The purpose of this blog is to communicate with others, share ideas, come up with solutions… not to attack other appraisers.

We welcome critical posts and opposing points of view and value robust and civil discourse. You may openly disagree, but state your case in an atmosphere of mutual respect, in which everyone has a right to a particular view about the topic of conversation. Please keep remarks about the topic at hand, and PLEASE avoid personal attacks. If the poster gets you upset, it’s the Internet and you can walk away from it.

Personal attacks harm the collegial atmosphere we encourage on this blog.

Bill, you and I work in large super urban areas or megalopolis’. Atlanta is not exactly the same market.

The better part of 10% of the entire United States population lives in your market and mine (or less than an hour+- away), combined (OK SF has a small percentage too). Roughly 25-30 million?

Atlanta’s population in 2019 was estimated at a hair over 506,000. The opportunities for independent work are far more limited than in LA-OC-SD.

So, I can’t criticize someone in Atlanta, or Tampa, or Oklahoma CIty, or Sioux Falls or Provost or Portland for accepting AMC work. The appraisers didn’t create the AMC monopolies.

Cuomo and title insurance companies did that. Very slow, but steady progress has been made since people like Pat Turner, and Marion Rhodes and a few other old-timers started fighting back.

Coester created (or tried to create) a national monopoly with his one size fits all single national AMC appraisal fees (circa 2014??). A lot of lenders bit into that particular road-apple.

Appraisers that HAD good clients had to now join AMCs in order to service those same existing clients.

You have no idea how much behind the scenes backbiting and pressure Mark received from other appraisers to abandon his lawsuit against Coester.

Mark himself was countersued for $20 million. He had to contend with and defeat that suit as well as win his own suit. Mark did what the entire State of Virginia failed to do in 2015 due to a cowardly state attorney general that lacked the balls to prosecute Coester for operating without a license when a lot of us that DIDN’T ever work for Coester tried to shut him down.

As an aside, I had stopped writing as many articles here as I used to. I LOVE the support Dez has always given appraisers, but lately it seems like the same old people are busier sniping at each other than in finding solutions. Hijacking legitimate topics and sidetracking into peripherally unimportant or minor importance issues without offering solutions.

Or carrying out ongoing vendettas again those they disagree with.

Bill, you have always espoused high standards in appraising. Mark does the same, though the two of you disagree about the details and methods.

That’s not a reason to start or carry on a flame war. Imho.

Those that choose to have a business model that relies on offshore form fillers (Philippines anybody), and high volume low pay AMC work to pay their office staff, either don’t care that their actions do harm to others, or understand and don’t have the morals to say no to the profit stream.

Seek the truth.

Be careful Cotton of calling out the AMC scam or those on their soapbox’s will treat you as the problem for calling out the facts as they are. Many appraisers create a team of offshore form fillers (Philippines anybody), so they can squeeze a profit based on high volume AMC work. In fact, many have even developed the ability to talk out of both sides of their mouth at the same time (AMC’s bad / need more volume to pay office staff / AMC’s good). Many seek profit over having sound morals, where I…

Seek the truth.

Mark, this coward had the courage years ago to endure dangerous or unpleasant things and unplug from the AMC machine that is at the heart of many of the problems we face. Most appraisers work with AMC’s and I get it, but most appraisers aren’t stepping up on the soapbox and seeking attention with podcasts while they attempt to gain corporate sponsorship from those who are often the enemy of most. If you seek a slap on the back for your efforts, you got it, but again don’t shoot the messenger because he seeks the truth and exposes it.

Seek the truth.

Thanks. Good stuff. I appreciate this and yes I agree with you on many aspects.

Mark, I’m glad you’re focusing on getting more private work. I understand why you were too soft. After all they are your client. However, may I suggest you don’t interview your AMC clients in such instances? Just a suggestion. An appraiser not relying on getting work assignments from them may have been better suited for such an interview.

For my part, I have trained 43 appraisers throughout my career. I have not only trained them to be good appraisers but good businessmen…. I’ve taught them not to work with AMCs and none have. I always lead by example and practice what I preach.

Others say working with AMCs is a business decision. I say such business decision is to the detriment of others’ businesses and our profession. Thanks for all you do!

Once agin Coward….. what are you doing other than complaining to make things different?

With all do respect Mike, choosing to work with AMC’s including the worst of the worst (Coaster / Brian Coaster), is in my opinion an example of partnering with the devil. Me calling out the facts (Mark’s business practices), should not be seen as the offense, but rather the AMC model he chooses to participate in is the offense.

