That sounds like a blanket adjustment statement……. AND the closed sales price does not include the closing costs on the sales report. However, if we are talking sales approach an additional 2 percent will not make a difference at the negotiating table if the market is hot. Question: How would you test if homes were closing at 2 percent less as a result of the commision change?? Who here knows of an RE Agent who offers to take less money because the deal is offering less commision points? I would likely think the opposite. If a RE Agent has a number in mind I am sure they would manipulate the sale in order to achieve it.

By the way… I stopped using corelogic owned data when I found errors in their data. I do not have any faith in their data which is why I refuse to use them….. it does make life difficult but I at least I can legitimately claim responsibility for any errors because they would be mine alone.

I totally agree…. it is up to the Appraiser to uphold and follow USPAP. Don’t get bought with this time saving crap. One must be in control of their software. Use Homeputer. Call the assessor’s office. Try and get as close to first data set as you can. We know RE Agents are largely inaccurate but we should expect that because part of our role is verification. A good appraisal can take a while… charge accordingly.

@Realrose, we encourage lively debate, but ask that you be respectful of others. If you disagree with someone, please express yourself respectfully. If you disagree with an opinion, feel free to respectfully challenge that opinion. Do not engage in personal attacks (including name-calling) on fellow commenters/appraisers. Please keep it professional and conduct yourself as you would within your own organisation. Snide or rude comments are not constructive and certainly not helpful. We count on your cooperation and appreciate your support!

That is just not true! What fannie and freddie need is a spanking because they are a private company, needing more regulation and oversight! They helped, with the help of Wall Street crooks to nearly crash the world economy because of their practices. They are not smart! They want to make the decision to get or not get an appraisal. They want us out of the picture. Get your head together Baggins, you sound like a fox news broken record! Financial con artist in the white house who launders money for the russians is going to remove any protections for consumers, so shut up if you don’t know what you are talking about! I am really sick to my stomach when I read a post like this; I am always hoping you will come to your senses, but I guess there are thick heads out in the middle of the country that are in denial about who is occupying our white house, and he is a total crook! And a liar, so now that he’s there it is ok to lie, cheat and do what crooks do to take everything we worked for! Get a grip! Competition is not the answer, regulation, hanging over their heads is what banks, lenders and freddie and fannie need!

The Austin Board of Realtors has already filed suit because their data ended up in the county tax office. They’re also being investigated by the DOJ. Waiting to see how it all goes.

Corelogic is trying to be a monopoly; stealing our intellectual property without compensation. I think we need to sue!

Don’t look up you’ll see a screw driver cause we’ve been screwed

Class Action Lawsuits to find experienced appraisers that are aged out in our lovely capitalist markets (without morals and unscrupulous politicians both sides)

Tick Tock
Crash into cryptocurrency

Fannie and Freddie should be successful because they have the best management, the best execution, the best business practices – not because they have the rules and regulations stacked in their favor.

Prepared Remarks of Dr. Mark A. Calabria, Director of FHFA, at HUD and NAHB’s Innovative Housing Showcase 6/3/2019

Read more:

https://www.fhfa.gov//Media/PublicAffairs/Pages/Prepared-Remarks-of-Dr-Mark-A-Calabria-Director-of-FHFA-at-HUD-and-NAHBs-Innovative-Housing-Showcase.aspx

I used to think that as well Dan. Until I joined and became active in the Appraisers Guild (a non-partisan UNION – though admittedly our parent unions are). Either way, we already HAVE different nomenclature called Professional Appraisal Coalitions.

My union actively fights FOR appraisers daily. A relatively few great coalitions also fight for appraisers in their states – though in a broader policy sense rather than 1 on 1. [VaCAP; Illinois, Louisiana, NC, & CaCAP come to mind-there are probably more I’m unaware of ‘fighting’]; as well as others still seeking their own identities.

But NO other organization anywhere will get right down to the nitty gritty of a specific appraiser’s issues and fight directly on their behalf at either AMC, Client-lender, or state regulator level, like AGA will. Not one.

When it comes to a fight with state regulators, I haven’t found our members to be too uncomfortable with a union having their backs.

Unions are known (right & wrong) to be ‘fighters’. We are not so impressed with our own titles as to be above using good old fashioned Anglo-Saxon terms (& solutions) like many ‘professional’ organizations, that have ‘evolved’ beyond that.

Fwiw, I am more proud of having been referred to as a junkyard dog than any formal titles I hold with the Guild. PS – in recognition of our many Latino or Hispanic members, I have incorporated verbiage like pendejo y otra mal palabras as terms of endearment for our opponents into our fighting (just kidding about the language… at least in public.)

While we are capable of polished communiques, we’d hate to have anyone think we will shy away from a fight when necessary.

Great idea Marion. Pls email me on this. I’d like to explore it further with you.

Why not then,

Just file with the FTC, the anti-competitive nature of the entire game. File it similar to the way the AMCs filed against the state of Louisiana, except, not as a call out of teeth whitening dentists, but rather as a reference to the FNC case. The AMCs did not continue to pay legal fees for the LA case, heck I think all the original complainers are out of business and the case still hasn’t finished.

