Appraisers have been replaced by part time working housewives looking for some spare spending dollars in between school pick ups. They talk about standing there waiting for the Asterzoom 3d cam to spin at a slow pace, returning photographic equipment on amazon. Of course the amc promises higher figures than what is actually delivered. Talk about a cool opportunity it is to go into peoples homes and talk with actual builders. The appraisal inspection process for the largest investment in most peoples lives has been turned into a quick chore between daytime soap operas. These are highly skilled people. Appraisal modernization!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1904768229711326/posts/3067868436734627/

There is now a facebook group for property data collectors.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1904768229711326/

Your new appraiser also doubles as a mystery shopper! Ha!
https://quiktrak.com/services/mystery-shopping/

The PDC position on job sites ranks right up there with part time social media influencer and wedding photographer. Brilliant!

Will someone please keep an eye on this group?

To conclude this point, state regulation proposals may consider clearly defining the scope of the regulation specifically for mortgage lending or relations to valuation service, somehow define the licensing as for the service being in relation to matters of real estate sales, refinances, being relied upon by realty agents, mortgage brokers, appraisal management companies or appraisers.

Is the motivation in moving to a PDC program to circumvent existing regulatory oversight and guidelines? Similar to how existing regulatory structure was developed before amc’s dominated the market and is now subsequently inadequate to provide effective oversight of amc’s, so does the GSE PDC program mirror this situation as existing regulation is insufficient to effectively oversee property data collection services for lending purposes. Appraisal management companies specialize in sending as much work as possible to non licensed individuals in order to avoid regulatory oversight.

One also ponders if tying additional rules to currently licensed persons may be as effective if not more than a PDC licensing program. Maybe a combination of adding to existing rules and PDC individual licensing.

Such as; if the licensed person or company utilizes a pdc for lending purposes, they shall verify and comply with the following rules;

1. Fingerprint requirements. The pdc has undergone a fingerprint check similar to existing residential appraiser requirements, Held on file at the state. PDC person must go to approved state locations and can not source a fingerprint compliance from elsewhere.
2. Insurance requirements. To be submitted for filing and record retention at the state, (insert proper language for relevant liability insurance minimums.)
3. The company or entity hiring or contracting with the pdc shall carry an additional bonding requirement of;
4. Prescribed rules for pdc compensation similar to appraisal programs, 30 day payments, etc.
5. The company or entity hiring or contracting with the pdc shall have available for review, their current oversight and dispute management process and policies.
6. The company or entity hiring or contracting with the pdc shall have available for review, their current policies on protecting consumers data relevant to GLB and individual consumer privacy rules. Specifically describing how PDC data is held in compliance and stated policy for violations and enforcement. To include data breach management, disclosure and handling. (FTC classified appraisers as banking institutions as a way to incorporate minimum data security and data breach transparency and reporting to appraisers several years back, the same principal should apply to PDC’s.)
7 Continuing education requirements for PDC persons.
8. Annual renewal requirements for PDC persons.
9. Additional consumer tools so consumers can demand and verify 3d mapping data of their homes has been erased after it’s useful life, which would be when the loan closes or within six months of an origination not taking place. This policy would include verification any other company whom received consumers personal data would also erase that data. To include prohibitions on selling or sharing protected consumer data to data brokers, AI systems, or otherwise.

There needs to be a better focus on consumer protection, consumer data privacy, consumers dealing with insured recognized contractors, consumers ability to prevent long term data use for what is obviously too much and unnecessary data capture of their private belongings and personal spaces.

Far more strict validation program than merely sourcing a records check from a third party company. Tens of millions of people and more, have easy access to fraudulent data and stolen identities. People can buy a fictitious identity online to pass a records check with associated physical documents. These people could pass the third party records checks, but could not pass both the records checks and the fingerprinting identity verification and more detailed records check requirements of the state. At a minimum, all PDC’s should have to undergo a fingerprinting process. Fraudulent identity use is at all time historical highs worldwide. To omit fingerprinting is intentional negligence.

VA PDC survey question #4 was a real chore. How am I supposed to know these things?
4.
Does your state currently require property data collectors to be licensed, certified, registered, or otherwise regulated?

