Category: AMC

Is the Non-appraiser Inspector Worthy of Belief? Can You Believe That? 27

Can You Believe That? Hybrid Appraisal Part 4

…non-appraiser inspector must not provide any significant appraisal assistance… This is Part Four in a series on Hybrid Appraisal. Be sure to read Part One, Part Two and Part Three. The term “hybrid appraisal” (as it’s currently used), means that the appraiser sits at a desk, while someone else (not an appraiser) looks at the property. It appears that the non-appraiser may or may not inspect the interior, measure the improvements – but always takes a front photo, similar to what can be found in MLS listings, or Google Earth street pictures. The basic claim is that the overall process is cheaper and faster, and...

Regulators, Appraisers & AMCs Working Together, Appraisers Take on DC 3

Appraisers Take on Washington DC

Hybrids were a big topic & many regulators are concerned about their compliance… Independent Fee appraisers representing 15 different states were well represented in Washington DC this past weekend. Appraisers from  Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia, Ohio, Louisiana, California, Illinois, South Dakota, Michigan, Utah, Rhode Island, Delaware, Maryland and Washington State joined together in DC for several gatherings. To sum it up simply… Positive Unity among all. On Friday, three members of VaCAP attended the Appraisal Standards Board Meeting. This meeting was live streamed, so hopefully you were able to watch live. Lots of discussions on the proposed changes to the 2020-2021...

Valuing Properties in 5 to 15 minutes Using Photos...Lightspeed Appraisals 22

Fast, Faster and Really Fast…

Appraiser must be comfortable valuing a property in 5-15 minutes using pictures… Fast, Faster and Really Fast… Take a look at the ad for an in-house appraiser in the Atlanta area. How many of your are good enough to apply for this job? Job description We are looking for Real Estate Appraisers (licensed in GA) to work remotely on an independent contractor basis.. Appraiser will primarily be responsible for valuing properties which are on foreclosure list. Appraiser must be comfortable valuing a property in 5-15 minutes using pictures from field report. The ideal candidate will have experience with valuing distressed...

Appraiser Loft like Scam on Appraisers - AMC Owes Appraisers $750K 7

AMC Owes Appraisers $750K

Have Appraiser Loft executives screwed over appraisers again? VaCAP has been tipped off that the investors at Clarocity have uncovered some truly unbelievable facts within Clarocity Corporation. VaCAP was aware many of the Appraiser Loft Executives had landed at Clarocity and had previously shared this information with advise to be careful. According to comments on the Investor Bull Board, Clarocity has pulled off an Appraiser Loft like scam on appraisers and investors. Take a look for yourself here. By the way yesterday, Columbus Day 2018 was the 7 year anniversary of the Appraiser Loft heist! See the HousingWire article here. Clarocity is...

AMC Financial Trouble, The AMC Model Does Not Work 6

AMCs Financial Trouble

The AMC model does not work & these companies are in serious financial trouble… Stand Your Ground: A few weeks ago VaCAP reminded everyone to pay attention to the financial and economic side of your business. The article was titled “Stand Your Ground”. Since that time, we have learned of the following: A VaCAP member shared a retro desktop appraisal request in a rural area. The AMC was paying $75. An appraiser posted on AppraisersBlogs’ repost of our article about being owed thousands of dollars by the same company. See the comment here. Also take a look at the stock...

Cap on Fees & Appraiser Politics - Appraisers Blogs 32

Appraiser Politics

I doubt that appraisers would be as excited if a cap were placed on appraisers… Recently, I noticed many appraisers were excited about a new bill that was introduced in Virginia. This bill initially sounded favorable to me, but as I examined it more closely, I quickly became concerned with the excitement that was building up around it in the appraiser community. Laws in general are typically difficult to understand, and they can look better at first glance than they actually are. It is important for us to analyze new laws carefully before we advocate for them. Senate Bill 655...

AMCs Property Inspectors Denied Minimum Wage - Class Action Cases 11

Class Action Against AMCs on the Horizon

Property inspectors suing ServiceLink to obtain minimum wage… Peter Christensen wrote another article on LinkedIn about wages being paid by lenders and AMCs. This one should get your attention as it is from Independent Contractors suing an AMC. This will set a precedent and start a chain reaction. In a nut shell, property inspectors are suing ServiceLink for work performed to obtain minimum wage. Yes, you read that correctly, minimum wage. According to the article, property inspectors receive between $3 and $5 for each assignment. The article does not specify the specific service the property inspectors perform, but think bifurcated or...

Who Benefits from Hybrid Appraisals & Who Pays the Price? 25

Who Benefits & Who Pays the Price?

Why does a hybrid appraisal work better? What are the benefits? Who benefits? Who pays? A hybrid appraisal, as it has been proposed, separates the field work from the desk work. The assumption is that an appraiser is good at filling out the forms, while another “cheaper faster” person can do the property inspection. Also, we presume that the client would be the one to select the field inspector. For this post, we also assume that the property inspector is a real estate agent. This is the third post considering “hybrid appraisal”. I had intended it to be no more...

Commercial Appraisers Against National Firm - Overtime Class Action 3

Appraiser Overtime Lawsuits Continue

Appraiser Overtime Lawsuits Continue to Hit Banks and AMCs – and Now Commercial Appraisers Against a National Commercial Appraisal Firm In May, I wrote a short piece (posted here) about the legal threat posed to AMCs, appraisal firms and other employers of appraisers in relation to classification of appraisers as exempt from overtime. I included a warning that the threat was spreading to commercial firms. It’s time for an update. In August, another bank – U.S. Bank – was sued for unpaid overtime by a potential class of appraisers. Also named as a defendant to the class action is U.S....

Solidifi Agreement... All Indemnity Clauses Are Not Created Equal... 5

Indemnity Agreements

Solidifi User Agreement… all Indemnity Clauses are not created equal… This is a response to the article that Dave Towne wrote regarding Indemnity Clauses and that they are common in today’s world and appraisers better get used to it. It is also true that all Indemnity Clauses are not created equal and the devil is in the details. This topic came up because of the agreement that Solidifi requires that all appraisers that receive assignments from them must agree to. Let’s delve into the Indemnity Clause which is in that agreement. First the agreement is between Solidifi and the appraiser...

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