Category: The Appraisal Foundation

July 9, 2018

Are Bifurcated Appraisals Legal in Your State?

Lately there has been a push for bifurcated (hybrid) appraisal products. Those promoting these questionable products claim it will reduce the amount of time to obtain an appraisal. Most appraisers are screaming foul play, and for good reason. It is because of bad players doing questionable things that licensing became mandatory in Virginia. Mandatory. Licensing of appraisers protects the public trust. We all know splitting the process will not save time, but rather create delays. The only reason for this questionable product is the profit of the amc, nothing more. And then there is the quality of the information being...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisers News

June 26, 2018

Ain’t No Way to Run a Railroad

Appraisers get frustrated with the constant changes and revisions every two years… Folks, attached is the 1st Exposure Draft of changes to the NEXT “bible” of our industry. Read this over and then send in your comments per the instructions. With this draft, the ASB is desiring to simplify much of the document to make it easier to read and understand. There are numerous proposed edits you’ll see when you read it. They explain their rationale for the changes. This is appreciated. I’m also glad to see they have added to the Definitions the words “State” and “Summarize” which have...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisers News / ASB / The Appraisal Foundation

June 20, 2018

The Evil Octopus

Appraisers, it’s not paranoia when ‘the bastards’ really are out to get you (end us as a profession). …Find each octopus and how they relate to our jobs. Look at MISMO Directors list… An Open Letter to Appraisers: Residential & Commercial This started as a response to a blog post by a respected appraiser concerning the influence of AMCs. During drafting it was clear that trying to explain AMCs was only part of the bigger struggles we face today. Picture a violent “all in” three-way gang fight among Octopi. Say a dozen on each side. That’s 36 Octopi x 8 tentacles...

a la mode / AGA / AI / AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Institute

CAP in DC: Information in Hybrids & Liability, Past Due Invoices, HBU...

June 12, 2018

100% Liability for Information Relied Upon

…courts have ruled if the information is included in the report and relied upon, the appraiser is responsible for the information… Last week representatives from VaCAP attended The Appraisal Foundation Advisory Committee (TAFAC) and Industry Advisory Council (IAC) joint meeting. We promised a recap of the events, however, both The Appraisal Foundation and Jonathan Miller have already released a summary and did an outstanding job. To read about the event, simply follow this link. The one thing every appraiser needs to understand about the new hybrid product is their liability; specifically the appraisers has 100% liability for the report and the information...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisers News

Mortgage Fraud, Alert - Appraisal Waivers & Hybrids' Liability Discussions

June 4, 2018

Mortgage Fraud on the Rise

Mortgage Fraud is on the rise. Fannie Mae has released a warning for California, but this could be happening anywhere. The National Real Estate Post (Frank Garay and Brian Stevens) have a short 6 minute video titled “Red Flag Fraud Warning from Fannie Mae” about the warning. Also on the video, markets with declining values have been discovered. Here in Virginia, appraisers have also noted some areas have taken a down turn over the past 4-6 months. Our purpose of sharing this with everyone is not to spread doom and gloom, but to remind each of us to really take...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisers News / Fannie Mae - Freddie Mac / The Appraisal Foundation

Liability Risks of Hybrids to Appraisers and Others

May 30, 2018

Liability Risks of Hybrid Appraisals

“Hybrid Appraisals” – Speaking about the Liability Risks to Appraisers and Others at The Appraisal Foundation’s Joint Council Meeting “Hybrid appraisal” liability? I am looking forward to speaking about the subject at a joint meeting of The Appraisal Foundation’s two advisory councils — The Appraisal Foundation Advisory Council (composed of 60 non-profits and government agencies) and the Industry Advisory Council (composed of 35 business entities with interests in valuation). “Hybrid appraisals” (which provide a desktop value opinion from a licensed/certified appraiser relying on a physical inspection of the property by a third party) are being marketed by AMCs and technology companies...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisers News

May 22, 2018

Improper Direction to Appraisers

…specific prohibited direction to appraisers involved in federally regulated transactions… Improper direction to appraisers as a new special lender condition Honorable Ladies and Gentlemen: The following article appeared in a recent online post at http://appraisersblogs.com/appraisers-asked-2-overlook-weed-cultivation (also copied to this letter following our inquiry). We consider the original author to be a credible source. Due to the serious implications of any appraisal management service giving such specific prohibited direction to appraisers involved in federally regulated transactions we believe it to be our duty to bring this to your collective attention. We respectfully request that each Federal Regulatory Agency review this issue...

AGA / AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations

MISMO, Appraisal Data Mining, Hybrids, and Other Fraud Facilitators

May 1, 2018

Who’s to Blame?

Looking at who and what MISMO Directors are, is it a surprise that FNMA included language in basic appraisal forms resulting in appraisers having infinite liability and no ownership over their own work product IF they do work for FNMA?… European Union General Data Privacy Regulations (EU GDPR) may seem like a stretch for an Appraisers Blog topic, but please bear with me. For some time now, The Appraisal Foundation has been focusing on major international valuation issues other than real estate appraisals. IVSC is one of the bigger and most detrimental misdirection’s they’ve taken as far as impact on...

AGA / AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations

April 25, 2018

Working Paper Credibility Questioned

NO REAL ESTATE APPRAISER IN THE COUNTRY IS ALLOWED TO MISS THE MARK BY 7.8% WITHOUT RISKING LOSS OF LICENSE! The Working Paper demonstrates more than anything else, that given an 8-hour work day the computer will take 6 full working days (1.2 working weeks) to arrive at a result that is at best 7.8% error prone. Office of the Director, Honorable Melvin Watt Federal Housing Finance Agency… Dear Sir(s) The American Guild of Appraisers is a Guild within the more than 12 1/2 million members, retirees and family members of our parent union OPEIU, AFL/CIO. In addition to representing...

AGA / AI / Appraisal / Appraisal Institute / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations

April 5, 2018

Credible Third Party Inspections

…producing credible real estate appraisal reports… Is it any wonder that The Appraisal Foundation has lost nearly all credibility as America’s self-proclaimed foremost authority on appraisal matters? I humbly submit their most recent offering. Excerpt from current ASB Q&A: “2018-19 USPAP Q&A Issue Date: March 29, 2018 The Appraisal Standards Board (ASB) of The Appraisal Foundation develops, interprets, and amends the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) on behalf of appraisers and users of appraisal services. The USPAP Q&A is a form of guidance issued by the ASB to respond to questions raised by appraisers, enforcement officials, users of appraisal...

AGA / Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisers News / ASB