Category: AMC

Unsolicited Appraisal Request - Don’t Be Afraid to Charge Your Worth 15

Unsolicited Appraisal Request

…an unsolicited appraisal request instructing payment be collected at the door… Well who said 2020 would be a nice calm year for appraisers? VaCAP has been receiving messages from appraisers about some of the crazy dumb stuff lenders and amcs are doing. What is scary is the things we are hearing are very reminiscent of 12-15 years ago. A long time VaCAP member forwarded an appraisal request to us he received via Mercury Network. All was good with the order, turn time, fee; all good except for one little issue, payment was to be collected at the door from the...

Biden's Claim of Racial Bias in Appraisals Faces Criticism from Appraisers 33

Biden Claims on Racial Bias in Appraisals

Over the past week or so, Presidential Candidate Joe Biden publicly called for more regulation and oversight over appraisers to combat racial bias. He specifically cited the Brookings Institute Study ”The Devaluation of Assets in Black Neighborhoods, The Case of Residential Property”. If you are unfamiliar with this study, in a nutshell, the findings accuse appraisers of undervaluing properties in black neighborhoods. The study is an easy read and can be found here. We will warn you, much of the data used in the study carries very little weight as Census Bureau (self-reported data) and information from Zillow were used....

Sharestates Seeks to Overturn NY Appraiser-friendly Statute of Limitations 15

Lender Seeks to Overturn NY Appraiser-Friendly Statute of Limitations Law

Sharestates operates a crowdfunding platform that provides alternative mortgage lending secured by both residential and commercial real estate. Over the last 10 years, it has reported average annual returns for loan investors ranging from 9.24% to 11.02%. With returns like these, there is likely some loan risk – and Sharestates reports a current foreclosure rate of 2.44%. Following several of its foreclosures, Sharestates has filed professional negligence cases against about a dozen defendant appraisers, appraisal firms and appraisal management companies, blaming the loan losses on inflated appraisals. Last year, it lost one of those cases in a Nassau County, New...

Report Finds Connection Between Student Housing Values and Elite College Football Programs 0

Connection Between Student Housing Values & Elite College Football Programs

If you watched the 2020 college football national championship contest, you probably weren’t thinking about investment properties as LSU handed Clemson a 42-25 whipping. But maybe you will during next year’s title game… Universities with big time college football programs also have valuable student housing. That was the finding of a recent report issued by CBRE. The commercial real estate giant discovered schools with high-profile football teams have experienced boosted enrollment in recent years. The influx causes student housing demand to increase, and along with it, property values. Newer student housing builds resemble traditional multifamily in terms of function and...

Appraisers CASH the Darn Check! - Appraisers Blogs 52

CASH the Darn Check!

…AMC in question is refusing to allow new vendor appraisers to accept fee payments by check… Appraisers, I had an interesting conversation with a Chief Appraiser at a prominent AMC today (and no, you don’t have to berate or chastise me for using that expression) who told me they have a real problem with appraisers FAILING TO CASH FEE PAYMENT CHECKS! This news was absolutely stunning to hear. It is incredulous to me that people who claim to be ‘professional’ in their work, can’t figure out how to take a piece of paper with their business name on it and...

Arizona Goes After CoesterVMS - GAO to Investigate Appraisal Loopholes 1

GAO to Investigate Appraisal Loopholes

…Arizona is seeking damages and penalties against CoesterVMS… GAO has agreed to complete the study… Maxine Waters and Congressman William Lacy Clay requested a formal study/investigation into Title XI (FIRREA) and the recent dilution of its intent by the Federal Agencies. VaCAP has learned GAO has agreed to complete the study. The Network of State Coalitions has sent the following to their state members: This is the result of so many voices – the Foundation, ASA, coalitions, NAR, etc. Our Network efforts have given us an inside connection that hopefully we can continue to build on. Our meeting in DC...

AMC Liability for Deficient Appraisals - Can They Be Sued for Negligence? 14

AMC Liability for Deficient Appraisals

…may AMCs be liable for the deficient work of contractor appraisers? Can AMCs be sued for negligence? Can they be sued by borrowers?.. It’s now been a decade since the market relevance of appraisal management companies surged in connection with the procuring of appraisals for residential lending. Since then, interesting recurring legal issues have arisen relating to AMCs’ potential liability for the work of contractor appraisers: when and how may AMCs be liable for the deficient work of contractor appraisers? Can AMCs be sued for negligence? Can they be sued by borrowers? Here’s an overview of the answers to these...

FIRREA Under Attack - Protecting Homeowners from Appraisal Loopholes 25

FIRREA Under Attack!

…the federal agencies charged with implementing Title XI of FIRREA have taken steps to limit the number of transactions for which an appraisal is required… Congresswoman Maxine Waters and Congressman William Lacy Clay request a formal study/investigation into Title XI (FIRREA) and the recent dilution of its intent by the Federal Agencies. The letter to  Gene Dodaro, Comptroller General, Government Accountability Office, addresses threshold increases, regulatory exemptions, appraisal waivers, the North Dakota appraiser certification waiver and evaluations in lieu of an appraisal. It is clear the Chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee and Subcommittee Chairman on Housing, Community Development and Insurance...

Fundamental Risks in Doing Hybrids 7

Fundamental Risks in Doing Hybrids

…the intent is to caution all appraisers about the fundamental risks in doing these… Hybrids – As if another reason for not doing them was required! Regular AppraisersBlogs readers are well aware of the controversy associated with doing bifurcated hybrids. Extensive information as well as disinformation has been spread by the hucksters that promote them, and those few management or owner-appraisers of such firms that benefit from them. This article is not to debate whether they should be done, or even if they could theoretically be done in anything resembling a USPAP compliant manner. Instead, the intent is to caution...

AMC Celebrating One Million Appraisal Orders Sucker Punches Appraisers 40

AMC Sucker Punches Appraisers

Class Valuation sucker punches appraisers! Class Valuation has been celebrating completing 1,000,000 orders and sent a Tweet thanking their clients and staff. There is no mention of the boots on the ground licensed professional appraisers who actually completed those appraisals. Is this the true feelings of Class Valuation? Do they not realize not one order would have been completed without appraisers? Not one simple thank you… Meanwhile VaCAP has learned InHouse Solutions, the AMC division of Get Connexions, Inc. is ceasing all operations as of February 28th. Appraisers on their panel across the country have been getting this email: Jan...

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