Appraisal Organizations - Appraisers Blogs https://appraisersblogs.com/category/appraisal-organizations/ Appraisal News and Tips for Real Estate Appraisers Sun, 18 Oct 2026 21:09:35 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.3 https://i0.wp.com/appraisersblogs.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/ABfavicon.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Appraisal Organizations - Appraisers Blogs https://appraisersblogs.com/category/appraisal-organizations/ 32 32 52046035 Inspectors Blocked the Door, Appraisers Handed Over the Keys https://appraisersblogs.com/inspectors-blocked-the-door-appraisers-handed-over-the-keys/ https://appraisersblogs.com/inspectors-blocked-the-door-appraisers-handed-over-the-keys/#comments Mon, 12 Oct 2026 12:30:11 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=35156 A fellow appraiser dropped a direct message in my inbox with a link to home inspector Preston Kincaid’s Facebook video, and watching him warn the public sent a chill through me because his words mirrored the exact warnings I have been shouting about our own appraisal profession. To understand the shock, you first need to know what Spectora is and how home inspectors work. Spectora is the dominant cloud software platform used by roughly 7,000 independent home inspectors across the country to draft, format, and deliver digital property inspection reports. By law and standard contract, home inspectors operate under strict...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/inspectors-blocked-the-door-appraisers-handed-over-the-keys/feed/ 39 35156 UAD 3.6 Erases My Legal Defenses: Insurance Industry Agrees https://appraisersblogs.com/uad-3-6-erases-my-legal-defenses-insurance-industry-agrees/ https://appraisersblogs.com/uad-3-6-erases-my-legal-defenses-insurance-industry-agrees/#comments Thu, 08 Oct 2026 12:30:15 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=35134 The insurance industry just verified the erasure of my legal defenses under UAD 3.6. The corporate apologists and tech insiders have spent weeks trying to downplay the Certification 25 confidentiality crisis. They’ve lined up to tell independent appraisers that the new language is just a passive weather report, a routine disclosure, or an innocent acknowledgement of a reality that has existed for many years. But the ultimate reality check just arrived from the very people who calculate risk for a living, and it completely blows the corporate defense strategy out of the water. Isaac Peck, Publisher of Working RE Magazine...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/uad-3-6-erases-my-legal-defenses-insurance-industry-agrees/feed/ 38 35134 Cert 25 Dilemma: TAF Abdicates Its Role as Ethics Arbiter https://appraisersblogs.com/cert-25-dilemma-taf-abdicates-its-role-as-ethics-arbiter/ https://appraisersblogs.com/cert-25-dilemma-taf-abdicates-its-role-as-ethics-arbiter/#comments Fri, 02 Oct 2026 12:30:47 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=35120 We finally have a direct written response from The Appraisal Foundation regarding the Cert 25 confidentiality crisis and it is a masterclass in bureaucratic buck passing. A peer recently contacted TAF to ask how appraisers can remain compliant with the USPAP Ethics Rule while signing a form that opens the floodgates for data distribution. TAF basically hid under their desks. They claimed they cannot give legal advice and told us that questions about Cert 25 are best suited for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac since they built the form. Then they dropped this standard canned line to try and brush...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/cert-25-dilemma-taf-abdicates-its-role-as-ethics-arbiter/feed/ 84 35120 Certification 25 and the Quiet Breach of Appraiser Confidentiality https://appraisersblogs.com/certification-25-and-the-quiet-breach-of-appraiser-confidentiality/ https://appraisersblogs.com/certification-25-and-the-quiet-breach-of-appraiser-confidentiality/#comments Tue, 29 Sep 2026 12:30:38 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=35060 Certification 25 made me realize that my refusal to participate in UAD 3.6 was justified long before I even knew what was buried in its certifications. A peer sent me Phil Crawford’s new podcast episode this morning, and I opened it without thinking much of it because I had assumed his retirement from the show meant he was done weighing in on industry developments. I have been following the news and the chatter around 3.6, but I haven’t been preparing for it. I have not taken any UAD 3.6 classes, have not attended any seminars, have not tested the form,...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/certification-25-and-the-quiet-breach-of-appraiser-confidentiality/feed/ 67 35060 Property Valuation and the Future of Data Collection https://appraisersblogs.com/property-valuation-and-the-future-of-data-collection/ https://appraisersblogs.com/property-valuation-and-the-future-of-data-collection/#comments Wed, 29 Jul 2026 12:30:58 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=33578 Property valuation is shifting fast, and the push to regulate who collects the data inside people’s homes will determine whether the process stays accurate, safe and trustworthy.  