FREE To CHOOSE… A member of VaCAP shared this on Facebook… We though it is very appropriate as a reminder of the choices we have as appraisers: You Are FREE To CHOOSE, But You are NOT FREE from the CONSEQUENCE of Your CHOICE In case you missed it… The Housing Wire Webinar held on March 1st is now posted for everyone to listen to. Some mistruths about an appraiser shortage is put to bed. The webinar is 60 minutes. You can watch it below and download the slides used in the presentation here. What is going to happen to...
About half of AICPA members don’t believe in USPAP… When I first heard that “they” were trying to do away with the Appraisal Practices Board (APB) of the Appraisal Foundation (TAF), I tried to keep an open mind. I also wondered who “they” are. Did the Appraisal Institute (AI) finally get a sympathetic ear in Congress? Was it preemptive action by the Board of Trustees in anticipation of budget cuts by the new administration? By the way, what does the APB do? I certainly had it wrong. I thought they helped develop the Advisory Opinions (AOs)! To be candid the...
Real Change is on the Horizon! It is always the same; out with the old, in with the new. New Year resolutions typically last a few weeks and then we are back to the same routine. Sound familiar? Well, 2016 saw some improvements in the appraisal profession, but real change is on the horizon. VaCAP’s new year resolution is all about change. Change for the good! 2017 will be a year in which Virginia appraisers continue to move forward in a positive direction. Over the next few months, pay attention to our communications. Some exciting opportunities are in the works...
Time for the AI to cooperate with real estate appraisal state coalitions…? Is it finally time for the AI to cooperate with other respected professional peer organizations and state coalitions? Please read the following article by Jonathan Miller, titled “Sadly, The Appraisal Institute is now working against its local chapters“, to see what AI insiders views are about the relevance of the AI’s current path. While my intent is not to take cheap potshots at the AI, I do find it odd that the same organization that repeatedly testifies in public that it represents the interests of all appraisers in...
Dodd Frank created the illusion… I had a different “take away” from the Housing and Insurance Subcommittee “Modernizing Appraisals” hearing. My impression was that there were two simultaneous hearings by the same people in the same place. There was the actual televised hearing with disparate prepared speeches, and then there was the real underlying reason for the hearing. The partisan battle to eliminate Dodd Frank. I try very hard to take a non partisan approach to the issues facing appraisers when writing about or for the American Guild of Appraisers (AGA). Obviously AGA is a union organization, though as I’ve...
Wells Fargo has agreed to a $50 million settlement over inflated appraisal fees. Think about this for a minute….. The people bringing the lawsuit (the “Plaintiffs”) claim that Wells Fargo violated Federal law by charging homeowners more than the amount Wells Fargo paid for Broker’s Price Opinions (“BPOs”) and improperly concealing these “marked-up” charges. So, Wells Fargo was charging customers more for BPO fees on defaulted loans than the actual fees charged by the vendor. Is this any different than the use of an AMC? From the case: “Wells Fargo does not identify any provision in any of the numerous...
Some appraisers just say no and refuse to do assignments for low echelon AMCs fishing for cheapest and fastest appraisers… Folks, A very experienced Chief Appraiser, Mr. Greg Stephens, for the largest independently owned appraisal company in the US, Metro-West, has had an article published in National Mortgage Professional magazine, about the state of affairs concerning the so-called “appraiser shortage.” You can read the article here. While this article reveals important details based on appraiser population facts, there is a glaring omission. The omission is relative to “why” certain mortgage lending assignments are being delayed. It is different, and perhaps...
Unintended and Potentially Misleading At what point do we ALL say enough? When they insist on unlocked PDF, XML or ENV formats that facilitate recipients in removing portions of appraisal reports they don’t like? Too late. When they blacklist appraisers for refusing to make post effective date contract analysis changes? When they set the fees we charge? When they change the scope of work after assignments are completed? When they LIE to borrowers about how much the ‘appraisal fee’ is? Now we have several that think THEY own MY professional work product? Like HELL they do! Any, repeat, ANY appraiser...
AMC Vendor Agreement Controversies – Bad, Worst & Ugly AMCs And the winner is… According to a recent non-scientific survey conducted by AppraiserNews, the World’s Worst AMC Alive is Clear Capital. Honorable Mention goes to Coester VMS and Streetlinks. And the Worst Vampire AMC title goes to AppraiserLoft which is no longer operational. Excerpt: We’d also like to note the passion with which appraisers made their votes, describing the many ways that these AMCs deserved their titles! One final remark: It is sad that so many appraisers still hesitate to go public with their comments about AMCs, (justifiably) fearing that...
George Mason Mortgage going back to Mercury Network On Thursdsay August 18, 2016, two days after we published the post titled “Coester Allegedly Engaged in Fraud Sued by Former Senior VP“, George Mason Mortgage LLC (GMM) emailed its GMM Appraisal Partners announcing GMM Transition for Appraisal Technology. Based on this announcement, George Mason Mortgage is going back to Mercury Network effective Monday, August 22, 2016. Be sure too look at their fee schedule below. Thank you to each of our valued Appraisal Partners who participated in the George Mason Mortgage (GMM) Appraisal Management Beta Test. After evaluating six months of...
