Early on I used Home Puter, a small company out of The NE, from a cranky guy.  This program used the Forms or worms forms.  Later a friend shared al amode when Dave Biggers was in Utah.

Great software and it grew, but because I was pirating it I didn’t get the updates. Dave found ME out ! and appealed to my sense of honesty.  I capitulated and signed up with two memberships, which later turned to the Aurua program of Al La Mode. Mr Biggers dealt with My plagiarism, appealing to my honesty, not his anger.

Biggers sold his company and his moralist management has been taken over,

When I canceled core logic several years ago their contract language was difficult and threatening the attorneys worked it out. Core Logic was the result of several conglomerations and went on to more, the results, a company run by attorneys, not moralists.

Because it’s not compulsory sharing like the CU though, do you think Alamode will disclose the specific details of peer reporting, exact dates such reporting came through, location of the originating appraiser for that specific data, statistical inference for how many times this or that range data entry was utilized? It’s doubtful even the CU tracks data in such a detailed manner. Hence the problem with mass data. Back to square one. Just reviewed another ‘appraisal report’ yesterday for a new construction area, now refinancing a short year later after initial build purchase. Dude applied NO adjustments 1-3 comps, but did adjust 4-9 comps? Give me a break, these guys are dialing it in with boilerplate ‘weighted average’ comments. If only clients used alamode and could understand such an argument is not how the software technology actually works. I continue to think that appraisers are all too willing to escape valuation service and morph themselves into supportive tech staff. If they want out and can’t handle the time commitments of manual detailed analysis, they should be in tech, not appraisal valuation service.

Glad you posted further John. I felt bad offending you. That wasn’t the intent.

Mr. Biggers previously sold out Mercury Network, didn’t he? In any event whoever developed and holds the rights to their new program or process would always have the ability to sell the data by selling the entire process; like Mercury or Appraisal port.

There is no question that having some kind of autofill program saves time, but the potential for abuse is so substantial that it doesn’t seem worth the risk for the profession as a whole.

Set aside concerns that doing this is another step toward putting appraisers out of the mortgage appraisal business.

The two giant remaining issues are: privacy obligations we have morally, if not legally about not disclosing an owner or borrowers private business. It starts with the mere fact that they have applied for a loan. Not anyone else’s business but theirs and their lender. We and other escrow related participants are unavoidable and necessary. Data aggregators aren’t in the same category.

I appreciate that alamode and others (not meaning you) will parse their understanding of USPAP and say well. the owners  aren’t the clients anyway, so whats the big deal?

IF you were getting a divorce; or needed a loan to pay off all your credit cards, or were filing bankruptcy; or had to bail a loved one out of jail, OR had unpermitted additions or conversions; a messy house, or one that is falling apart, termite infestation or dry rot etc. would you want that out in the ether? Stored in alamodes cloud only until they sell it to CoreLogic? Even if we could legally divulge all these types of things, it doesn’t mean that we should. We are obligated to disclose to our client and GSEs, but all are authorized users. Alamode isn’t.

The other issue is lazy appraisers. Some of us still fill out the 1004MC because we are required to do so; and THEN still have to turn around and explain how it is a generally worthless process and explain what other sources and methods we used in addition, and relied on for our neighborhood findings.

How many other appraisers just decided the heck with it; and use one of the fancy autofill programs for it and don’t give it another thought? Even when it contradicts other data in their own report?

Its like Q3 C3 ratings. Many times there are specific further market recognized adjustments that are warranted but because they don’t trigger a jump up or down from a 3, some no longer care. Appraisers are allowed to make changes and explain them in addendums that no one reads; but they’ve been beaten over the head by unqualified reviewers so often that many have given up trying. Easier (and faster) not to rock the boat.

I’ve already taken too much space or Id point out how the PIWs are now being used by NAR;CAR; NAHB and others to make sophist arguments that the deminimus should be raised to a million; not just the $400k proposed! CAR is now contending that appraiser inspections aren’t that important so just let brokers do them as BPOs!

