John, something similar here. Happened to me twice in two of my counties over the past year. When I went by the first property it had burnt three quarters of the way to the ground. In this county it has to be reported in the newspaper by the Fire Dept or the owner has to update the assessor as to what happen for it to be reported in the public record. Well I talked to the Fire Dept. and it was stated they forgot to report it! Now the second property had been condemned and knocked down to leave just a vacant lot. In this instance the condemnation was reported by the county, but they used the old address (pre 911) and it was not caught until it came to across my desk. When I mention it to my friends they think I’m joking, but I’m not.

Seneca, I said “offered fees” and made a point to tell all that I turned down four appraisals just yesterday at $300 each. The lenders and AMC’s of the world need NO help from me “for keeping fees low”, as they don’t care what I want (turn down my quotes). Living in a very high cost of living area my fees from 2000 ($400, $450 FHA, & $700 units – noncomplex, under 1 Mil, etc.,) were what I considered reasonable at the time, based on the scope of work, liability, regulations, and the business expenses of the day. Your CA research ($395), only proves that many appraisers today (6,000 within a few hundred miles from me / So Cal), have lower gross fees from, 5, 10, 15 or perhaps 20 years back.  In MAKING, KEEPING, or NETING, 40% more, based on the current environment, (twice as long to complete, min wage soon to be $15 in my entire state, expenses, liability, etc.), the gross fees in my opinion need to be tripled in my area just to be equal to the year 2000. Congratulations on getting a 40% raise, but to my point, your local, region, or state success in my opinion is the minority and not the majority.

Nope, I will be celebrating 25 years of being an appraiser in Feb 2017. I hope I am the last appraiser standing. Maybe I can take my 6 figure income and turn into 7.

So you’re the one who is accepting that work at the $300 fee. Shame on you for helping to keep fees low. I have visited a dozen appraiser sites for California and almost all are charging $395 or more. Don’t give me crap about the location lottery. the ratio of appraisers in Ohio is exactly the same.  It’s called hard work.

If you are making 40% more than you were in 2008 we can only assume that you were a trainee eight years ago. Either that or you are selling crack on the side. Yet another competitor in the “last appraiser standing” contest.

Good luck with that!

In Southern CA where nearly one in ten of all 75,000 appraisers live and work (the state has 15 out of 100 (11,000 +/-), most are still offered lower gross fees today compared to 2009 (HVCC). The lower gross fees do not take into account significantly increasing business expenses, nor the fact with scope creep our work now takes twice as long to complete. Complicating the issue is the fact that Southern CA (my area Coastal San Diego), as a region has some of the most expensive areas to live in (my primary zip code is now $975,000). As it relates to turning down business, it really depends on the business your turning down. Today, I have turned down $1,800 in work (4 at $300 one at $600) because if this was 2008, the fees would have been $4,000. Congratulations on winning the location lottery Seneca, as with todays gross fees, expenses, and time to complete, many areas have been pushed back to the late 80’s.

I guess if you are working for $250 per report and have do do one a day you get it done as fast as you can accuracy and quality be damned.

I did a Field Review a few years back, the only truth in the entire report was the address and borrowers name. The house abutted an auto junk yard, never in the photos, and the comps didn’t even exist. Honestly, they were all made up. I really hope these reports come back to bite the Lenders and AMCs in the butt. And again, public be damned as long as the lenders are making money.

Unfortunately, I see appraiser’s commit the same omissions in their photos and do not report external influences. Can’t understand their motivations. Is it sheer laziness or something more egregious?

Unfortunately, I see appraiser’s commit the same omissions in their photos and do not report external influences. Can’t understand their motivations. Is it sheer laziness or something more egregious?