Category: Appraisal Organizations

Are You Laying Bricks, Putting up a Wall, or Are You Building a Cathedral? 3

Are you Laying Bricks or Building a Cathedral?

…laying bricks today, putting up a wall, or are you building a cathedral?… If you have been doing appraising for any time at all, you have likely experienced some of the more irritating aspects of our profession: the AMCs, the call backs, or one of my personal favorites, a Realtor’s protest “the idiot appraiser doesn’t know it’s supply and demand! I have a buyer!” An old folk story helps me through days like these, and it goes like this: A traveler came upon three men working. He asked the first man what he was doing, and the man said he...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisers News

FHFA Overseeing Appraisal Policy & Processes? Time to Stop the Trend 2

It Is Time to Stop the Trend

Why FHFA thinks the GSE’s should be even discussing appraisal processes is a question that needs to be asked of FHFA… Appraisers have let others dictate many things in our profession. It is time to stop the trend… How about 20 questions? The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has 20 questions for you. Well, actually it is only 19 questions. The FHFA is the organization of the Federal Government that oversees Fannie and Freddie. They want feedback on how the GSE’s should move forward with appraisal policy, risk and appraisal processes. Now why FHFA thinks the GSE’s should be even discussing appraisal processes...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisers News / Fannie Mae - Freddie Mac / Federal Housing Finance Agency

Future Changes in USPAP 2022-23 - Time to Quit the Constant Changes 11

Pending Future Changes in USPAP 2022-23

The Appraisal Foundation / Appraisal Standards Board have released the 4th Exposure Draft to the FUTURE version (2022-23) of USPAP. I, like so many other ‘stakeholders’ and appraisers, have grown weary of the incessant Exposure Drafts and updates to our mandated PROTOCOL MANUAL, which for many years has been massaged and modified in various ways every 2 years. Largely because new members cycle onto the ASB every year or two. The constant updates has resulted into a continuing cash cow for the Appraisal Foundation / Appraisal Standards Board. But in actual use, that should not happen because USPAP is codified...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisers News / ASB / The Appraisal Foundation

Appraisal Fee Price Fixing Claim Case to Reach the US Supreme Court 6

Price-Fixing Case May Reach Supreme Court

The first case about real estate appraisers to reach the U.S. Supreme Court in almost 60 years may concern the Federal Trade Commission’s price-fixing claims against the Louisiana Real Estate Appraisers Board. Would that be a good thing for appraisers? Well, maybe it’s not the best timing. Filed in 2017, the FTC’s administrative complaint asserts that the Louisiana appraiser board, “a state agency controlled by licensed real estate appraisers, has unreasonably restrained price competition for real estate appraisal services.” The FTC contends that the board carried out this price-fixing through its regulation of fees paid to appraisers by appraisal management...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisers News

ASC, End the Foolishness. Federalize Appraisal Regulation & Enforcement 12

ASC, End the Foolishness Now

End the constant ‘busy work’ USPAP updates. End the catering to lenders or ‘advisory’ councils. Appraisers are NOT supposed to be any of the things being demanded of us today EXCEPT good appraisers!… Return to a USPAP version (any version) that actually protected the Public Trust. That would be any version PRIOR to the revision of the terms appraisers and appraisals to “valuation & evaluators” (a term used only or at least primarily by the accounting profession historically). Dissolve The Appraisal Foundation (TAF). They effectively achieved the congressional objective mandated in ’89 long ago. Everything since has been the administrative...

AGA / Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisal Subcommittee / Appraisers News

Jan Bellas Needs Our Help - Please Support Her - Appraisers Blogs 3

Jan Bellas Needs Our Help

As most are well aware Jan Bellas is a very important executive member of the American Guild of Appraisers (AGA). She works tirelessly for our members to help get them the results they need without a great deal of compensation for her efforts. Recently Jan suffered the loss of her husband due to COVID and cancer. With that loss, comes the financial burden associated with it as well as having to take time off from performing her duties at the AGA for all members. I am starting this fundraiser in the hopes that we all can give back and help...

AGA / Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisers News / The American Guild of Appraisers

Biden Calls Out Racial Bias Among Appraisers 56

Biden Calls Out Racial Bias Among Appraisers

To counteract low appraisals in minority neighborhoods, Biden says he’ll push for training to address racial bias among appraisers… Appraisers, you might want to “take a gander” at this article in the link below, because it indicates possible/probable changes coming. I especially like the ‘extra training for appraisers’ to avoid discrimination/racial bias. Not. In other words, appraisers are at fault for lower values in certain neighborhoods which are not as highly valued as others, and so we must be indoctrinated to be more sensitive. Buckle up folks, as it’s going to be an interesting ride. Excerpt from Biden Admin and...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisers News / NAR / National Association of Realtors

Why is Only One Side of the Racism Claim Appraisal Story Being Told? 260

Why is Only One Side of This Story Being Told?

There are always two sides to every story; however, understanding is a three-edged sword: your side, their side, and the truth in the middle. Recently there has been a wave of news stories about racism in the appraisal profession brought on by a couple in Jacksonville, Florida. That couple, Abena Horton, a black woman, and her husband Alex Horton, a white male, made claims that an appraiser who first appraised their home came in low on the appraisal due to her race. You can read one of the numerous stories here. Before anyone here accuses me of being racist etc.,...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisers News

Update on FTC’s Price-Fixing Enforcement Action Against LREAB 6

New Appellate Decision – LREAB v FTC

FTC’s price-fixing enforcement action against LREAB… A federal appellate court – the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit – has issued a decision in the long-standing fight between the Louisiana Real Estate Appraisers Board (LREAB) and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission about “customary and reasonable” appraisal fees. I’m venturing here to provide a short, understandable, unbiased summary of the litigation and what this latest court decision means. What did the Court of Appeals decide? Here’s the very short summary: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is pursuing an administrative complaint it filed in 2017 against LREAB, contending that LREAB’s “customary and reasonable”...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisers News

Was Fast & Cheap AMC Appraiser Racist? Biggest Snowball of Your Life 14

The Biggest Snow Job of Your Life

Remember the saying “Pick two: fast, cheap or good. You can only have two of them?” Well you see, amcs got impatient and stopped reading after fast and cheap… The concept is simple enough, a fire wall between the loan production staff and the appraiser to avoid any possible pressure, coercion or influence. It sounded like a good idea to many; hence the HVCC legislation passed and was enacted. This was a period of trial and error for so many and before anyone found their way, along came Mr. Dodd and Mr. Frank to give their official stamp of approval...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Customary & Reasonable Fees

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