I have never seen so much concerted effort to side step FIRREA…and so close to the worst recession we ever had! Wall Street recovered. SO has FNMA, but my personal friends 401’s are still down by the 50% they LOST.

IF FIRREA and USPAP are no longer desired by regulators and Congress, then lets make it a truly level playing field. Eliminate USPAP and licensing completely! Let trained appraisers compete on their own qualifications again. But lets all stop the pretense that ANY kind of monitored quality control exists anymore if that is the objective.

John, your motives are honorable, but there are just too many exceptions who are not as honorable as you. Thats a real issue and concern. Appreciate your reasoned thoughts though. You probably said what many may have been thinking themselves..

I see now how my opinion got lost in translation. I did not mean to imply that comp data should be retrieved and added with the press of a button to save time.

CU is already taking our data.

When CU data is different from the data reported based on our first hand inspection of a property, we are told our data is materially different than that of other appraisers using the same comparable.

In fact, I’m curious to finally see how something I saw with my own eyes and physically inspected can possibly be different than that reported by my peers.

If I can type an address and immediately see what other appraisers reported on that same property, why is that bad?

Always do your own research! Using this data without confirming the data on your own is clearly a very bad idea. For example, for those appraisers that physically measure the subject property, you know first hand that public records are often incorrect.

This idea is just a tool to make us even more reliable. Using this will most likely not save time at the keyboard! In fact, I’m pretty sure it will add time because your verifying the work you already did.

I’m being offered a chance to see other data from my peers in the same market area. I can use that data as a template while typing my own data. If I see something completely off I have an opportunity to question it.

Baggs, The phony sales pitch from the hucksters looking for their next  Mercury like windfall, is just that:

1. “Its almost as good as CU; finally giving appraisers what FNMA what let them have .” In truth its nothing like CU.

2. When we argue that it violates peoples right to privacy and entails reporting non public private information to someone other than the client, then the response is that “It merely helps the appraiser to fill in his reports faster-obviously he still has to double check the data.”

Like that will really happen, OR that AMCs wont see this as yet another reason why we dont have to be paid more than peanuts-report is now all automated.

3. Those already trying to eliminate appraisers or at least pretend that ‘hybrids’ can be legitimized, can soon point to the new Titanic data base and say “Look, its already automated.” All the appraiser is really doing is juggling a couple numbers on houses they never saw and coming up with more numbers. Our magical ePixieDust 4.2 can do that MUCH faster and CHEAPER!

It matters. Point made and accepted.

John, AB is right… I did not mean you (unless you are not an appraiser) and frankly after rereading post I’m not sure I even meant J. Pratt – appears he IS an appraiser. Please accept my sincere apology IF you are an appraiser expressing an informed opinion.

We all try or should do what we can. I never mean to demean anyone’s sincere efforts in that direction…whether I agree or not. I DO respond to non appraisers telling us how we are or should be somewhat differently because they could not possibly know what we go through or the actual standards we are required to follow.

I guess we stay the same for a while longer. For the record, I’m not a spokesman for Alamode. Just trying to get people to be more proactive in what little capacity we have available to us.

Take Care.

John, Mike Ford was responding to John Pratt.

Mike, John Pratt is an appraiser and has authored several articles: Influencing the Appraiser, Purpose of the Appraisal Report, etc.

Apologies for the not an appraiser part – missed that part of your post…and highly commend you for conducting peer meetings where you help each other. THAT ultimately is one of most important strengths (all appraisers).

Seriously? Just what is that compelling argument? How is taking MY data and uploading it to alamodes database keeping it ‘in house’? Did I miss a memo? Has alamode hired me, or are they becoming my formal partner now, and no one remembered to tell me?

Yes, I have noticed how these ‘outside interests’ really don’t seem to care about us at all. For example, interests like alamode and ACI; First American, CoreLogic, REVAA, CRN  and FNMA.

