Tagged: VaCAP

Social Media & USPAP Confidentiality Requirement 35

Think It Through Before You Post!

Appraisers are Professionals, Social media is a fact of life. There are many appraisal industry social media outlets for appraisers to connect. These forums provide a great resource for appraisers to seek advice from other appraisers, voice their opinions on industry related issues, and sometimes just to vent a bit after a rough day. This is where we need to be careful….. We have all read comments on social media outlets that you just have to stop and think to yourself, “I can’t believe someone actually posted this”. Confidentiality is a requirement of the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice....

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisers News / E&O / Errors & Omissions

Low AMC Fees? FDIC Wants to Hear from Appraisers 24

Low AMC Appraisal Fees? FDIC Wants to Hear from Appraisers

AMCs paying low fees, Appraisers and Regulation Z of TILA VaCAP recently learned of some encouraging news. The FDIC wants Regulation Z to be followed and will enforce it for appraisers. Here is what VaCAP received from an appraiser who reached out to the FDIC: I just had a call from an extremely pleasant lady named Susan Welch from the FDIC Consumer Response Center (1-800-378-9581). I had sent a note over regarding an AMC attempting to get me to sign a “Base Fee Letter” agreeing to a drop of my base fee for full appraisals to $325 from $400-500. She...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisers News / Customary & Reasonable Fees / Dodd-Frank Act / C&R Fees

Legal hotline advice concerning FHA inspections 18

Legal Hotline Advice Concerning FHA Inspections

Advice from the Virginia Association of Realtors Legal Hotline Mack Strickland, a dedicated founding member of VaCAP, recently contacted the Virginia Association of Realtors Legal Hotline concerning FHA inspections. He shared with VaCAP his findings. “I called VAR legal hotline, a service to all REALTORS (appraisers are REALTORS too if paying dues). I inquired about the liability of the FHA inspection protocol of operating appliances. The lawyers confirmed my belief that to reduce the appraiser’s liability as to operation of appliances and equipment is to have a responsible person present to operate the appliances for the appraiser. I have adopted...

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

Paid Late AMC Violations 20

The Appraiser is the Only One Policing the Industry

Paid Late, Non C&R fees, Operating Without License AMC Violations VaCAP has learned North Carolina has disciplined Appraisal Nation and Independent Settlement Services for non-payment within 30 days in accordance with North Carolina Law. See the details below. How does this help appraisers in Virginia? The answer is simple, precedence! When the VREAB receives a complaint and determines a violation has occurred, there is guidance in disciplinary actions. On the topic of AMC’s not complying, VaCAP has learned of several AMC’s operating in Virginia without proper licensure. And yes, all of them have been reported to DPOR! We can not...

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

Transparency… Where is it? 38

Transparency… Where is it?

Is transparency with the lender? Did the lender explain to the borrower the fee they (the borrower) are paying to the AMC and the benefit they are receiving? Oh wait, what benefit is the AMC to the borrower? Was this fee disclosed verbally, in writing or anywhere? Did the lender disclose any relationship they have with the AMC? Is transparency with the AMC? Did the AMC disclose their fee to the borrower? Did the AMC disclose how much the appraiser is being paid? Did the AMC explain any benefit of their service to the borrower? Did the AMC explain how...

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

Requests from Lenders with Specific Statements 4

Requests from Lenders with Specific Statements

Lenders’ Requests, C&R Fees, Email Blasts, SOW, Unlicensed AMCs and more… What is the best way to ensure you receive a customary and reasonable fee for an appraisal? Answer: Only accept assignments with a customary and reasonable fee! That being said, here is a reminder of a USPAP requirement to consider before you respond to that email or text blast…. Scope of Work Rule Identify the problem to be solved. Determine and perform the scope of work necessary to develop credible assignment results. Disclose the scope of work in the report. Comment: Scope of work includes, but is not limited...

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

VREAB board meeting - VaCAP Call to Action 34

Call to Action

Board meeting about AMCs hiring staff appraisers, email blasting, non C&R fees, & background checks. VaCAP understands you are busy with lots of orders, but it is important for you to attend the VREAB Board Meeting on Tuesday April 26th. There will be a public comment period during the meeting. Every independent fee appraiser needs to voice concerns about AMCs hiring staff appraisers to complete appraisals, email blasting, the continuation of non customary and reasonable fees, and background checks. The public is not protected with any of these practices. The Virginia Real Estate Appraisers Board Meeting April 26th,@ 10:00 AM...

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

BPOs, Drones, Oil War & Appraising 3

BPOs, Drones, Oil War & Appraising

Appraisers doing $300,000 a year in BPOs There has been a lot of chatter about BPOs again. Maybe we should consider changing the law in Virginia from being a mandatory USPAP state to a state like Tennessee. Appraisers can do BPOs in Tennessee and they do not have to worry about USPAP. Now, mortgage work still falls under USPAP. But I hear of appraisers doing $300,000 a year in BPOs. Food for thought. It won’t affect your business in a negative sense. Because those who want BPOs are getting them already. Just ask any agent. It will just let us...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisers News / Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice / USPAP

AMC staff appraiser positions and the lack of public protection and trust 1

Virginia Appraisers in the Spotlight Again

AMC staff appraisers are not independent If you have not already done so, please listen to the Voice of Appraisal with Phil Crawford. Once again, Phil has brought Virginia into the spot light. This is the third show Phil has talked about AMC staff appraiser positions and the lack of public protection and trust. Thank You Phil and Kevin! Listen to the show at the bottom of this article. Please attend and speak against AMCs hiring staff appraisers to complete the appraisal reports. By definition, an AMC and an appraiser have two very different functions. Even the National Association of...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / VaCAP

Non-USPAP states - appraisers liability limited to appraisal fee 6

Is this the END of USPAP?

Non-USPAP States – Is this the END of USPAP? I recently got an email from an appraiser I have high regards for. He asked me a simple question that got me thinking. It was: “Why don’t a group of appraisers get together and form an AMC?” I found that an interesting concept. It has been done. Coester was an appraiser and now he is just an AMC. Allen Hummel, an Appraisal Institute icon, has an AMC. Why not? We know it better than anyone. But the devil is in the details. Appraiser’s liability for mistakes or omissions in this appraisal...

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

xml sitemap
blank