An evaluation is NOT required to meet USPAP requirements… I went over the bills VaCAP requested action on (see VaCAP Legislative Call to Action) and wanted to share my views as it appears they were interested in individual views. HB 1453 Real estate appraisers; changes definition of evaluations. Introduced by: R. Lee Ware SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED: Real estate appraisers; evaluations. Changes the definition of "evaluation" from an analysis, opinion, or conclusion relating to the nature, quality, value, or utility of specified interests in, or aspects of, identified real property to an opinion of the market value of real property or real...
Bill removes consumer protection and legalizes bad behavior by AMCs. Now is the time to contact your legislators with comments. They want to hear from you! HB 1453 – Changing the definition of evaluations – has passed the General Laws Committee and was read in the House of Delegates on February 1, 2018 for the first time. SB 655 – Capping fees of an AMC to 20% and disclosing the AMC fee to the consumer – is on the agenda for Monday February 5th in the General Laws and Technology Committee. Please contact your representatives and the committee members and...
Classifying Appraisers as Independent Contractors – an Issue for Appraisal Firms and Maybe AMCs Too A hot legal issue that is beginning to more often affect appraisal firms and similar businesses, such as inspection and field service management firms, is the classification of workers as independent contractors, rather than as employees. In some lawsuits, plaintiff workers argue that they were improperly classified by firms as independent contractors and then claim that, if they had been treated properly as employees, they would have been entitled to compensation for overtime, as well as reimbursement for expenses. In other situations, the issue is a...
Clear Capital ClearVal… Value Not So ClearCut… I’ve finally had an opportunity to read a hybrid ‘appraisal’ start to finish. All may read the unedited, non-redacted version in all its glory… or infamy, as the case may be. Please click here (report also embedded below) and read it first. I’ll wait right here. Finished? Great. One thing is clear. It is not an appraisal by any current accepted definition that I am familiar with. Ironically, there is also very little that is clear as far as support for the opined values is concerned. (I’m old fashioned and think it should...
There is no form that is USPAP compliant… There have been numerous articles and discussions on blogs, social media and other forums concerning alternative products, mainly Hybrid Appraisals. The profession is truly divided on the topic. Some see it as a race to the bottom, others see it as another revenue stream. Regardless if you are for or against completing these products, we need to remind all appraisers that there is no form that is USPAP compliant. The appraiser’s actions are what will make a report USPAP compliant. If the product is an online form, which most are, make sure you are able to...
Three bills introduced concerning our profession… Fellow Appraisers, The 2018 Virginia General Assembly has begun and there are three bills that have been introduced concerning our profession. VaCAP is not behind any of these bills and we honestly do not know how they came about. We were truly blind-sided by them. We ask that you contact your representatives and offer your support, opposition and suggestions. It is also a good idea to contact the committee members that will be discussing and voting on each of these bills. We will continue to follow the bills and alert you when they appear...
Open invitation for spurious reconsideration requests… No thank you. I just checked your website and glanced at your “clients” tab, Reconsideration request form. It pretty well negates all the puffed up hyperbole in your email invitation. It is people like you that are the problem, not solutions. Do you think a one of two items drop down menu is an adequate reason for asking an appraiser to reconsider their value? Do you not see a need to request a full and thorough explanation as to why your clients might be asking for a reconsideration? At a minimum didn’t you feel...
What could lure these successful 'professionals' from their chosen careers? Fellow appraisers, I just received an advertisement for a company that wants to pay ‘me’ $50.00 an hour to do desktop appraisals. Actually, probably not me, because they prefer a degree. Now, my routine hourly rate for complex appraisal assignments is $150 ($500 for EW and something variable in between for pretty much everything else). So they are asking me to take a cut of 2/3… assuming I could meet their degree requirement “preference”. It got me thinking. I cannot always command my hourly rate for 8 hours a day,...
Sometimes the only substitute for experience, …is more experience. Dear Mr. Traynor: The American Guild of Appraisers has long been on record in opposition to the original requirement for a college degree to become any level of real estate appraiser. This was never a requirement of Congress at all, but rather one developed by the AQB over time. While we are pleased AQB has abandoned the college degree at the licensed and residential certification levels, we are disappointed to see it is still being proposed at the general certified level. We repeat for the record; there is nothing involved in...
Appraisers were simply order takers… A friend that refers a lot of commercial work to me forwarded the following communications from an AMC. He’s been telling to ‘go away’ for some time now. This time he played along to see exactly what it is they are hustling. I’ve redacted my friends name and eliminated excessive line spacing and repetitive email signatures. I also bold highlighted references to John Brenan & AQB communications. Otherwise it’s as copied from my email. We’ve all heard enough about hybrids so you can either read the copied emails or skip them. It’s the article from...
