Category: Customary & Reasonable Fees

April 24, 2013

Appraisal Advisor, a Real Estate Appraisal Technology Company, Launches Nationwide

Real estate appraisers find, rate, and manage clients using Appraisal Advisor’s new platform. Atlanta, GA – Tuesday, April 16 – Appraisal Advisor, LLC announced today the launch of an exciting new service focusing on helping real estate appraisers better evaluate and manage the clients, appraisal management companies (AMCs), and lenders that they do business with. Appraisal Advisor provides appraisers with instant access to client ratings and reviews, written by other appraisers, and gives appraisers an avenue to have complaints and non-payment issues be heard. Already boasting an unprecedented database of hundreds of thousands of individually-verified clients and thousands of reviews...

AMC / AMC Ratings / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisal Technology

April 2, 2013

NAIHP Promotes New Appraisal Rules on Capitol Hill

NAIHP acknowledges neither HVCC nor Appraiser Independence rules require the use of AMC’s. The conflict of interest rules contained in the “Interim Final Rule on Appraiser Independence,” were designed to establish a firewall between a loan production department ordering valuations of residential real estate and appraisers, who perform valuations. The Federal Reserve Board (FRB), who established the Interim Final Rule to replace the Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC) in October of 2010, recognized it was not always practical to separate these functions in small financial institutions, which is why the FRB created two sets of firewall requirements: one for...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Customary & Reasonable Fees

January 30, 2013

Evaluation Solutions Failure

Evaluation Solutions, LLC: The Anatomy of an AMC’s Failure and Why Lender’s Should Care Last week, I had the pleasure of speaking to the Collateral Risk Network about lender oversight of appraisal management companies. With that exciting topic as my general theme, I chose to address the specific issue of AMCs failing to pay independent contractor appraisers for appraisals ordered by the lender-client (and also failing to pay agents and brokers for BPOs). This issue has been brought to the forefront of many appraisers’ minds and bank accounts by the recent failure of two large AMCs: National Real Estate Information...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Customary & Reasonable Fees

January 16, 2013

CoesterVMS Flat Fee Appraisal Structure Controversy

Lately, there has been some controversy surrounding the announcement of CoesterVMS implementation of a flat fee appraisal structure which went into effect on January 1. The announcement appeared on CoesterVMS Blog on January 7: CoesterVMS, a nationwide appraisal management company, has implemented the appraisal industry’s first ever flat fee model for residential appraisals. Under the flat fee model, which took effect on January 1, 2013, all conventional appraisals for mortgage lenders are priced at $450 while FHA appraisals are $475*. Customarily, appraisal management companies utilize a tiered fee structure, whereby prices are determined based on the property type or the...

AI / AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Institute / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News

November 27, 2012

Greatest Risk Facing Appraisal Businesses

Greatest risk: low fees or low cash flow? A Recent Report From Texas There has been a lot of buzz about the recent survey from Texas. The Texas Appraisers and Appraisal Management Company Survey published by Texas A&M Real Estate Center in conjunction with the University of Houston’s Hobby Center for Public Policy and the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago reports the current condition of the appraisal industry in the state of Texas. 1,584 appraisers and 55 Appraisal Management Companies (AMCs) doing business in Texas were surveyed and findings from the report were released to the public...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Business Development

November 15, 2012

Charging by the Hour for Appraisal Services?

How much are you worth per hour? I am fuming. Thanks in advance for letting me vent and virtually ‘throw-up’ my frustration all over you. My Personal Assistant accepted an order for a Forensic Investigative Field Review the other day. Originally, the AMC had offered a fee of $350. We countered back at $500 and crossed our fingers… that we would NOT get the order. These types of orders are becoming more and more popular. As the market has dropped across the nation, lenders cannot sell the collateral they loaned on between 2005 and 2008 for a fraction of the appraised value. Naturally, it must be...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Customary & Reasonable Fees

November 7, 2012

Texas Appraisers and AMC Survey

In August 2012, the Texas Appraisers and Appraisal Management Survey surveyed a total of 1,584 appraisers and 55 appraisal management companies doing business in the state of Texas. The questions were specifically designed to achieve the following: Clearly distinguish between the fees paid to appraisers by Appraisal Management Companies (AMCs) and fees paid by non-AMC clients for residential appraisals. Capture any difference in fees paid by property type: single family, condominium, size or square footage, or other factors. Capture the impact on fees by market area or locale: urban vs. rural, (MSAs, county, zip code, etc.). Determine whether appraiser qualifications...

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

October 22, 2012

Appraisal of the Industry

Of course any one who has bothered to open USPAP, or read the preface of any appraisal related book is very likely familiar with the valuation process. definition of the problem preliminary analysis data collection highest and best use analysis estimate of land value application of the three appraisal approaches: cost, market, income reconciliation of value estimates report of value Of course the application of this definition and process is where the fun begins. Definition of the problem… If I do not complete this report within the allotted 48 hours that has been so graciously allowed by the high pressure...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Customary & Reasonable Fees

August 27, 2012

More than Half of Appraisers Responded They Would Get Out of Appraising

AppraisalPort Weekly Poll Analysis This month, I want to again give you a quick summary of three recent polls. The first poll cut right to the chase, asking if you would get out of appraising if you could. This turned out to be the most popular poll in a while with 6,262 responses. I was surprised that more than half (53%) responded that they would get out. Another 25% said they would like to stay but only if fees were what they consider to be customary and reasonable. The smallest group, at nearly 7%, was composed of those who just...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Customary & Reasonable Fees / Dodd-Frank Act / C&R Fees / Home Valuation Code of Conduct

July 25, 2012

REVAA and FAIR Approach for Appraisal Fees

REVAA and FAIR Call for Market-Driven Approach for Appraisal Fees Washington, DC (PRWEB) July 14, 2011, Donald Kelly, executive director, Real Estate Valuation Advocacy Association (REVAA), appeared today before the House Financial Services Committee, Subcommittee on Insurance, Housing, and Community Opportunity to testify on behalf of REVAA and the Coalition to Facilitate Appraisal Integrity Reform (FAIR) on Mortgage Origination: The Impact of Recent Changes on Homeowners and Businesses. The testimony comes just prior to the Federal Reserve Board transitioning its rulemaking authority to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Members of REVAA and FAIR advocate that the Federal Reserve Board,...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Automated Valuation Models