Otherwise, filled that out for you. Thanks, hopefully something good comes of the effort.

https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=qeUKYsFOoE-GQV2fOGxzCb0GXzxHRe9Otpktx9IPnt1UQ0IyNkZCTEQ4NEUzUUJLNEoySUFNSzNFMS4u

Awesome, thanks. Appreciated. I’m still around for a while, we’ll see how long. What more can be done? The people in charge of the appraisal industry have undeniable conflicts of interests with the amc industry. The guy at ARCC said a completely new regulatory structure is needed. They don’t solve the problems in this industry because they don’t want to solve the problems in this industry. I’m going to write a good letter for the VA board here soon. Don’t forget that’s the primary point of this article. We need to support PDC licensing programs. We provided never ending sensible objections to PDC programs in the first place. They did not listen. Maybe at the state level some regulation for PDC’s will help dial some of this nonsense back. As a consumer I object to a lender sending an unlicensed PDC inspector to my house. Everyone I talk to agrees they don’t want the same person doing door dash inspecting the inside of their home. It’s incredibly easy to falsify documentation too, they’re not required to be fingerprinted like appraisers are. I’ll never refinance again and it’s going to become really difficult to find homes that have not had invasive 3d scanning as well. The entire effort is a totally misguided waste of time and violation of both consumer protection principals and consumer privacy.

Your well reasoned voice will be missed when you do shut things down.

It has been very sad to watch the appraisal profession be destroyed by power hungry idiots. Also, I have seen to many local appraisers get sucked into the nasty deceptions – some of whom are on our state board. Yuck!!!. This destruction is/will continue into all facets of appraising and other professions.

Baggins – A well deserved thank you for your considerable time and effort in trying to bring all involved to their senses. Best wishes for your future endeavors.

Thanks. Regrettably, I’m next in line to leave. I”m sort of on activist auto pilot at this point. Small business appraisers lost. We have no effective representation. I’m giving it up one of these days. Will push a few more articles in the meantime. Thanks.

Here you go. If you want true X, just retype xcancel.com to x.com / Clever online utilities to get full X experience without a login.

Just like appraisal modernization. People whom don’t understand what valuation is are not fixing anything with appraisal modernization. They do not understand the problems with this industry therefore are incapable fo fixing any short comings.

I predicted the rise of data collectors (as a joke) around 15 years ago but never gave it another thought. I was amazed yesterday when I learned of their pay scale. I assumed they were getting $25 to $40 per assignment. It appears to nearly be a living wage from what i am seeing. Couple that with an aging group of appraisers, new forms, and social security checks and you’ll see more and more appraisers jumping ship for the easy money. I’ve been out nearly 20 years and I could still inspect a 10,000 sf home with one eye closed. Some things you never forget. I’ll take a pass on data collection for now but I still have a strong desire to hold the title of “Last Appraiser Standing”.

I am amazed they haven’t created a certified inspection requirement for these guys. Our states are slipping when it comes to scheming up new ways to raise money.

Interesting story on the homeless. I haven’t heard that story prior to your post.

Hell, this is your chance to get back in! You could walk through and totally invade peoples private spaces and feed 3d modeling to unaccountable third and fourth party overseas data processing companies for an easy $100 a pop. Liability free work! Retired this is the moment you’ve been waiting for don’t miss your chance! lol. These threads are never complete until you stop by. We’ve all grown to love retired appraiser, you’re the best sincerely.

Did you read the argument against free housing for homeless, the ‘feral humans’ argument? That was really good, was going around this week. They’re not homeless because they don’t have homes. They’re homeless because they have too many personal problems. They don’t need free housing, they need lifelong counseling or to be committed in mental institutions or attempted reform in jails. I can think of a few psychotic managers in the lending world whom might qualify for those programs. Their greed caused much of this in the first place. The price of housing is too damned high.

Well he’s right in that regard. These institutions throw their weight around and form rules and regulations that fits their business interests. Chartered institutions like GSE’s are supposed to be accountable to the people as well, not just ‘stake holder interests’. Central planning never works.

The language is deceptive and misleading to consumers and lenders alike.

Certified property data collectors.

Search this term; Become a property data collector. It’s the wild west of ten dozen different ‘certification avenues’ out there. I recall previous research, some of them allow people to submit their own records checks. I remember that because I posted a parallell story of this ring of people whom the feds busted for having provided falsified records checks and other documentation for the past decade.

Search this term; falsified identity document statistics.

https://sumsub.com/newsroom/synthetic-identity-document-fraud-surges-300-in-the-u-s-sumsub-warns-e-commerce-healthtech-and-fintech-at-risk/

while synthetic identity document fraud rose by over 300% with attackers exploiting generative AI to create fake passports, IDs, and biometric data.

