Letter from ASA Opposing Bill A3781 Abolishing the NJ State Appraisal Board and Transferring Control to the Real Estate Commission Assemblyman Giblin: The American Society of Appraisers (ASA), the largest multidisciplinary professional appraisal organization in the United States, is writing to express strong opposition to Assembly Bill 3781, which would abolish the New Jersey State Real Estate Appraiser Board and transfer the regulatory oversight of appraisers to the State Real Estate Commission. This bill would weaken the overall regulatory scheme applied to real estate transactions and its myriad parties at a time when new federal and federally-mandated state regulations are...
A lawsuit filed last week by a former staff appraiser against LandSafe Appraisal Services, Inc. exemplifies the overtime liability risk faced by many appraisal firms and appraisal management companies. In February, I wrote that overtime lawsuits by appraisers present a genuine liability risk to appraisal firms and AMCs. In that article, I explained some of the special issues relating to whether appraisers properly can be treated as “exempt” employees for purposes of overtime compensation. The real-world risk to an appraisal firm or AMC is that a staff appraiser will file a legal action alleging that he or she worked more...
On February 13, 2013 the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) published a fascinating critique on the world of valuation. The document: “A Comprehensive Blueprint for Residential Appraisal Reform” should be read by every appraiser, every user and every client. NAHB is telling us our core systems are not working and to take another look at our process and procedures. Our systems are too inconsistent, too cumbersome, and NAHB is asking us to improve our efficiency which impacts their and our profitability. NAHB is asking the industry to provide them a uniform, consistent, quality product utilizing well trained staff. These exact...
Certified Appraisers at All-time High but Total Number of Appraisers Continues to Decrease The percentage of appraisers with a state certification is at an all-time high but the total number of appraisers continues to decrease at a rate of about 3 percent per year, according to data released April 9 by the Appraisal Institute. Appraisal Institute has analyzed data from the Appraisal Subcommittee National Registry since 2006, and the long-term trend shows that with more than half of U.S. appraisers aged 51 to 65, the appraiser population could decrease 25 to 35 percent over the next 10 years due to age...
Fatal UAD edits on Appraisals to Become Effective in June 2013 Effective June 2013, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the GSEs) will convert several of the current Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD) compliance warning edits to fatal UAD edits in the Uniform Collateral Data Portal. Warning edits for the following data fields will convert to fatal UAD edits in June 2013: Appraisal effective date Subject contract price and comparable sale price Above grade Gross Living Area (GLA) (subject and comparables) Sale type (subject and comparables) Warning edits for the following data fields will convert to fatal UAD edits in phases that...
Potential changes and additions to USPAP On February 1, 2013, the Appraisal Standards Board (ASB) adopted modifications to the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP). This action was the culmination of a period of 15 months and multiple discussion drafts, requests for comments, and three exposure drafts. Written comments were received in response to each document, and oral comments were provided at each public meeting. The ASB read and carefully considered every comment, developed a work plan to address the issues brought forward, and adopted revisions for the 2014-15 edition of USPAP. 1. Revisions adopted for 2014-15 USPAP The following...
NAIHP acknowledges neither HVCC nor Appraiser Independence rules require the use of AMC’s. The conflict of interest rules contained in the “Interim Final Rule on Appraiser Independence,” were designed to establish a firewall between a loan production department ordering valuations of residential real estate and appraisers, who perform valuations. The Federal Reserve Board (FRB), who established the Interim Final Rule to replace the Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC) in October of 2010, recognized it was not always practical to separate these functions in small financial institutions, which is why the FRB created two sets of firewall requirements: one for...
Simply dumping rents into rental grid… The Fannie Mae Form 1025 is a lame document. There. I said it. You appraisers out there all know exactly what I’m talking about. Part of what makes it lame is the goofy layout of the form and what passes for education for appraisers in how to complete it properly. Too many appraisers haven’t a clue how to compare rents in a two to four unit apartment building. In many cases they simply dump rents into rental grid and magically opine that the subject rents are supported in the market. What market is that? Actual...
Improving your financial management through cash flow forecasting Memorize this statement: “Cash flow is the lifeblood of all businesses. Without cash flow your business will die.” I stress this statement often when I talk to appraisers during conferences, meetings, and webinars. Why? Because you are a small business owner first… and an appraiser second! Appraisers do a remarkable job and take great pride in their appraisal work. I recommend that you also take this attitude and approach towards your appraisal business, particularly your cash flow. What Is Cash Flow Forecasting? Cash flow forecasting is defined as planning what cash will come into the business in...
On March 21, Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear signed into law House Bill 120, which created a new appraisal management company recovery fund to replace its current surety bond requirement. The Kentucky Real Estate Appraisers Board will establish procedures for making claims against the fund and will administer the funds in order to provide restitution to licensed or certified real property appraisers who have suffered pecuniary harm by an AMC. Appraisers will be able to seek
