Monthly Archive: March 2014

Small Towns and Rural Areas Appraisal Requirements 3

Rural Areas & Small Towns Appraisal Requirements

A common misconception of Fannie Mae’s Appraiser Independence Requirements (AIR) is that lenders are required to use third-party vendors or appraisal management companies (AMCs) to ensure compliance. In fact, lenders are not required to use an AMC or any other third-party vendor to order appraisals…

Blacklist Computers judging Appraisers 6

Blacklist: Appraisers Judged by Computers

Blacklist of Appraisers – the End Is/Must Be Near: Advancements in the Art of Blacklisting If you are a real estate professional, please read this, especially if you fear your own business is being damaged by all of the new regulations designed to “help” the real estate industry recover. Imagine you, a hardworking, law abiding taxpayer, are sitting at home one evening watching television when there is a knock at your door. Somewhat surprised by the late hour of the visit, you get up and open the door and three IRS agents barge into your home and declare, “We are...

What Does the Missing Malaysian Jet have to do with Appraising 0

Malaysian 777 Disappearance and Appraising?

What Does the Missing Malaysian Jet have to do with Appraising? I find it fascinating that a jet full of passengers can just disappear.  As time passes, it is becoming more and more evident that this is not going to end well.  What is interesting to me, however, is the media coverage of the event.  Everyone seems to have a theory as to what happened (including one ‘reporter’ speculating that a black hole might have sucked them up).  The problem?  Most of these theories are based on no more than a hunch.  There is little to no evidence supporting most...

Proposed Rule for AMCs 0

Proposed Rule for AMCs

Agencies Issue Proposed Rule on Minimum Requirements for Appraisal Management Companies WASHINGTON — Six agencies today issued a proposed rule that would implement minimum requirements for state registration and supervision of appraisal management companies (AMCs). An AMC is an entity that serves as an intermediary between appraisers and lenders and provides appraisal management services. In accordance with section 1124 of Title XI of the Financial Institution Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989, as added by section 1473 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the minimum requirements in the proposed rule would apply to states that...

Online Petition to Make a Difference in Customary and Reasonable Appraisal Fees 5

Customary & Reasonable Appraisal Fees

A Cost-Plus fee structure will allow the Customary and Reasonable Fee provision, a component of Appraiser Independence, to be more readily adopted. Fellow Professional Appraiser, I am asking you to take a moment from your busy day to PARTICIPATE in an important industry effort. That issue is referred to within Title XIV of the Dodd-Frank legislation as “Customary and Reasonable Fees”: CUSTOMARY AND REASONABLE FEE In General – Lenders and their agents shall compensate fee appraisers at a rate that is customary and reasonable for appraisal services performed in the market area of the property being appraised. Evidence for such...

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Contract Analysis Paralysis

The most critical failure found in appraisal reports that come before the Board, whether residential, commercial, or agricultural, is a lack of analysis.  Appraisers seem to think that citing or reporting is synonymous with analysis. Analysis – to study (something) closely and carefully: to learn the nature and relationship of the parts of (something) by a close and careful examination. The URAR asks: I did or did not analyze the contract for sale for the subject purchase transaction. Explain the results of the analysis of the contract for sale or why the analysis was not performed. Yet many will write:...

House measurement square footage 6

How Big is My House?

As a house gets older the wood begins to shrink… Do you ever get those questions? “Well ABC appraised my house last year and my house was 3,726 square feet. Why do you say it only contains 3,698 square feet?”. I have always wanted to say, well as your house gets older, the wood begins to shrink… Everyone knows of course that houses come in different sizes, shapes and that walls can be built at angles other than 90, 60 or 45 degrees, thus accurate measuring can be a challenge. When you factor in roof pitch for upstairs rooms, or...

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Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB) Survey

The Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB) has distributed an online survey to licensed and certified real estate appraisal professionals as part of a practice analysis. The deadline to complete the survey is March 26, 2014 The purpose of the practice analysis is to identify tasks and competencies reflective of the real estate appraiser job role in order to update the examination content outlines for the AQB National Uniform Licensure and Certification examinations. The link to the survey is: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/AQBSURVEY Participation is essential to the success of the practice analysis. This is a fantastic way for licensed and certified appraisers to give back to...

Big Banks Blacklisting Appraisers 4

Big Banks Blacklisting Appraiser

Both Fannie and Freddie will now have their own blacklists and if you think getting off a bank’s blacklist is tough, you have no idea what you will have to do to get off one of their lists.

As one industry expert observed, “if you get on the do not use list for either Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, you’d better find another job because your days of being an appraiser just ended.”

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Competency

I have had numerous appraisers, both residential and general certified, ask me about various elements of competency. Some are questions regarding levels of certification and property types. On other occasions, the questions have to do more with geographic coverage. Finally, the concept of competency as it relates to various special use property types is the most complex topic I typically discuss with fellow appraisers. Subject Matter First, I will start with residential versus general certification and the common and ongoing concern appraisers have in Missouri. USPAP itself does not dictate what is residential and what is commercial. It simply requires...

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