There is an interesting discussion taking place on some of the forums over the last 9 days with regard to USPAP 2012-2013. Whether or not the additional certifications require a signature. Before weighing in on an esoteric discussion, I would like to remind everyone that the first and foremost intent of USPAP is clarity. To provide an opinion in a manner that is clear, easy to understand, and professionally derived. Therefore, as long as you pay attention to the particulars of USPAP and provide your reports in a manner that is clear, easy to understand, and professionally derived you should...
Request For Public Comment for the 2014-15 Edition of the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice The goal of the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) is to promote and maintain a high level of public trust in appraisal practice by establishing requirements for appraisers. With this goal in mind, the Appraisal Standards Board (ASB) regularly solicits and receives comments and suggestions for improving USPAP. The possible issues and alternatives discussed in this document are intended to improve USPAP understanding and enforcement, and thereby achieve the goal of promoting and maintaining public trust in appraisal practice. The ASB is...
The 2012-2013 edition of the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) is now available on-line. The 2012-13 edition of USPAP is valid for two years, effective January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2013. According to a TAF press release “the new edition includes the standards of professional practice for all appraisal disciplines as well as guidance from the Appraisal Standards Board (ASB) in the form of USPAP Advisory Opinions and USPAP Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), featuring a compilation of more than 300 questions and answers.” To access the 2012-2013 USPAP on-line
This article was published in the January 2012 issue of the IllinoisAppraiser Newsletter. In March of 2011 an Administrative Rule seemed to slip by without so much as a whimper. A real estate appraiser must complete the 7-hour National USPAP Update Course or its equivalent within 6 months after the effective date of USPAP. Those real estate appraisers issued a license more than 6 months after the effective date of USPAP shall complete the 7-hour National USPAP Update Course within 6 months after licensure. Wait a minute. Didn’t you just take the 7-hour National USPAP Update a few scant months...
The Appraisal Foundation Responds to NAHB December 8 Press Release on ‘Flawed Appraisals Killing Home Sales’ December 13, 2011 – Paul Lopez – National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Dear Mr. Lopez: We are contacting you in reference to the attached NAHB press release dated Thursday, December 8, 2011, entitled, Flawed Appraisals Killing Home Sales, Hampering Housing Recovery. As the Congressionally-authorized organization that establishes appraisal standards and appraiser qualifications in the United States, we feel compelled to address aspects of the press release we feel need clarification. The press release quotes NAHB Chairman Bob Nielsen as stating, “The inappropriate use ...
An appraiser receives an assignment involving a purchase contract on a short sale. The short sale price is $150,000. The appraiser concludes an opinion of value at $180,000. A week later the lender wants the appraiser to amend the appraisal to reflect the renegotiated contract that pegs the property at $180,000. As an aside, the lender would not provide the new contract. First, is the lender’s request automatically a new appraisal assignment? AO-3 offers useful guidance: Regardless of the nomenclature used, when a client seeks a more current value or analysis of a property that was the subject of a...
Everybody complains that the states aren’t doing enough to police the profession. Appraisers are running amok. Fraud is rampant and the states are twiddling their thumbs while caseloads grow exponentially. The handful of published state disciplines nationwide are a mere droplet compared to the vast ocean of chicanery that’s rising out there. Right? My question is, where are all the settled cases from the various professional standards and ethics committees of the big appraisal organizations? There should be a generous compendium of meaty disciplines somewhere. But there isn’t. If you go to their websites you’ll find plenty of references to...
When the final chapter on this housing crisis is written, I hope that I am still around to see those who were responsible for its cause and the feeble attempts to fix it held responsible. One of the worst fixes is the Home Valuation Code of Conduct. Enacted in 2009, HVCC was spearheaded by then New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. His objective was to rein in appraisal abuses by the lenders sending loans to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. A noble goal, but by the time this so-called fix went into action many of the worst offenders were either...
The Appraisal Foundation (TAF) announced that the 2012 – 13 edition of the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) is now available. The 2012-2013 edition of USPAP will be valid for two years, effective January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2013. According to a TAF press release “the new edition includes the standards of professional practice for all appraisal disciplines as well as guidance from the Appraisal Standards Board (ASB) in the form of USPAP Advisory Opinions and USPAP Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).” As with the prior edition, the new edition includes the standards of professional practice for all...
The best way for valuation professionals and the public to make a difference in their profession is to offer comments to the Boards of The Appraisal Foundation when exposure drafts are released for comment. The Appraisal Practices Board (APB) has recently released its first Exposure Draft entitled Adjusting Comparable Sales for Seller Concessions. All interested parties are encouraged to comment in writing to the APB before the comment deadline of December 2, 2011. Written comments on this Exposure Draft can be submitted by mail, email and facsimile: Mail: Appraisal Practices Board The Appraisal Foundation 1155 15th Street NW, Suite 1111...
