Author: IDFPR Board

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Backseat Driving

A large lender has recently amended their appraisal policy regarding comparables. The table below was taken from their general information Correspondent Bulletin. The change greatly expands what and how an appraiser filters data. It appears as though this lender wants to stand over the shoulder of the appraiser to make certain that the filtering is to their liking. It brings backseat driving to a new level. Imagine driving someone to a destination and having to provide a detailed list of every possible route to this destination as you arrive. Imagine having to provide detailed routes that you never seriously considered...

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June 30th Is Fast Approaching

Have you taken your 2012-2013 National USPAP Update yet? Section 1455.160: (Paraphrased) A real estate appraiser must complete the 7-hour National USPAP Update Course or its equivalent within 6 months after the effective date of USPAP. Those real estate appraisers issued a license more than 6 months after the effective date of USPAP shall complete the 7-hour National USPAP Update Course within 6 months after licensure. This has been Illinois law since January 20, 2011 which means that it was meant to begin with the 2012-2013 release of USPAP. I get a lot of appraisers who say the following: “But,...

Seasoned Professionals Wake up call 3

Wake Up Call for Seasoned Professionals

Rookie mistakes by seasoned professionals are inexcusable. Here’s a disturbing trend that the board is seeing more frequently: Appraisers who do not know how real estate works. What do I mean by that? There are complaints pouring in where the appraiser doesn’t know how to read contracts, riders, leases, zoning restrictions, blue prints, or listings. I’m not talking about complex documents or Associate Trainees struggling with their first few assignments. I’m referring to seasoned professionals who’ve been in the business for five, ten, or even thirty years. We have complaints where appraisers can’t tell when they’ve been presented with a...

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Cert 22 With a Twist

I’ve written about this before but it’s well worth repeating. Please keep in mind, this is and has been the position of the Illinois board. If you appraise a property for Client A, and two years later, Client B wants you defend your report, you’re not required to answer their queries about the report created for Client A. What if Client B threatens to blacklist you for not cooperating in the review? When does the client relationship end with Client A? USPAP states: An appraiser must protect the confidential nature of the appraiser-client relationship. That seems clear enough. So, who...

Top to Bottom Complaint Primer 0

Top to Bottom: Complaint Primer

“Why don’t you write about the complaint process from start to finish?” Howard Richter, MAI of IACREA made a great suggestion for an article. “Why don’t you write about the complaint process from start to finish?” Okay, Howard. Let’s do it! Whether complaints come from homeowners, lenders, AMCs, other government entities, they all find their way to my desk via Complaint Intake. The two-page complaint form is on-line and was designed to make it easy for the complainant and for the Department to get to the heart of the problem. Complaints come in all shapes and sizes. Some are vague...

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Thing of Value

Pay for an assignment? “Never. It’ll never happen!” It happens all of the time. While most appraisers would never dream of violating the Management portion of the Ethics Rule by paying for work…many do it every day without giving it any thought. Management: An appraiser must disclose that he or she paid a fee or commission, or gave a thing of value in connection with the procurement of an assignment. Comment: The disclosure must appear in the certification and in any transmittal letter in which conclusions are stated; however, disclosure of the amount paid is not required. In groups or...

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To Permit or Not to Permit

Excluding additions which may require permit issued by an agency of government… OK, it isn’t Shakespeare, but, it is something of interest — and concern — to licensed appraisers in Illinois. The concern begins with an appraiser accepting an unusual assignment condition. An AMC, acting on behalf of a lender is demanding that appraisers exclude from the Gross Living Area areas of the subject residence, additions to the original construction unless it is proven that the additions were legally permitted. We must understand that what is asked of the appraiser is not couched in terms of a guideline; this is...

Concessions - when & how much to adjust 7

Concessions – When & How Much to Adjust

There is a lack of consensus or understanding among appraisers regarding concessions paid to a buyer in a sales transaction. The focus here is on appraisals communicated via a current Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac form. The intent of this article is to bring some clarity to this topic, whether you’re appraising the property as a purchase transaction or using it as a comparable sale after it has closed. First, in your appraisal due to purchase, a concession to the buyer of the subject of your appraisal must be reported in the contract section of the appraisal report. However, you must remember...

Extraction Has No Traction 3

Extraction Has No Traction

“Land values were based upon the extraction method.” Look familiar? If I had a nickel for every phoned-in Cost Approach that had this sentence or one like it, I’d be Warren Buffet. The Dictionary of Real Estate Appraisal defines it as: A method of estimating land value in which the depreciated cost of the improvements on the improved property is estimated and deducted from the total sale price to arrive at an estimated sale price for the land; most effective when the improvements contribute little to the total sale price of the property. The underscored portion says it all. Usually...

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USPAP Again?

This article was published in the January 2012 issue of the IllinoisAppraiser Newsletter. In March of 2011 an Administrative Rule seemed to slip by without so much as a whimper. A real estate appraiser must complete the 7-hour National USPAP Update Course or its equivalent within 6 months after the effective date of USPAP. Those real estate appraisers issued a license more than 6 months after the effective date of USPAP shall complete the 7-hour National USPAP Update Course within 6 months after licensure. Wait a minute. Didn’t you just take the 7-hour National USPAP Update a few scant months...

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