Can AMCs mandate the appraisers on their panels take the COVID-19 vaccine?… Over the holidays, we received the following email from Dave Towne: Not sure if this is actually true, but an AMC put out a message on Christmas eve day saying that appraisers should be included in the Phase 1C of the COVID vaccination program. The quoted source was the Evidence Table for COVID-19 Vaccines Allocation Phases 1b and 1c of the Vaccination Program. Essential workers* (non-health care) Persons aged ≥65 years Persons with high-risk medical conditions Allocation within Phase 1 of the COVID-19 vaccination program (post Phase 1a)...
Here’s a reminder to all members of the Appraisal Institute that there is real corruption in national leadership: The proposed changes to the AI Bylaws will not allow people nominated to executive positions to provide any outside recommendations for the second vice president position. If they are submitted, they will be discarded. Why? It’s absurd and can only be explained by the stranglehold Jim Amorin and his posse have on AI executive leadership. This was clearly done to keep honest appraisers like Craig Steinley from doing what he did and submit an overwhelming number of letters of recommendations from leaders...
The Appraisal Foundation / Appraisal Standards Board have released the 4th Exposure Draft to the FUTURE version (2022-23) of USPAP. I, like so many other ‘stakeholders’ and appraisers, have grown weary of the incessant Exposure Drafts and updates to our mandated PROTOCOL MANUAL, which for many years has been massaged and modified in various ways every 2 years. Largely because new members cycle onto the ASB every year or two. The constant updates has resulted into a continuing cash cow for the Appraisal Foundation / Appraisal Standards Board. But in actual use, that should not happen because USPAP is codified...
The first case about real estate appraisers to reach the U.S. Supreme Court in almost 60 years may concern the Federal Trade Commission’s price-fixing claims against the Louisiana Real Estate Appraisers Board. Would that be a good thing for appraisers? Well, maybe it’s not the best timing. Filed in 2017, the FTC’s administrative complaint asserts that the Louisiana appraiser board, “a state agency controlled by licensed real estate appraisers, has unreasonably restrained price competition for real estate appraisal services.” The FTC contends that the board carried out this price-fixing through its regulation of fees paid to appraisers by appraisal management...
End the constant ‘busy work’ USPAP updates. End the catering to lenders or ‘advisory’ councils. Appraisers are NOT supposed to be any of the things being demanded of us today EXCEPT good appraisers!… Return to a USPAP version (any version) that actually protected the Public Trust. That would be any version PRIOR to the revision of the terms appraisers and appraisals to “valuation & evaluators” (a term used only or at least primarily by the accounting profession historically). Dissolve The Appraisal Foundation (TAF). They effectively achieved the congressional objective mandated in ’89 long ago. Everything since has been the administrative...
I recently saw a Facebook post where an appraiser was quite upset and offended that an AMC asked him to dress professionally for an appraisal walkthrough. Now, this was a request that was made up front as one of the conditions for accepting the order. Reading the post, it sounded like this appraiser was upset for two reasons. One, he was offended that the AMC was implying that he does not take his job seriously enough or dress professionally enough. Two, he felt like the AMC did not have a right to tell him how to do his job (i.e....
Appraisers should have a basic understanding of residential electrical, plumbing and building codes. Or at least have a way to research them… While reading the National Appraisers Forum on Friday December 4, 2020, I found a post contributed by California appraiser Craig Gilbert, who provided this link to building codes in each state. Over the years, I’ve seen numerous appraiser comments in various places stating that I don’t need to know anything about building, electrical or plumbing codes. Well, I hate to be the Grinch who stole Christmas, but I disagree with that perspective. Appraisers should have a basic understanding...
As most are well aware Jan Bellas is a very important executive member of the American Guild of Appraisers (AGA). She works tirelessly for our members to help get them the results they need without a great deal of compensation for her efforts. Recently Jan suffered the loss of her husband due to COVID and cancer. With that loss, comes the financial burden associated with it as well as having to take time off from performing her duties at the AGA for all members. I am starting this fundraiser in the hopes that we all can give back and help...
From October 30, 2020 TAFAC meeting, TAF president Dave Bunton said: “Earlier this week the Foundation notified the ASC that it would not be seeking any grant funds for 2021” Turning down “free” grant money means that TAF is counting heavily on appraisers to foot the bill when ethically, TAF should be making USPAP free. They are not taking the money because they are trying to avoid the “strings attached” from ASC (translation: avoiding oversight from ASC). The Cosmic Cobra Guy Jeremy Bagott Asks Us To See TAF As A Disney-like Rights Management Operation From Buzzcast: Junkets, Petitions, and the...
