Monthly Archive: June 2017

AMCs: The Bad and… the Good 6

AMCs: The Bad and… the Good

Dustin Harris, the Appraiser Coach, discusses the Bad and the Good of AMCs in this video podcast: We hear a lot of complaining about AMCs. Frankly, much of it is probably justified. Let’s explore some of those complaints. But, are there some good things about AMCs as well? The Bad: No real relationship Low fees Scope creep Speed demands – turn times Unknowledgeable customer service Revision requests already addressed in the report Uploading / portals Fee disclosure

Allegations of Price Fixing by FTC Against LREAB: Response Filed 18

Allegations of Price Fixing Rejected by LREAB

LREAB denies FTC’s allegations as factually false & politically wrong-headed… On June 19, 2017, the Louisiana Real Estate Appraisers Board (LREAB) filed a response to the Federal Trade Commission’s price-fixing allegations. In its 15-page response, LREAB denies all FTC’s allegations (see PDF at the end of the article). GENERAL RESPONSE TO THE COMMISSION’S ALLEGATIONS To shore up the integrity of the residential mortgage appraisal process and, thereby, help to avert a recurrence of the real estate-fueled financial crisis of 2007-2009, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (“Dodd-Frank Act”) requires States to empower their real estate licensing agency,...

Technology Forced Upon Appraisers Is About Money in AMC Pockets 37

Enough Already, Nobody is Listening

AMC technology is not about efficiency of the appraisal process… I am very tired of reading all the articles from appraisal management companies stating appraisers need to embrace new technologies and tools. Please stop telling me how to do my job! For the record, appraisers are professionally trained and licensed individuals. We use technology each and every day. We use analytical tools each and every day. Our most power tool, our brains, tells us most of these new technologies and analytical tools are pure garbage; not because the programs are flawed, but they do not have enough accurate data to...

Fee Charged by the AMC Must Be Paid by the Lender 78

Lender Must Pay AMC Fee Proposal!

Appraisal fee charged to consumer must not include AMC fee This is huge. The New Jersey Department of Banking is proposing to change the current regulations of mortgage lenders. The change will require the maximum fee charged to the borrower for appraisal services is no more than the actual fee the appraiser is paid. In other words, any fee charged by the AMC must be paid by the lender. We all need to support New Jersey in this action. This is about Consumer Protection! Please note this did not initiate from appraisers, this came from the New Jersey Department of...

Smoke Detectors Scope Creep & Appraiser Responsibilities 17

Smoke Detectors & Appraiser Responsibilities

Smoke / CO detectors are not “market-measurable” Dear Mr. Lunsford, We have been asked to write to you by an appraiser that just received your most recent communication concerning your new requirements for fee panel appraisers to inspect, photograph and opine as to operability of Carbon Monoxide (CO) and smoke detectors. The American Guild of Appraisers through its affiliated union sponsors represents our own appraiser members as well as the real estate appraisal interests of our combined fraternal families more than thirteen million union members, retirees and their families. We believe this to be an issue of concern for our...

HousingWire Blasted by Appraisers: Sorry, HousingWire, You're Wrong 7

Sorry, HousingWire, You’re Wrong

Appraisers Blasted HousingWire… Last Week HousingWire published an article about the appraiser shortage. The author did not source appraisers for factual information and relied on the propaganda being fed by Appraisal Management Companies (AMCs). “At the current pace, appraisals can kill deals and even give cash buyers an added advantage, according to Urban Institute’s report. Some argue, there are not enough appraisers to meet the rising homebuyer demand as they struggle to fill out long or even redundant forms. Appraisers themselves often comment on HousingWire message boards and say there is no shortage; Quality appraisers are just unwilling to make,...

Staff Appraisers, Monopolies, Labor Shortages 6

Staff Appraisers, Monopolies, Labor Shortages…

The issue of staff appraisers at AMCs and more…. Kilts, Labor Shortages, High Performance Homes, Monopolies, Politics, Surveys and a new direction for VaCAP… all within the last 24 hours! Yesterday was the 2017 Virginia Coalition of Appraiser Professionals (VaCAP) Annual Conference, while we discussed our mission, accomplishments and goals, we voted unanimously to change our by-laws to allow our continued growth. Moving forward our processes will be streamlined and we will be offering educational opportunities for our members. We discussed current issues in Louisiana with the FTC and how the outcome will impact the industry throughout the country, monopolistic...

Zillow vs appraisal ethics 4

Zillow vs Appraisal Ethics Rules

Although Zillow claims that the Zestimate is not an appraisal it appears that the majority of the public considers them as such. In my conversations with local real estate agents I hear countless stories about how home sellers believe in the Zestimate, and because of this, they pressure the agent to list the home for the value given, especially if it is higher than what the agent believes they can sell it for. Zestimate vs. Appraisal Because so many people do see the Zestimate as an appraisal I thought I would take a look at how the two compare when...

Copyright of Appraisal Reports: Control Over Our Own Intellectual Property 42

Copyright of Appraisal Reports – Again

Why do we need a copyright in the first place? Before deciding whether you need to copyright, or whether it is too complex or not I urge all to read the information found in the following link. When I started searching to see what the specific requirements were, I initially thought I’d have to pay a fee and submit each ‘work’ (appraisal report) to the United States Copyright Office. Clearly not a practical process for most of us, even if the fee weren’t so high (about $114.00). I’m pleased to say if is not that complicated, or costly. In fact,...

FTC Attorney Response & AGA Seeking Appraisers Opinions 9

FTC Attorneys Response to AGA

Is the FTC asserting that FNMA is exempt from antitrust laws? I don’t think of myself as being obtuse, nor do I think those that know me well would consider me to be particularly slow of wit or comprehension. Despite this, I’m truly confused by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) attorneys response to the American Guild of Appraiser (AGA) email letter we sent them. The first sentence states “The federal antitrust laws prohibit anticompetitive mergers and business practices that seek to prevent hard-driving competition, such as monopolistic conduct, attempts to monopolize, and conspiracies and combinations that harm competition and consumers.”...

xml sitemap
blank