Baggs I have had relatively long-term interaction with one of the parties that could (possibly) be in a position of influence in any such new agency. He is trustworthy.

I have no higher praise for a person.

In the past, he had cautioned against the risk inherent in the heavy hand of the federal government getting too deeply involved. I suspect that he has also seen the handwriting on the wall. No guarantee that he’d be the eventual agency head but I think he’d necessarily be a serious contender.

What started as a lesser of two evils actually turns out to have the probability (in my opinion) of resolving nearly 90% of ALL appraisal complaints.

From undue lender pressure, to below C&R fees, to enforcement of same, assigning unqualified appraisers based on fees, phony state complaints to justify appraiser shopping, trial by media smearing instead of USPAP compliant administrative processes, lack of FTC support fighting price fixing by banks and AMCs, financially unstable AMCs owing appraisers tens of thousands or even millions of dollars in unpaid fees, sidestepping proper appraisal requirements, form driven practices rather than USPAP compliant purposes, and ambiguity in interpreting federal policy requirements.

I believe it would also likely result in greater upward mobility for licensed appraisers.

Don there are no boxes on a 1004 form for political influence. We sign a certification that we have not been biased already.

TAF should dissolve itself. They do NOT represent either the American People, any semblance of a Public Trust (never defined anyway), nor do they represent the interests of appraisers. Member Waters Bill would have replaced this purely private organization with the power to effectively create real estate appraisal LAW via USPAP auton adoption in many states, with a new federal agency that at a minimum would have to assure FIRREA, DF, and appraisal laws on federally regulated transactions are uniformly enforced.

Don I’m 71 years old. My door-knocking days and running for political office are far behind me.

I do however continue doing volunteer work FOR FREE from 10-40 hours per week on top of my own appraisal business on behalf of the AGA.

Is there a check box for political influence on the 1004 form? Should the TAF work toward more check boxes.

Mike are you out knocking on doors for your Candidate, I got too old for that kind of stuff.

Now I just pick on my own kind from a great distance

m ford with no email… If you are a Californian, then you already know that no one except leftists or progressives can get elected in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Long Beach, or San Diego. The numbers are simply not there. Those regions in turn control the entire state.

The formula was simple: create dependency. First, by freebies and later by rent control, affirmative action, lack of border enforcement, and racial disharmony deliberately ginned up by politicians including Member Waters – look for the old news video where she and Danny Bakewell of the Brotherhood Crusade stopped non-Black workers from cleaning up riot damaged debris after the 1992 Los Angeles riots.

You and I or anyone else speaking disparagingly of Member Waters (& most other pols) won’t get changes made. Appraisers have been fighting for a few specific major concerns for nearly ten+ years now.

Member Waters Bill is the closest we have ever come to achieving near-complete success in solving most of our professional impediments in one fell swoop. Unfortunately because of who she is, those that are not on the left have no inclination to support anything she proposes.

Now, when the GOP takes over in January, it’s not unlikely that THEY will seek to eliminate the ASC instead of the TAF. They’ve tried it before.

That is an interesting take on this Mike, thanks. Had not thought of it that way. Lessor of two evils?

I don’t know though. Look how susceptible the small group was to corruption and influence peddling.

It may not be realistic to presume a federal agency would withstand the pressures any better or differently.

But then again, you’re the legal expert. You should write another article on the possible merits of this, perhaps paint it in a different light for further debate?

Thanks.

PJ It is a combination of reasons. The shortest answer is that it’s most broadly aimed at supporting claims for reparations for Black Americans.

On a case-by-case basis, the original Florida case (Abeena Horton) appears after all the information is in to have been a hustle to promote her own company’s new AVM product which purportedly was going to end subjective human discrimination by using AVMs.

Beyond that, if you have ever had any dealing with “Mitigation Fund Managing Social Justice Warriors” (typically in the “Environmental Justice” arenas), you’ll know they seek to extort money from deep pockets.

Example: BNSF proposed a half-billion dollar project in LA/LB that would have updated old diesel locomotives and yard engines with cleaner technology and electric generation wherever possible. BNSF had set aside over $3,000,000 toward mitigation funds for the usual suspect “social justice” organizations…including new ones established specifically to fight that particular project.

Managers of such ‘mitigation funds’ can easily expect to pay themselves $150k to $250k per year. Ostensibly for environmental education (such as teaching others how to run the same cons). I’ve written about this under CFASE at mfford.blogsdpot.com (scroll till you see maps and words CFASE).

No credible objective source or organization truly believes White appraisers are systematically biased against Black property owners or borrowers; or more recently that an Asian appraiser was biased against another Asian property owner.

Like so much in politics today, the claims of systemic racism are built on lies or very old (circa 1934) federal policies. A few politicians are left over from the pre-civil rights act days, and some current politicians were mentored by some of the older, more egregious documented racists in Congress.

It was easy for the President to confess that the government has been guilty of systemic racism for years. He was a willing participant in it!

Today, honest debate and verification of claims is almost non-existent. Legislation is passed not based on need, but rather on self serving interests and whatever emotions can be stirred up in support of it.

It’s why I support Member Waters Bill, no matter how much I despise the tone used to describe its need. It achieves the elimination of TAF and replaces it with a single-entity Federal Agency where MOST of the ills of HVCC and AMCs can be eliminated. Federal agencies can be corrupted as we have recently seen.