Respectfully disagree. That seems dangerously close to appraiser influence because ratings are included.

I would personally prefer different nomenclature, but the idea is valid. Maybe call it an association or affiliation or something, but if you call it a union, some folks will simply tune out.

They are accumulating appraisers’ data and will begin selling it back to the appraisers in November of this year. It’s free to those who signed up last year but even those folks will begin paying for their own data in November. This may be a dumb question, but is there a source out there where appraisers’ data is aggregated? It makes life much easier when we have access to others’ comparables.

Agree with Marion on this.

One exception-when I was an agent I made my own conscious decision not to work on listings with short commissions. I provided great service and expected to be paid 3% for either the listing or selling side. When I listed a property I wrote in 6% or 7% because I knew what it took to interest others in selling my listings.

As a listing agent, I had more 7% commissions or listings where selling agent got bonuses than was typical. I made a conscious decision NOT to even show a 2.5% listings period. If the other agent was too lazy, desperate or unskilled to obtain a C&R commission, then I was not going to gamble and see what OTHER areas he was too lazy and unskilled in. Three exceptions to that in my career. (1) my buyer found their own house and the escrow owner FSBO seller made it very easy (2.5% to us); a distress sale by an illiterate (literally) old man and woman victims of predatory lending (my dad and I convinced Coldwell Banker Corporate to accept a 1.5% gross commission on that one), and the PMI company went overboard to help any sale, rather than see it foreclosed (Foremost Guaranty circa 1984) and lastly on a close friends house

I even charged my own mom and dad 6% when a walk-in came in and I sold their house without it even being listed in advance.

NAR and local boards have never (in my personal experience) prohibited low fee listings. Then again, there was no rule at the rest of the agents laughing our tails off when Help-U-Sell and other discounters became more active. Generally we just considered those ‘future listing leads’.

It is the office broker that sets fee policy in his or her office. Not the mls or NAR.

Sounds like a few local appraisers need to meet with the local mls Board and educate them as to how doing this can only benefit them. Sometimes you get a small cadre of folks that think it’s a test of passage. Protecting the big fish in the teeny pond.

Ron, please email me at mike@mfford.com offering to pay is not the first step – nor do we hope it is any step – but in the end who knows? IF non-union member funding ultimately is required, then whatever organized efforts to that point will have to be turned over to NON-union trustees. We can’t represent non-members. We also think that with a viable 12+ Billion potential CA, appraisers should not have to fund law firms that specialize in this.

I’ve personally spoken to Constantine and Cannon (handling the Louisianna FTC case). They want AFL-CIO to underwrite their costs. That’s not happening. Makes good business sense for them, but none at all for either us or AFL-CIO (No union can fund a lawsuit using their member’s dues that benefits non-members more than its own members). I respect C&Cs business sense, but we are looking for a firm big enough and CONFIDENT enough in the cause to take this on at their own expense. We’ll give them dozens or even hundreds of volunteers to do research, but if they don’t have the fire in their bellies to take this on its own merits, then they are the wrong firm for the issue.

As soon as we can find a deep pockets national caliber contingency attorney that is not expecting a union to underwrite a legal battle for what ultimately is a majority of non-union members and mostly non-member consumers.

Volunteers for a full-time search team or committee are certainly welcome. Contact janbellas@appraisersguild.org myself (714) 366 9404 after 10 AM; or Mark Skapinetz. (markskap.aga@gmail.com )

Both Phil and Lori are highly respected members of the national appraiser community. Lori has been active with the National Coalitions, and Phil is busy informing both appraisers and consumers of the need for certain changes.

The National Coalition of state coalitions was started as an alternative to unions David. A group conference call was held prior to their creation that included other nationally known appraisers with proven track records of fighting for appraisers.

Philosophically, some appraisers cannot bring themselves to join unions. Those of us fighting as unions simply don’t have the time to wait while the rest of the disparate coalitions get up to speed. Some show tremendous promise and competence. Others are social clubs.

Make no mistake David, there is only ONE organization that is literally fighting for appraisers without apology or hesitation. The others, while highly respected for their efforts and localized achievements, tend to avoid harsh criticisms of TAF or even their own state boards…even when needed.

Right now, as far as I know, it is only the AI and the AGA that have called for the complete elimination of the TAF; reversion to much earlier versions of USPAP (circa 1991-2008+-) and federal national licensing to be overseen and regulated by ASC rather than 50 different states.

It was AGA that lead the opposition to the first hybrids attempted by First American Realty Solutions under the PacePro label. There IS already a union David (as you are very much aware).

David, we will never tell or suggest a member they cannot speak freely or disagree with any position THEIR union has, I personally do not appreciate the language or the inferences in the post above. I spend more time working for free on AGA issues than I do on my own appraisal business. If you want to help or have specific ideas, then get actively involved.

Snide potshots in blogs without purpose only create divisiveness at a time when all appraisal organizations need to be trying to work together, whenever possible. We also aren’t required to agree with every position of the other organizations in order to appreciate and respect their efforts.