Category: American Society of Appraisers

Merger of NAIFA & ASA to Strengthen Appraisers - Appraisers' Voice Just Got Louder 8

Appraisers’ Voice Just Got Louder

ASA and NAIFA Agree to Move Forward with Merger Consideration The American Society of Appraisers (ASA), the original multidisciplinary valuation society, and the National Association of Independent Fee Appraisers (NAIFA), the leading voice for independent professional real estate appraisers, announced on April 18, 2017, they have reached an agreement to move forward with a Memorandum of Understanding leading to the merger of NAIFA with ASA. Boards for both organizations will provide details to their memberships in upcoming weeks for final consideration and approval. The merger will add to ASA’s nearly 5,000 multidiscipline credentialed valuation professionals in over 75 countries and...

Delegates & Senators Pass New AMC Law & Clear Capital Possible Violation 14

Details of the New AMC Law

No paid lobbyist, just appraisers talking with the Senators and Delegates about the abuses of some AMCs… Governor McAuliffe signed SB1573 into law requiring appraisal management companies to pay within 30 days of the initial delivery. This becomes law July 1, 2017. Here is how it happened…. Two appraisers, both small business owners, sat down and had a conversation with Senator Frank Wagner about some of the issues appraisers are facing. By the end of the conversation, the three were on the phone with a representative of Legislative Services drafting the verbiage of the bills needed to help protect the...

Baby or Bath Water? And Is it Time to Take Back USPAP? 31

Baby or Bath Water? And Is it Time to Take Back USPAP?

About half of AICPA members don’t believe in USPAP… When I first heard that “they” were trying to do away with the Appraisal Practices Board (APB) of the Appraisal Foundation (TAF), I tried to keep an open mind. I also wondered who “they” are. Did the Appraisal Institute (AI) finally get a sympathetic ear in Congress? Was it preemptive action by the Board of Trustees in anticipation of budget cuts by the new administration? By the way, what does the APB do? I certainly had it wrong. I thought they helped develop the Advisory Opinions (AOs)! To be candid the...

The Partisan Battle to Eliminate Dodd Frank 15

The Partisan Battle to Eliminate Dodd Frank

Dodd Frank created the illusion… I had a different “take away” from the Housing and Insurance Subcommittee “Modernizing Appraisals” hearing. My impression was that there were two simultaneous hearings by the same people in the same place. There was the actual televised hearing with disparate prepared speeches, and then there was the real underlying reason for the hearing. The partisan battle to eliminate Dodd Frank. I try very hard to take a non partisan approach to the issues facing appraisers when writing about or for the American Guild of Appraisers (AGA). Obviously AGA is a union organization, though as I’ve...

Serfs Are Starting to Get Upset 10

Serfs Are Starting to Get Upset

The serfs are PISSED! Apologies. America was not founded by people that ‘went along to get along’, or that were willing to accept economic or political serfdom. Though they did so until a critical mass of frustration was reached. It is human nature to seek and then protect the benefits of privilege. To some extent this is a positive attribute. It’s the foundation of Capitalism. It is only when dishonesty and manipulation of laws becomes prevalent that the system is at risk, and not operating properly. We had dueling to keep honorable people honorable two hundred years ago. That was...

We work together and support each others initiatives 1

Let’s Work Together

We work together and support each others initiatives… Like VaCAP, other appraiser organizations are working towards the betterment of the appraisal industry and public trust. VaCAP works independently, as well as with a network of other state coalitions and other professional organizations in our industry. Many of the initiatives VaCAP supports are the same initiatives other organizations support. Although we may have different ideas on solutions, we work together and support each others initiatives as the appraisal industry and the consumer benefits. The American Society of Appraisers was represented by John Russell, Director of Government Relations, at the Customary and...

The Decline of Appraisers 26

The Decline of Appraisers

The problem is not simply that too many appraisers are retiring. Very few appraisers are entering the profession. In Illinois, the drop in real estate appraiser trainee applications went from 1,231 in 2005 to only 55 in 2015. That’s an over 95 percent decline. This drastic reduction in new entrants is being seen in states across the country. Many appraisers welcome the shortage, which has already driven up fees in many areas. But many believe the celebration is shortsighted. A decline in the number of appraisers threatens the integrity of lending and undermines the stability of the real estate market…

Raising Appraisal Threshold Levels 9

Raising Appraisal Threshold Levels

Adjusting appraisal threshold levels On December 2, 2015, Dave Towne called attention to an article on a potential increase in appraisal threshold levels, which appeared in the ABA Banking Journal. Excerpt: The banking agencies are revisiting the dollar thresholds for their appraisal requirements, FDIC Chairman Martin Gruenberg said in Arlington, Va., today at the final outreach meeting for the decennial Economic Growth and Regulatory Paperwork Reduction Act review. “Based largely on comments we have received during these outreach sessions, we have formed an define working group to review the appropriateness of dollar thresholds for transactions requiring appraisals and other requirements...

Reality check for appraisers 6

A Reality Check for Appraisers

I am not selling road-apples to my fellow appraisers… Appraisers as a group DO NOT PAY ATTENTION to what is going on within the profession OR seemingly unrelated areas that affect the profession. FNMA & Freddie ALREADY HAVE authority to fund loans without appraisals. This is in anticipation of an appraiser shortage. AI has appointed itself the ‘voice of all appraisers’ in America. They actually made the statement at the California TAF meeting in June that they speak for all appraisers interests AND that they put those interests of the entire profession above their own. (source-live meeting; TAF/ASB Redondo Beach...

A Contrary Response to The Future of Valuation - Imagecredit Flickr - Simon Cunningham 6

A Contrary Response to The Future of Valuation

Recently an article appeared in WorkingRE about the Future of Valuation. The author is the President of a large and highly respected Appraiser  Peer and Educational Organization.  My own contrary response was either too lengthy, or deemed too critical of a big advertiser for publication in WorkingRE. I thank the hosts of this blog for granting the space. My concern with the author’s views starts with the description of our Real Estate Appraisal profession as ‘valuation.’ The concern is more than mere quibbling over semantics. Valuation is the phrase preferred by the Business Valuation community. They have long been dominated...

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