Appraisers get frustrated with the constant changes and revisions every two years… Folks, attached is the 1st Exposure Draft of changes to the NEXT “bible” of our industry. Read this over and then send in your comments per the instructions. With this draft, the ASB is desiring to simplify much of the document to make it easier to read and understand. There are numerous proposed edits you’ll see when you read it. They explain their rationale for the changes. This is appreciated. I’m also glad to see they have added to the Definitions the words “State” and “Summarize” which have...
…specific prohibited direction to appraisers involved in federally regulated transactions… Improper direction to appraisers as a new special lender condition Honorable Ladies and Gentlemen: The following article appeared in a recent online post at https://appraisersblogs.com/appraisers-asked-2-overlook-weed-cultivation (also copied to this letter following our inquiry). We consider the original author to be a credible source. Due to the serious implications of any appraisal management service giving such specific prohibited direction to appraisers involved in federally regulated transactions we believe it to be our duty to bring this to your collective attention. We respectfully request that each Federal Regulatory Agency review this issue...
This is the only way that the opinion would ever help other appraisers, especially residential, in future cases filed by parties who are not intended users of the appraiser’s work. Newly Published California Case Helpful to Appraisers: Tindell v. Murphy Today, the California Court of Appeal, Third Appellate District certified for publication its recent decision in a case entitled Tindell v. Murphy. The case involved mortgage borrowers who sued a real estate appraiser blaming the appraiser for a purchase they made in 2005 at the peak of the real estate bubble. The trial court had dismissed the borrowers’ suit because they...
…producing credible real estate appraisal reports… Is it any wonder that The Appraisal Foundation has lost nearly all credibility as America’s self-proclaimed foremost authority on appraisal matters? I humbly submit their most recent offering. Excerpt from current ASB Q&A: “2018-19 USPAP Q&A Issue Date: March 29, 2018 The Appraisal Standards Board (ASB) of The Appraisal Foundation develops, interprets, and amends the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) on behalf of appraisers and users of appraisal services. The USPAP Q&A is a form of guidance issued by the ASB to respond to questions raised by appraisers, enforcement officials, users of appraisal...
Appraisal? Obviously its only worth ten bucks – off to India with it… Most appraisers (and consumers) know the difference between ‘right and wrong’. We don’t need the tortuous, twisted ambiguities of ASB straddling the fence, on all issues to know what is and is not okay. So far ALL they do is hypothesize that bad products can theoretically be used, IF they conform to all the USPAP rules that we all already know they fall short of. As in every single exception being sought for regulatory exceptions in the financial sector, only impractical, not very probable, best case scenarios...
30 days after implementation of the last changes, ASB/TAF is already admitting they think the current USPAP is inadequate and requires substantial change. They’re ALREADY Doing It Again! On January 30, 2018 the Appraisal Standards Board announced the release of their Discussion Draft for the 2020-2021 USPAP based in part on a survey from 2017 & prior draft comments. I’m confused. Didn’t we just have the 2018-2019 become effective 30 days ago? Should all those that have not yet purchased 2018-2019 just save their money and wait for the significantly revised 2020-2021 revisions? Rely on word of mouth and online...
Appraisers, effective with the 2018-19 USPAP, definitions for Extraordinary Assumption and Hypothetical Condition have changed. Below is a one page PDF sheet you can print & post at your office, and you may distribute this to others if you like. According to the Appraisal Standards Board, the Extraordinary Assumption change was done to clarify the term and its applicability. It seems the same rationale was used for the Hypothetical Condition definition change, although that was not mentioned in their Summary of Actions document issued on Feb. 23, 2017. Underlined words are the changes made. I also include the prior definitions below...
What the cohorts promoting hybrid reports are overlooking is APPRAISAL PRACTICE… Appraisers, On Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2018, the Appraisal Standards Board released their latest Q&A document (see embedded PDF below). This document appears to justify reasons why appraisers can complete the new ‘hybrid’, ‘bifurcated’, ‘desktop’ and ‘alternative’ appraisal reports (regardless of what they are named), although the Q&A document is written ‘generically’ and does not specifically mention those categorical names. I have two issues with this Q&A document: it does not discuss the appraiser’s true responsibility when completing certain kinds of these reports; for more on that see the additional...
Should you disclose portal fees… Appraisers, Some of you know that I have written numerous times about my viewpoint that disclosure of the ‘back end’, and sometimes 'front end' portal fees we appraisers must pay to deliver a completed report to a particular client should be disclosed. You don’t have to report the FEE, only that you had to ‘pay a fee’ to obtain the assignment. If you don’t pay the fee, you technically cannot complete the assignment. My viewpoint has always been, and will remain, that if you cannot technically ‘complete’ an assignment without paying a delivery fee, then the net...
Congress, cut FNMA loose from conservatorship and let them sink or swim… Every day I tend to agree more and more that we are facing an uphill battle against corporate America. Then I remember that as a former Marine, I’m supposed to be ‘ok’ with uphill battles. We make do with what we have, not necessarily what we want or need. Add to this most, if not all of our Congress from both Senate and House. Some isolated exceptions but most either don’t care or encourage the weaknesses in the financial system for their own gain. There is a reason...