As it relates to Marks sacrifices, I applaud him for his efforts, but I also I understand that when you choose your own dance partner (AMC), and they step on your foot, comfort from others while you apply the ice might be limited.

Seek the truth.

Exactly, I call BS to. They will most likely suffer the same fate as Coester because of the same flawed business model combined with corporate greed. The banks pay the AMC every 90 days or so, and the AMCs used to get away with paying appraiser on the same schedule. Now that most states require AMCs to pay appraisers within 30 days some AMCs can’t keep up, and eventually they sink.

They’ve no doubt paid themselves and their employees during the “uncertain time,” and they’ve for sure taken in revenue during this time. There is no excuse for not paying appraisers now or any other time; the banks have not been closed. Stop listening to their excuses, which are really just lies, and maybe prepare your claim form now so you be the first to submit it.

Coward. A person who lacks the courage to do or endure dangerous or unpleasant things.

You now will attack my character Bill Johnson or whoever you really are.

You know nothing of my lawsuit other than what you have read. You have 0 clue of anything else. You made this personal. I don’t care if you disagree with my ideas or how I do things. That’s fine. I’m always looking for better ideas than I have etc. however attack me personally… lol.

Keep hiding behind a fake name, keep on attacking people who don’t agree with you, keep on pretending you are doing such great things and keep on being afraid, cause that’s why you won’t come out of your closet. You’re hiding things, you’re hiding who you are for a reason.. You speak “seek the truth” yet you hide and are afraid for others to know who you are. How can you preach seek the truth when you can’t be truthful yourself. Think about it. I’ll say it. You sir are a Coward.

I’ll await your amazing response. And once again I’ll ask you…. what have you done to try and make a difference?

Mark Skapinetz had more to do with driving Brian Coester out of business than any other appraiser in the country. Hardly ‘partnering’ with him. Bill, that’s just plain offensive. You don’t have a clue as to what sacrifices he made to carry that one to the end. I do.

That’s been done. Mercury and others. The problem is that the lender (read that as LOAN OFFICER) can direct which panel appraisers are populated into their specific panels. You don’t even need to be blacklisted. Just ‘deleted’ when you produce unsatisfactory results. With no way of knowing it happened.

I dont believe people that say they can’t get into the office to pay appraisers either. I have zero problem getting into anywhere I normally control access to.

The letter’s initial claim was they had accounts receivable blocks of some imaginary description. More BS, though at the time I applauded the fact they let appraisers know.

The real problem is clearly that they have a history of this type of thing. It’s indicative of a flawed business model, and may also be indicative of a flawed ethics model as well.

If this were a one-time event I’d offer suggestions to them as to how they can avoid being a deadbeat in the future. But in reading through posts, it appears this is not their first rodeo for non-payments.

That raises ‘BS’ to a whole new level.

Unless you are prepared to keep working for free and let them get deeper and deeper in debt to your firm, I’d stop doing ALL credit work for them. Either they collect and pay prior to appointment setting, or simply cease working for them.

I know of appraisers that have been fined up to $10,000 for not completing work they had been paid for. Why should it be any different for an AMC?

Susan Layne yep. Read the letter and well I don’t need to explain what I’ve done or continue to do. If you don’t know that’s ok.

Guess who’s back! Thank you.

If you’re a Dustin Harris defending Kool-aid drinking all-star fanboy, and a prisoner to the AMC model, what you’re leading can be debated.

As it relates to “owe me an explanation” you of course do not, but don’t for one second think your marriage to the AMC system has not and continues to do harm to the appraisal profession. You working for the man, is not me “making up rhetoric”.

As it relates to as you say, me “constantly complaining and attacking” perhaps you feel the same way Dustin Harris feels “In the end, you have three options if you are currently disliking your role as an appraiser: you can change professions, you can change the way you do business, or you can continue to be unhappy. Ultimately, complaining does little to help whatever difficult situation you find yourself in, so make a resolution now to start making different choices that lead to better results” (https://theappraisercoach.com/make-changes-that-make-you-happy/

As I said in response to Dustin, “Thank God the colonist who participated in the Boston Tea Party didn’t have access to your blog or podcast Dustin (3 options, really), otherwise they wouldn’t have chosen option 4 which is to fight the establishment and start a revolution.

No hard feelings Mark, and good luck doing the same thing over and over again (partnering with the likes of Brian Coaster, and or other AMC scum), but expecting a different result (there’s a term for that).

Shooting the messenger, does not change the truth (seek it).