This is nothing more than an add for Class Valuation, and a push for another way to controll appraisers.

Please clarify, who all let this happen?

KD-All true.

As an aside, do you type your appraisal reports in all caps as well? If so, you should seriously consider not doing so.

Not likely. The rental on those things is $900 a day! Cost is $42,000+.

Besides, all they do is measure areas. They can’t discriminate as to what is legal living area and what is not, or what is ANSI GLA or not.

If an appraiser shows up at my house with a 3d scanner, I’m locking them out until they put that away and come back with a tape measure. Talk about a privacy overstep.

Greg Wilkinson is correct, it takes hard work to gain the confidence to leave the AMC world. I can’t be thankful and grateful I’ve left the BS associated with the AMC’s. Best business decision I ever made. If all appraisers quit putting up with the BS and walked away, I’m guessing 3 weeks later every stakeholder would utilize Mercury Network or some other blind ordering method.

Isaac, they like to pick and choose. The fact is they have actively opposed customary and reasonable fee enforcement since day one. My point stands.

AMCs have been prohibited from preventing you from including disclosure of the amount paid to you within the report for some time. Some appraisers use an addendum page as a preface to their reports indicating” THE FEE THAT THE APPRAISER HAS BEEN AUTHORIZED TO BILL & INVOICE THE APPRAISAL MANAGEMENT COMPANY (AMC) BY THAT AMC, TO THE APPRAISER, IS $XXX.00. IT IS A FEE THAT IS REQUIRED TO BE BILLED. AS OF THE DATE OF THS APPRAISAL IT HAS NOT YET BEEN PAID.”

IF YOU CLOSED ESCROW NEAR THE END OF THE YEAR, BE CAREFUL ABOUT TAKING DEDUCTIONS FOR UNPAID FEES ON YOUR TAX RETURNS. (OK, I added that last part).

While I don’t like billed fees as a concept, if we are to continue to be coerced by FNMA into not being able to collect our own fees at the time of the appraisal, then this disclosure to the consumer seems a reasonable alternative. Keep in mind a HUD1 at the close of escrow is a mandatory truth in lending-related disclosure documents. If lenders and escrow are telling borrowers that appraisal fees have been paid when in fact they have NOT been paid to the appraiser, then its a misleading document and borrowers have a right to know.

Greg I have this covered. I just wrote an entire article on this matter to help KD and other appraisers out. Expect that in the next day or two. Forwarding to admin tonight. All I need is a catchy headline. Thank you.

Then shop better clients. AMC’s are not the end all be all. It takes hard work but shop better clients and stop playing games with places like that.

NATIONWIDE AMC MEANING HAPPENING EVERY MINUTE ..EVERY DAY & EVERYWHERE FOR AMCs LIKE THIS ONE. AND WHERE THE APPRAISER WOULD HAVE GLADLY & FAIRLY CHARGED $425 FOR THE SERVICE.

AMCs DON’T CARE ABOUT THE “APPRAISER’s FEE SCHEDULE ” : YOU EITHER ACCEPT WHAT THEY GIVE YOU, GIVE IT TO THEM WHEN THEY WANT IT, 7 DAY WORK WEEK, CLOCK NEVER STOPS …OR AS THE REP’ FOR THE AMC SAYS : WE WILL REASSIGN. ONLY REASON THE FEE SCHEDULE IS A PORTION OF THE APPRAISER’S RESUME IS SO THEY CAN USE IT AGAINST YOU. AMCs REP SAYS “WE” HAVE ESTABLISHED WHAT IS THE FAIR FEE FOR YOUR AREA & WE HAVE A 5 DAY TURN TIME, WEEKENDS & HOLIDAYS ARE NO EXCEPTION.
***********IF WE WANT TO MAKE A LIVING WE ARE SLAVES ************in my area THERE IS AN AMC TAKEOVER. THIS ONE ESPECIALLY…THEY ARE “SOLID AS A ROCK” hint ON WORKING US AS SLAVES

What’s the deal with focusing on amc’s? Non amc distributors are raking off the top too. Can’t you see the setup here for a continuation of this unearned fee raking model? If all the amc’s shut down tomorrow, consumer fees would not change. Rather, direct assignment order fees would be reduced under the illusion of supply and demand as lenders pocketed the difference to expand their distribution staff which is currently funded by… drumroll… The improperly co mingled appraisal fee. Fee transparency is not the issue here, not anymore. Too far down this path. Fee surveys are meaningless. Consumer fees paid are on the books for each and every frt transaction through easily accessible digitized form. Why is it exactly nobody compiles that data? You can’t call it theft when both parties willingly colluded to defraud the consumer. Perhaps from the consumers point of view that may be true. From the appraisers point of view, because the appraiser voluntarily accepted the engagement contract, such a statement is categorically false.

Cotton, Best. / It’s time for appraisers to face facts. The government can not regulate honesty and appraisers who continue to work for amc’s are the cause, and effect, in one. What’s next, a codependency law. This is a very well written article but is only a synopsis, nothing new.

What is not mentioned is that these distribution structures entice unethical behavior from appraisers as they ignore the management rule and provide a thing of value to the assigning company in order to be the preferred selectee. Undercutters and those willing to collude with middle management to defraud consumers, protected by feigned ignorance. There will be no further forward movement on this issue regardless of legislation until appraisers step back and stop promoting and assisting in the billing fraud by way of their willing participation. SOW is a contract for all intensive purposes. Contractual participation is voluntary.

These exact same people involved in appraisal distribution know very well that same order goes for twice the rate to the next guy whom may have some protection like on the va panel or under various other circumstances. Nobody is going to rock the boat of pocketing unearned fees. As long as appraisers still willingly participate, the boat will float.

In a series of systematic collusion and racketeering, mismo participating companies all withhold supportive data from the appraisal community. Alamode only made the mistake of publishing fee data once and quickly learned their lesson. Count the number of appraisers and related people participating with these companies and talking about these issues. Then provide a statistical ratio how many of them actively engage with amc’s or accept their money or services. Appraisers are barking in the mirror about ethics but nobody is home.

My interest in this issue is to have more direct assignment access. Amc appraisers do not deserve settlements or legal protections for having participated as if there was no other choice. It’s been a long 10 years scraping up direct orders in the face of unethical competition. It’s not that difficult to ask what the consumer was charged before quoting your fee. It sure is impossible to get a straight answer though. Stockholm syndrome.

Hi Mike,

REVAA is against the Fee Transparency provision of this bill.