Category: Appraisal News

Llano Cases - A Nightmarish Affair 0

Llano Cases – A Nightmarish Affair

Llano cases against appraisers The mass litigation against appraisers fueled by Impac Mortgage/First Mutual Group/Llano/Savant is definitely consuming too much of this blog’s space. I will in the future likely create a special home just for their coverage — because their legal and economic assault on appraisers could cause profound harm for U.S. appraisers if unchecked. Until that separate place exists, here is another update: “This is literally a nightmare for me and I am literally shaking as I write this reply.” Those are the words of First Mutual Group and Llano Financing’s own attorney Henry Portner to describe the predicament he is in...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / E&O / Errors & Omissions

A Possible Solution to Customary and Reasonable Fees - C&R Fees Solutions 10

A Possible Solution to Customary & Reasonable Fees

Over the past five years, a major subject of talk in the appraiser world has been that of Customary and Reasonable Fees. Unfortunately, much of the dialogue has been mostly one-sided. We tend to do a lot of griping about the fact that many of us are not being paid what is “customary” or “reasonable”, but there are very few solutions offered up. When I was young and would sometimes (not often, of course) complain about this or that, my father would always say, “Don’t come to me with a complaint unless you have a possible solution.” It was sound advice then...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Customary & Reasonable Fees / Dodd-Frank Act / C&R Fees

Stop the Housing Tax for Transportation -Taxing us out of our homes - Flickr - Riley Kaminer 2

Stop the Housing Tax for Transportation

Hidden tax on homeowners The California Association of Realtors® in conjunction with the National Association of Realtors® has published a widespread “Call to Action”, Stop Congress From Taking Money From Future Homeowners. I have already contacted my Congress Member and received a reply. In a nutshell, the bill being discussed is a hidden tax on homeowners. Whether on a refinance or on a new purchase, anyone with a mortgage of about $400,000 could expect to pay an additional $8,000 for federal transportation infrastructure funding through an add on mortgage tax included in their monthly payment! For decades the Federal Highway...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / NAR / National Association of Realtors / Political Action

Claims, Complaints and E&O Insurance - Imagecredit Flickr - SEO 1

Claims, Complaints and E&O Insurance

E&O vs. General Liability First some background. Errors & Omissions (E&O) is malpractice insurance for mistakes in your report- say you measure square footage incorrectly. General Liability (GL) covers property damage and bodily injury while you’re at the premises and more. Examples of GL claims are, if during a walkthrough you knock over and break a vase (property damage), or back over and injure a homeowner as you exit the driveway (bodily injury). Business Owners Packages (BOPs) typically go beyond the job site, providing coverage for losses to your own business, such as a trip and fall at your office,...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / E&O / Errors & Omissions / Indemnification Clauses

Beware of Appraiser Karma - Llano Cases - Imagecredit Flickr - Doug Geisler 7

Beware of Appraiser Karma – Llano Cases

In our world of claims involving appraisers, we quite often see different versions of this same story — in this version of the story, an appraiser did a review appraisal that was used by Savant LG in a currently pending case against another appraiser in Florida. Just months later, that appraiser found himself named as a defendant in a lawsuit filed…

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / E&O / Errors & Omissions / FDIC

Don't Fence Me In - Physical Inspection 3

Don’t Fence Me In

We truly live in an incredible world. The age of information and technology has given us more freedom than at any other time in the history of mankind. Just in the last few years, the mobile office has become a reality in such a way that it would be nearly impossible for our clients to know much about our physical office at all. Since most of us have little to no walk-in traffic, running an appraisal office from a spare bedroom at home or even from the lanai of your Belizean condo is not out of the realm of possibility....

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice

Dreaded Fannie Mae Certified Letter Regarding Condition Ratings - Imagecredit Flickr - Mehta12 32

Dreaded FNMA Letter RE Condition Ratings

Certified Letter From Fannie Mae Regarding Condition Ratings And then it happens, the moment we all know is coming – the dreaded certified letter from Fannie Mae. My door bell rings and the mailman is standing on my porch with pen in hand.  Now don’t get me wrong, we have all been warned. They have the super computer comparing all of us and if you are the outlier you’re getting notified!  If a majority of Appraisers give a specific house a certain rating and you disagree, you must be wrong – BOOM – letter.  I assume this is the case as I...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisal Quality Monitoring / Appraisers News / AQM / Collateral Underwriter

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...

AI / AMC / American Society of Appraisers / Appraisal / Appraisal Institute / Appraisal Management Companies

Free Enterprise an Appraisal Myth 40

Free Enterprise an Appraisal Myth?

Is THAT free enterprise? I’m surprised anyone in the business today sees any minimum pricing proposal as being anti-free enterprise. Contrary to popular belief we have not had free enterprise in the GSE appraisal process since HVCC first reared its ugly head. AMCs ‘telling’ us to pick a number from $250 to $350, or that ‘THEY pay’ $325 per 1004 is NOT free enterprise. I’m an old timer (1986) that was brought up on what used to be AIREA (now the AI) & SREA (now gone) positions that free enterprise and the Sherman Anti-Trust Act prohibited us from ‘even discussing’...

AGA / AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations

“Customary” & “Reasonable” Fees Exclusive Oxymorons 10

‘Customary’ & ‘Reasonable’ Fees – Oxymorons

If WE don’t set ‘reasonable’ minimums for ourselves, then others will do it for us (or to us). Fellow appraisers, Please read this draft proposal for minimum national appraiser fees. I appreciate those who believe no one other than themselves should set fees, and I concur. Except, in the real world of today someone (lenders and AMCs) are ALREADY SETTING your fees. If not directly, then through ruinous less than customary OR reasonable fee competition. I’m interested in your meaningful, constructive feedback as well as comment & discussion here. For those that insist ONLY regional fees are practical, this same system works...

AGA / AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations

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