Property data collection has quietly become one of the most consequential shifts in modern real estate, reshaping how lenders, AMCs and national platforms gather the information that ultimately determines a homeowner’s equity, a buyer’s loan terms and the integrity of the appraisal process itself. Yet most consumers have no idea who is actually walking through their home, measuring rooms, photographing conditions or documenting features. In many states, the answer is startling: no license,...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/property-valuation-and-the-future-of-data-collection/feed/ 32 33578 When ‘Protected’ Becomes Pressure: You Have Until July 27 to Object https://appraisersblogs.com/when-protected-becomes-pressure-object-by-july-27/ https://appraisersblogs.com/when-protected-becomes-pressure-object-by-july-27/#comments Sat, 25 Jul 2026 12:30:25 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=33551 The new fair‑housing course weaponizes protected characteristics to pressure appraisers into outcome‑driven valuation, directly contradicting USPAP’s prohibition on advocacy. The Fair Housing Course Is Training You to Break USPAP. You Have Until July 27 to Say So. The Appraiser Qualifications Board’s Second Exposure Draft keeps a required course that pressures new appraisers to advocate an outcome based on protected characteristics. That is not fair housing. It is not lawful. And you can still stop it — but the comment window closes July 27. Let me say it plainly. We are being pushed — through licensing law and federal fair-housing regulation...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/when-protected-becomes-pressure-object-by-july-27/feed/ 7 33551 Honoring Jan Bellas, Our Greatest Advocate https://appraisersblogs.com/honoring-jan-bellas-our-greatest-advocate/ https://appraisersblogs.com/honoring-jan-bellas-our-greatest-advocate/#comments Mon, 13 Jul 2026 12:30:43 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=33506 Jan Bellas passed away on July 7, 2026, and those of us in the appraisal profession who knew her are grieving someone who was far more than a colleague. Jan wasn’t an appraiser, yet she carried the weight of our struggles as if they were her own. She understood the pressures, the unfair treatment, the isolation, the frustration, and the constant fight to be heard, and she absorbed all of it. She had a way of making appraisers feel lighter the moment they called her. You could pick up the phone in the middle of a crisis, whether it was...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/honoring-jan-bellas-our-greatest-advocate/feed/ 29 33506 The Board Has Spoken, and AMCs Should Pay Attention https://appraisersblogs.com/the-board-has-spoken-n-amcs-should-pay-attention/ https://appraisersblogs.com/the-board-has-spoken-n-amcs-should-pay-attention/#comments Mon, 06 Jul 2026 12:30:02 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=33488 The Board handled this case with the same patience appraisers have when an AMC sends “preferred comps” from another planet.  Virginia’s Real Estate Appraiser Board delivered a message at its June meeting that was impossible to miss. An attorney appeared on behalf of Financial Asset Services and Brandon Sison, asking the Board to reconsider the discipline handed down in March. The request arrived without the AMC or Sison themselves, which already set an interesting tone. When you ask a regulatory board to undo a suspension, showing up in person is usually a good start. The March decision was clear. The...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/the-board-has-spoken-n-amcs-should-pay-attention/feed/ 16 33488 Flags Over Facts: The Road to Obsolescence https://appraisersblogs.com/flags-over-facts-the-road-2-obsolescence/ https://appraisersblogs.com/flags-over-facts-the-road-2-obsolescence/#comments Thu, 02 Apr 2026 12:30:03 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=33309 The latest round of modernization comes wrapped in friendly language, but the flags are hard to miss if you’ve been paying attention.  For years, appraisers have been warning that the mortgage industry was slowly engineering us out of the process. We were told we were paranoid. Resistant to change. Stuck in the past. Then the newest Mortgage Credit Executive Order arrived, and the appraisal section opened with a single line that confirmed everything we’ve been saying: expand AVMs, desktops, hybrids, and AI. That’s the priority. Everything else in that section is just polite filler wrapped around a strategy to shrink...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/flags-over-facts-the-road-2-obsolescence/feed/ 62 33309 A Baseless Bias Claim Turns Into a State Appraisal Crusade https://appraisersblogs.com/baseless-bias-claim-turns-into-a-state-appraisal-crusade/ https://appraisersblogs.com/baseless-bias-claim-turns-into-a-state-appraisal-crusade/#comments Mon, 23 Mar 2026 12:30:26 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=33295 This is the story of how a false bias allegation became the basis for an aggressive, unjustified prosecution by the state appraisal board.  My name is Steve Orlowski, and I am a retired Illinois Certified Residential Real Estate Appraiser. In November 2020, I conducted a property appraisal. The owner deemed my value low by more than $100,000. He only complained to the State of Illinois Department of Real Estate and filed a racism complaint with HUD; he didn’t submit a reconsideration of value. Following an informal hearing, the State of Illinois Appraisal Board required me to acknowledge my wrongdoing, complete...