Westboro.

Since 2008, financial institutions (FIs) have faced an ongoing challenge to implement updated regulations into risk and operations. Regulations now seem to change on such a regular basis that risk, compliance, and operations have had no choice but to increase staff. What's been missing are simple and effective technology solutions that scale....

The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) implemented regulations in January 2018 that changed the way the federally regulated lenders qualify mortgages. Without delving into all the changes, we'd like to focus our attention on how individuals and financial institutions have found creative ways to mortgage qualification....