Appraisal News and Appraisal Tips For Real Estate Appraisers - Your source for appraisal industry news, appraisers' opinions, and discussions of appraisal issues
In the case of the FTC vs Louisiana Real Estate Board, Real Estate Valuation Partners (REVP) was issued a subpoena by Louisiana to provide some documents. They have filed a motion to quash the subpoena and not provide documents. When you read through the 11 page document, and we highly recommend you do, it appears REVP is hiding crucial documents that may be incriminating to themselves and other appraisal management companies. There are 12 specific items being requested. Take a look for yourself here. It is very telling! b. Requests No. 4, 5, 6, and 11 ask for REVP’s internal...
Please provide feedback immediately to “two banking institutions have requested that the Appraisal Subcommittee temporarily waive the requirement for use of state licensed or certified appraisers” based on the fake claim of an appraisal shortage. I wrote about Tristar Bank in Appraiserville a few weeks ago. It is worth re-visiting since I translate the Tristar request into my interpretation of what they are really saying. It is recommended to send your responses ASAP to webmaster@asc.gov rather than to Jim Park directly although either way is fine. The Appraisal Foundation will be responding to this issue. Here is an email I just received on this issue:...
Looking to revise appraisal forms… What will appraisers charge for more pages? Folks, This notice was posted in the National Association of Mortgage Brokers e-newsletter on Dec. 28, 2017: FHFA Looking to Revise Appraisal Forms As one of its 2018 priorities, FHFA says in its 2018 Scorecard that it wants to “research, assess, and begin planning for appraisal process modernization, which could include revised appraisal forms and data requirements.” Now that we have a 17-page loan application coming soon, does that mean a 6-page appraisal form is inadequate? What will appraisers charge for more pages? This particular issue has been discussed...
If AMCs used escrow accounts, no appraiser would ever go unpaid. Go Ahead, Just Ask… There is a lot of talk going on about AMCs that are in serious financial trouble. We have heard from many appraisers about past due payments and have heard some very concerning situations where AMCs owe appraisers millions of dollars in unpaid invoices for appraisal services. We have heard stories of AMC credit lines being cut off and demand notices being issued by the bank. There are also discussions of several AMCs shutting their doors in the coming weeks. We all know how rumors spread and...
Topics getting a lot of attention… Life can be hectic around this time of the year and we wanted to remind everyone of a few items that need your attention and action: First: The AQB has another exposure draft out concerning appraiser licensing qualifications. The big issues are Degree Requirements, Alternative Tracks, Practical Applications and Experience Requirements. These topics have been getting a lot of attention as the “perceived appraiser shortage” card is being played by lenders and AMCs. Please take a few minutes and share your thoughts. The exposure draft and comment instructions can be found here. VaCAP urges every appraiser to comment on these topics. The deadline...
Pre-filled template with ‘Suburban’ already checked… Appraisers, Another appraisal report was delivered by a homing pigeon to my windowsill the other day. After leaving a ‘deposit’ on the sill that kind of matches the goop I observed in the report, off it went. The subject property is within a built-up neighborhood area within the largest city in this particular area; it is within city limits. The neighborhood was developed in the 1950’s and 60’s. It is fully built out (i.e., all subdivided lots are developed) and has a couple of neighborhood parks. Population density is similar to other areas within...
Solidifi has taken the disrespect to another level… Appraisers Pushing Back Against AMC Bad Behavior! Appraisers have finally had enough of bad behavior by AMCs. VaCAP received the following email from an appraiser, who by the way is not located in Virginia. VaCAP spoke to the author concerning the email and found out a few more details. First, the author does not do residential work as they are a Certified General nor do they work for AMCs and are not on any AMC roster. Somehow, this nonresidential appraiser received this email from Solidifi. VaCAP commends our colleague for stepping up...
If you do work for Clarocity Valuation Services, you definitely should pay attention… Simple Wall St reports: “Clarocity has limited growth and a worrying balance sheet” On November 26, 2017 VaCAP shared an issue with one of our members not receiving communication from Clarocity Valuation Services concerning past due invoices. Due to our research and public sharing, our member was paid. During that time, VaCAP learned some things about Clarocity and we continued to follow the company. We are not going to tell anyone who to do business with or how to operate their business, but we ask that the analytic...
This year it appears many AMCs have turned to blast requests of fee and turn time. We get them constantly and simply delete them. Last week we received a blast email from an AMC that sends out blast requests for bids. We have never worked with Appraisal Nation before and don’t know how we ended up on their panel. In their rush shopping for the cheapest and fastest appraisers, they forgot to BCC the appraisers they blasted. It appears that this AMC is not only incapable of maintaining quality control and assuring competency for specific assignments but by disclosing appraisers’...
You might want to read this article. Notice what it says about an AMC allegedly ‘influencing’ appraisers to report incorrect or high values in disregard to federal law about appraiser independence. This brings up a salient point: When AMCs hire and employ W-2 “staff appraisers“, is there a potential for AMCs to direct appraisal value outcomes based on how reports are reviewed and suggested ‘better’ comps provided as a requested correction to a submitted report? But to be fair, this can also happen with lender-based internal appraisal servicing departments, which my first-hand experience proves. It seems that no matter how...