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/baseless-bias-claim-turns-into-a-state-appraisal-crusade/feed/ 30 33295 Suspended: The AMC That Turned “Review” Into a Value Demand https://appraisersblogs.com/suspended-the-amc-that-turned-review-into-a-value-demand/ https://appraisersblogs.com/suspended-the-amc-that-turned-review-into-a-value-demand/#comments Thu, 19 Mar 2026 12:30:14 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=33277 Financial Asset Services and its chief appraiser did not just cross the line of appraiser independence, they marched past it so boldly that the Virginia Board suspended them both. In a rare twist involving a reverse mortgage, the push for a lower value became so aggressive that the Board ultimately issued a second suspended license to drive the point home.  The Virginia Coalition of Appraiser Professionals recently highlighted a case that should make every appraiser pause. Financial Asset Services (FAS) was hired to manage a reverse mortgage appraisal, a product where the pressure often runs in the opposite direction. Instead...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/suspended-the-amc-that-turned-review-into-a-value-demand/feed/ 36 33277 The AMC Industry Won’t Be Toppled by Code https://appraisersblogs.com/the-amc-industry-wont-b-toppled-by-code/ https://appraisersblogs.com/the-amc-industry-wont-b-toppled-by-code/#comments Wed, 02 Jul 2025 12:30:23 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=32940 Call me when AI stops summarizing and starts suing, because until it drags the AMC industry into court, raids their coffers, and rewires the entire system they broke, it’s just another overhyped spectator in the plunder parade.  We’ve entered an era where more people are giving AI broader directives, asking bigger questions, and expecting deeper responses, only to receive yet another AI-generated summary. But what, exactly, is AI doing in response? That’s the real limitation of the tech. Right now, millions are spinning their wheels in digital circles, posing complex problems to a machine built to mimic intelligence. And when...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/the-amc-industry-wont-b-toppled-by-code/feed/ 17 32940 WA Appraisers Stung by Fee Hikes and Veto https://appraisersblogs.com/washington-appraisers-stung-by-fee-hikes-n-veto/ https://appraisersblogs.com/washington-appraisers-stung-by-fee-hikes-n-veto/#comments Fri, 06 Jun 2025 12:30:50 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=32888 Washington state appraisers are facing skyrocketing fees to cover a debt caused by mismanaged funds — while a veto blocked relief, leaving them to pay for a problem they didn’t create.  In Washington, where evergreen forests meet bustling real estate markets, appraisers are caught in a bureaucratic drama that’s anything but charming. Robert Mossuto Jr., owner of B.N. Appraisals, Inc., with over two decades of experience appraising residential real estate, recently took to LinkedIn to expose a saga of skyrocketing fees, mismanaged funds, and a gubernatorial veto that’s left the state’s nearly 3,000 credentialed appraisers reeling. This tale is as...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/washington-appraisers-stung-by-fee-hikes-n-veto/feed/ 19 32888 Appraisal Institute’s Harassment, Tests, and Dance with AMCs https://appraisersblogs.com/appraisal-institute-harassment-tests-n-dance-with-amcs/ https://appraisersblogs.com/appraisal-institute-harassment-tests-n-dance-with-amcs/#comments Fri, 09 May 2025 12:30:58 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=32808 The Appraisal Institute’s latest chapter is a double dose of harassment woes — harassment allegations rocking its leadership and the systemic harassment of appraisers by AMCs, all under a scandalous spotlight.  The New York Times article by Debra Kamin, published on May 8, 2025, unveils a disturbing culture within the Appraisal Institute (AI), peeling back the curtain on a decade of alleged sexual harassment with Craig Steinley — former president and current vice president — who found himself in the uncomfortable spotlight. Accused by at least eight women of inappropriate behavior, Steinley’s antics include unwanted groping, as detailed in interviews...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/appraisal-institute-harassment-tests-n-dance-with-amcs/feed/ 45 32808 The Appraisal Profession’s Perfect Storm: A Veteran’s Take on a Dying Craft https://appraisersblogs.com/the-appraisal-professions-perfect-storm-a-veterans-take-on-a-dying-craft/ https://appraisersblogs.com/the-appraisal-professions-perfect-storm-a-veterans-take-on-a-dying-craft/#comments Fri, 02 May 2025 12:30:49 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=32754 The new UAD form, the AMC fee gouging, the waivers, the false bias claims. It’s a perfect storm of assaults.  I’ve been an appraiser since 1993, back when fax machines were cutting-edge and the internet was a clunky novelty. Over three decades, I’ve seen this profession weather storms, economic crashes, regulatory overhauls, you name it. But what’s happening now? It’s not a storm; it’s a tsunami. Our industry is hemorrhaging talent, drowning under false accusations, and getting squeezed by corporate greed and bureaucratic overreach. As someone who’s stubbornly refused to bend the knee to Appraisal Management Companies (AMCs), I’m here...