However, a federal appraisal oversight agency would have to apply laws uniformly across the USA…which is NOT the case today. Those that know me also know my politics do NOT lean toward supporting Member Waters or her party as a rule.

Hi Ms Gilford

If there are racial overtones it is because the topic is fully focused on race by a variety of interests focusing it on race at a federal and variety of state and local levels. That includes President Joe Biden and House Member, Waters (whose draft legislation to correct the issue I support).

1. I have no idea what you mean.

2. We’ve discussed, promoted and activated for solutions to appraisal problems of various types since at least 2014. Many, have done so much longer. ( If you are an appraiser you may want to also join a FB Group called 100% Appraisers Group.)

AT THE PRESENT TIME MEMBER WATERS proposed draft bill to create a federal valuation agency that has the best hope to solve 90% of ALL the problems facing appraisers from fees to pressure, to uniformity of enforcement. I’ve just summarized eight years of effort in that statement.

3. Getting appraisers to join anything is twice as hard as trying to herd 75,000 cats all located in different states into one state, while fighting laws that prohibit talking to each other, and where half the cats are owned by people whose best interests lie with keeping cats disorganized and a certain amount are themselves, predators.

Despite that we formed an Appraisers Guild that is part of the OPEIU of the AFL-CIO, and when we have a consensus of appraisers (back to cats again) we have achieved a variety of things. Some big. Some routine.

Fully 50% of my time is spent assisting Guild Members defend themselves from (usually ) erroneous or outright fabricated complaints at state or federal levels.

BTW Price fixing violates the Sherman Anti Trust Act. We have however advocated for fair fees. We (and many others) caused the Dodd Frank Act to include a provision requiring payment of customary & reasonable fees. (It’s actually worded reasonable and customary but nationally appraisers tend to use C&R anyway).

There are numerous articles in this blog dating back to around September 2015 outlining a suggested national METHOD of establishing reasonable fees based on the civil service pay scale. Appraisers objected to it… or at least the visually ‘vocal’ ones did. That includes some predators I mentioned earlier. Those who benefit from low-fee appraisers and appraiser puppy mill operations.

4. AMCs don’t actually dictate fees. Banks and correspondent lenders do. They quote a fee when a loan application is taken. AMCs use to bid them, but then Coester VMS invented the one size fits all national appraisal fee. Coester was driven out of business by AGA (The Guild) President Mark Skapinetz, but loan officers continue the practice of citing fees before an appraiser is ever consulted about job complexity.

It all goes back to HVCC and appraisers having been brainwashed now for nearly 13 +- years.

5. Redlining? has zero to do with appraising. We (appraisers) have never deliberately red-lined anyone based on race. Even lenders rarely risk redlining. Though it MAY be baked into FNMA Census tract-driven algorithms for collateral underwriter (also many articles written here on the topic dating back to late 2014 or early 2015).

6. “Homeowners” (actual borrowers of the client) have been made aware of the appraisal process and procedures for an appeal. Some agents (and loan officers) still believe and practice the winning through intimidation philosophy.
Especially when they KNOW the property is overpriced. The average US house price in 2022 is $428,700. AT 6% commission that’s $25,722.

More than enough to incentivize people to be dishonest or forget whatever morals they may have been brought up with. (apologies for formatting errors)

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/worse-enron-new-ftx-ceo-slams-unprecedented-failure-corporate-controls

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/bankman-fried-secretly-cashed-out-300-million-during-ftx-funding-spree

I don’t know, too soon to tell. When it comes to the money of the rich and powerful, they tend to be slightly more diligent with investigations, research, data gathering, use of qualified experts, subsequent accountability. This guy would have been better off looting that much tax payer money, as opposed to losing the funds of rich people through investment scams. Government program losses would have been a budget write off instead of a federal investigation, filed away within the hour.

https://www.usdebtclock.org/
Debt clocks, faster than ever.

Maxine Waters blew Sam Bankman-Fried a kiss after a Congressional hearing last year.

The fix is in…

https://twitter.com/ReigningCoins/status/1593343475432316928?s=20&t=zM8M3A76fzMpwPSyd3TPaw

Thanks Mike!

Sorry, please excuse. If there is a coincidental name association. Well, there are two Mike Ford’s out there. Had thought that was purposeful but if not, we welcome the additional poster. Thank you. Please remember to click not spam if these notifications land in the spam box.

Apparently, his name is also Mike Ford but he’s not an appraiser. He’s a realtor.

https://www.realtor.com/realestateagents/56d5d42d8a13600100d68730

I agree

That’s not necessary. Posters can use whatever handle or name they want.

If I see something that I feel is necessary for me to clarify or disassociate myself from, I can do so as I did here. Most people that are regular posters here know who is anonymous for long-established reasons of privacy (yourself), & those who may be posting deceptively.

I still believe in free speech, and am not big on censorship.

What? Someone is name borrowing here? Coincidence or cheap play? We’ll ask moderator to ask them to pick another handle.

For clarification, I am not the “m ford” posting without any further identifier. My email and linked site will almost always appear (barring rushed posting). Typos will usually be found in my phone posts.