(btw-when did you become an ‘us’?- In your other post above appraisers were a “you” rather than a we or an us).

FYI. In the past year alone, the American Guild of Appraisers helped sixty members get off ineligible lists; get paid on (long) overdue invoices, and in half a dozen cases helped them defend themselves against state regulators unsupported and unwarranted allegations of USPAP violation. In just this past week alone we got two off do not use lsits and have one more in the works nearing removal from dont use.

How many did alamode get off blacklists? …or yourself?

Wow, I’ve actually seen your blog before. I never saw this coming. I agree, typing back and forth on a website is a form of communication. I’d like to see the day that somebody actually steps up to the plate. This was an eye opener. Thank you to the host.

I will respond to you. Before I respond I would respectively ask that you read my comment in its entirety. You just told the readers that I’m not worthy to be considered an appraiser.

I remember the green and white “Forms and Worms” form, I remember DOS. Thankfully, I didn’t have use the pencil. They did away with the pencil.

Don’t assume.

It will take me a lot of typing to address what you posted but I guess I have no choice. Or, does it even matter?

John obviously you know nothing about how appraisers think. What makes you think we don’t talk to EACH OTHER? We do, or this blog would not exist. If you ever become one, maybe we’ll even talk to you.

One other correction; we don’t think we already know everything. What we DO know is (1) Not to take advice from the hucksters own employees or other interested promoters; (2) not to listen to some jokers post that when  some software whore claims something is USPAP complaint, that it must be so.

I remember the original advertising for appraisal software (DOS) versions…how much easier and faster it would make our jobs. For awhile, it did. Then it made everyone else’s jobs in the chain easier by having the appraisers do their work in addition to their own!

I used to write up my morning appraisals by noon, in the car in front of the donut shop using a .005 fine lead pencil; drop photos off for development; turn work in for mentor review and have the report typed up and FedEx delivered the following day using the balance of the first half day to assemble and deliver the prior days work.

My cost? $0.15 to $0.25 per print, minor cost for Forms and Worms graph paper, two sided tape and mls. Even my Formfill PCPlus+ software later on was only a one time fee. I OWNED the software.

…and of course alamode will waive all upload and fees from appraisers, right? Better yet, may we assume they will be giving away ALL their appraisal software for free from now on? You, know-as compensation for all the unique data and appraiser expertise they will be getting for free.

Seek the truth.

Convenience as far as I know does not eliminate the obligation for me to keep information confidential. Its more than just the clients data. It is the property owners data too.

The first claim of every fraudulent form and or short cut process designer is that “It is fully USPAP compliant.”

Like Xaio (did I remember those clowns name right?); y’all remember – the ones selling territories for $10k coupled to a phony non compliant rapid value system. Or, still my all time favorite – ACI’s owners First American Pace Pro Product or as some prefer to think of it “Short form fraud made easier.” Leveraging that particular, highly touted format would have cost appraisers to lose licenses.

The data sharing model has already been done. It was called CMDC.

Also, let’s not compare or pretend that this is any kind of alternative to CU. It is not, nor does it appear to function anything like CU despite the misleading advertising, speaking of which, WHY is misleading advertising necessary at all if the product is any good?

PS: someone tell Mr. Biggers that the homeowners may disagree about confidential information… like the mere fact they are applying for a loan; or that there is an unpermitted addition, water damage, termites, a tenant with a landlord dispute and a host of other issues that property owners may consider their personal business and not alamode’s.

I’m sure there may be a learning curve at first but what if it actually helps us? At this point, I think it’s time to move forward for once (instead of one step forward and three steps back). We all seem to work in our own little boxes. I’ve been using Alamode for 20+ years now and haven’t been wronged yet. That along with the statement that they will not exploit us like the other predators seems like an opportunity to give us back at least a little more control.

We can’t keep doing the same thing over and over again. Something has to change.