In some "drive by" BPOs, the broker doesn't even enter the home.

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Defenders of BPOs say brokers have deep familiarity with the neighborhoods in which they work and can offer expert opinions faster and more cheaply.

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"A real estate agent sells properties within the neighborhoods he's valuing, and he's constantly talking to sellers and buyers, " says Duane Andrews, CEO of Clear Capital, a real estate data provider that offers both BPOs and traditional appraisals.

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Typically these evaluations are used to judge a portfolio of assets, but the government has begun to allow BPOs as appraisals for some short sales in its Making Home Affordable program, a move that the Appraisal Institute says threatens standards.

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The increased use of BPOs, the need for speed and value, and the wide variations in appraiser quality--there are three levels of accreditation for appraisers, so not all can claim the many hours of training a designated appraiser has--means that getting a reliable appraisal for a sale or refinancing is tricky.

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