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/the-appraisal-professions-perfect-storm-a-veterans-take-on-a-dying-craft/feed/ 100 32754 Appraisal Institute Scandal – Widespread Fraud Uncovered https://appraisersblogs.com/appraisal-institute-scandal-widespread-fraud-uncovered/ https://appraisersblogs.com/appraisal-institute-scandal-widespread-fraud-uncovered/#comments Tue, 01 Apr 2025 12:30:28 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=32656 The Appraisal Institute is embroiled in yet another scandal, and this time it involves widespread fraud and cover-ups at the highest levels of the organization. Alissa Akins, a former director at AI, blew the whistle on a long-running scheme where the nonprofit knowingly misreported test scores to state regulators, potentially allowing unqualified appraisers to get licensed. When Akins tried to sound the alarm and fix the problems, she was met with a “don’t ask, don’t tell” attitude from leadership and ultimately got fired in retaliation. It’s absolutely mind-boggling that an organization tasked with upholding standards and ethics in the appraisal...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/appraisal-institute-scandal-widespread-fraud-uncovered/feed/ 92 32656 The Shadowy AMC Fees Draining Billions from Homebuyers https://appraisersblogs.com/the-shadowy-appraisal-management-companies-fees-draining-billions-from-homebuyers/ https://appraisersblogs.com/the-shadowy-appraisal-management-companies-fees-draining-billions-from-homebuyers/#comments Thu, 09 Jan 2025 13:30:46 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=32371 The hidden costs of appraisal management companies (AMCs) in the real estate industry have faced growing scrutiny, as highlighted by a recent Business Insider article titled “The Hidden Middleman who cost homebuyers $12 billion dollars and counting.” The article examines the opaque practices of AMCs, which frequently charge exorbitant fees that can exceed the amount paid to the appraiser. As highlighted by former Appraisal Institute CEO Cindy Chance, this issue has faced significant resistance from entrenched interests, mirroring the challenges faced in other industries such as the pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) sector, which ultimately led to an FTC investigation. The...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/the-shadowy-appraisal-management-companies-fees-draining-billions-from-homebuyers/feed/ 158 32371 The New Con: Hybrids, Waivers & AMCs Threaten Public Trust https://appraisersblogs.com/the-new-con-hybrids-waivers-amcs-threaten-public-trust/ https://appraisersblogs.com/the-new-con-hybrids-waivers-amcs-threaten-public-trust/#comments Mon, 16 Dec 2024 13:30:39 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=31628 Hybrid Appraisals, Appraisal Waivers and Appraisal Management Companies are the new Con.  Last month marked the 7-year anniversary of Appraiser Fest. The conference was truly like nothing that had been done before. It was organized by appraisers for appraisers. The agenda was more about bringing the profession together and protecting the public trust. Appraiser Fest was not about promoting the profit of others at the expense of appraisers; nor was it about hiding the unchecked facts of fraud and ill doings against consumers. It was about public awareness and trust. It all started with a renewed sense of energy with...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/the-new-con-hybrids-waivers-amcs-threaten-public-trust/feed/ 66 31628 The Great Debate on Appraisal Fees https://appraisersblogs.com/the-appraisal-fee-debate-exposing-the-amc-fee-deception/ https://appraisersblogs.com/the-appraisal-fee-debate-exposing-the-amc-fee-deception/#comments Mon, 28 Oct 2024 12:30:09 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=31465 She included several different fee split examples indicating AMCs retained as much as 70 percent of the total appraisal fee paid by the borrower, which prompted her to stop working with AMCs because of the lack of transparency.  The appraisal industry is abuzz with a discussion about appraisal fees. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) recently issued a Request for Information Regarding Fees Imposed in Residential Mortgage Transactions [Docket No. CFPB-2024-0021] in which it solicited feedback from the public and industry stakeholders on the fees charged to consumers by mortgage providers and related settlement services. The CFPB framed it as...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/the-appraisal-fee-debate-exposing-the-amc-fee-deception/feed/ 32 31465 United Appraisers Network Challenges Appraisal Institute https://appraisersblogs.com/united-appraisers-network-challenges-appraisal-institute/ https://appraisersblogs.com/united-appraisers-network-challenges-appraisal-institute/#comments Wed, 18 Sep 2024 12:30:45 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=31378 Ultimately, the United Appraisers Network would represent a bold and progressive alternative to the Appraisal Institute…  The recent firing of Cindy Chance, the CEO of the Appraisal Institute (AI), has ignited widespread outrage and a profound sense of distrust among appraisers nationwide. In the wake of this controversial decision, discussions have emerged on industry forums about the potential creation of a new appraisal organization that would better serve the needs and interests of all appraisers, regardless of their specialization or credentials. Leading this charge is David Samnick, a Georgia-based appraiser, who has proposed the establishment of the “United Appraisers Network”...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/united-appraisers-network-challenges-appraisal-institute/feed/ 46 31378