Sumsub analyzed millions of verification checks conducted on its platform between January and March 2025 across industries such as fintech, e-commerce, healthtech, and edtech to uncover emerging fraud trends. One of the most pressing concerns is the rise of synthetic identity document fraud, where criminals use AI tools to generate fake identity documents such as driver’s licenses or passports. These synthetic identity documents are often realistic enough to bypass basic KYC checks, posing a significant challenge for businesses. Unlike synthetic identities, which involve the creation of entirely fake personas using a mix of real and fabricated data, synthetic identity documents refer specifically to falsified documents or images generated by AI. Fraudsters then use these AI-generated visuals to open accounts, conduct illicit transactions, or bypass compliance processes, making detection increasingly difficult without advanced verification tools.

https://tampercheck.ai/blog/forged-id-fraud-industry-impact

Every day, forged identity documents are submitted to lenders approving mortgages, hospitals issuing prescriptions, landlords vetting tenants, employers hiring staff, and government agencies distributing benefits. The document might be a driver’s licence with an altered date of birth, a passport with a substituted photo, a national ID with a changed name — or an entirely fabricated credential that has never belonged to any real person.

The methods are increasingly cheap. AI-assisted document editing tools can produce a convincing fake identity document in minutes. Online services sell forged IDs for as little as $20–$50. And the majority of organisations accepting these documents digitally are running verification workflows that weren’t designed to catch them – workflows without a document fraud detection layer.

This is not a single-sector problem. Forged IDs are the entry point for fraud, benefit abuse, credential misrepresentation, and regulatory evasion across every major industry.
_____________________________________

I could post material like that All. Day. Long. Sort of different than dealing with a licensed appraiser whom has gone through the fingerprinting process. You can go online and get a fraudulent document for less than fifty dollars if you know where to look. It is only a matter of time before professional thieves and gangs exploit the PDC program to gain tactical access to peoples private spaces or worse, if that has not already happened but is not yet widely publicized.

Fannie claims that they’re educated and well trained. LMAO!

He was simply saying that the money is so big that we (appraisers) don’t matter. That’s my take.

David thank you for being here and posting. Excellent.

I’m pretty sure that HUD will be doing the same thing by way of the contradictory executive order to modernize the appraisal process. Because nobody knows what appraisal modernization should really mean, because the effort is not actually helpful or necessary in the first place, what we get instead is the elimination of tried and true checks and balances systems, no more full service appraisals.

What’s your take on this one? Inquiring minds want to know. 03-2026 Executive Order on promoting access to mortgage credit.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/03/promoting-access-to-mortgage-credit/

A few notable contradictions;
(i) modernizing appraisal regulations and guidance to expand the use of alternative valuation models, desktop and hybrid appraisals, and artificial intelligence valuation tools;
(i) aligning appraisal standards between the Federal Housing Administration and VA Home Loan Program where risk is comparable;

If they were to honestly measure risk between FHA vs the VA, FHA would need to adopt the VA model of C&R fees, an FHA/HUD ran appraisal administration program where no amc’s would be involved ever again, and rotational assignment to all approved appraisers. That would mean no more secret appraiser blacklisting by way of fictitious performance grading. No more grossly disproportionate assignment trends where preferred appraisers get the lions share. No more picking the cheapest and fastest appraisers. No more pilfering the appraisal fee with amc junk fee raking. No more free rides for the amc executives. A clearly set fee and turn time for everyone on panel. Full service appraisal would once again become the status quo. The possibility also exists this EO could break the VA model as we know it now and amc’s would commandeer then pirateer that realm as well.

An honest appraisal modernization effort would need to take everything back to before amc’s as a baseline starting point. Which is what the VA panel still reflects to this day.

Missing the IVPI Proposal yet?
https://www.workingre.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/IVPI-Proposalfinal.pdf

The insurance tie in. Excellent analysis. We should write our EO insurers and ask for them to publish specific guidance on the matter. (edit – But it appears you’ve provided that answer…) The issue is further complicated by companies like OREP providing insurance to both appraisers and appraisal management companies under umbrella policies. These represent conflicts of interest that in the legal world, one imagines could get their own lawyers in trouble. Representing both sides of a claim without clear designation who’s covering the PDC that both parties relied upon. This industry has become so backwards. Amc’s ruined everything.

Errors and Omissions (E&O) insurance will not automatically cover claims arising from a delegated third-party property inspection because the insurer’s risk assessment is tied exclusively to the named appraiser’s licensed credentials and direct personal oversight.

I’m going to put that specific line in the survey response. And who’s going to cover the home owner if the PDC individual really does break the rules? Steals something, breaks in later, misuses personal data?

Donna please consider the primary benefit of amc’s circumventing the use of licensed appraisers wherever possible. They skirt regulatory oversight because state appraisal boards only have jurisdiction over appraisers and appraisals. The state boards do not have jurisdictional oversight over activity an amc engages in which does not involve a licensed appraisers participation. That is how and why the PDC program was dreamed up in the first place. To skirt regulatory oversight and also used as a mechanism to rake an even greater portion of the ‘valuation services’ fee. Eliminating the full service licensed appraisers participation is basically most amc’s primary motivation at this point. Consumer protection be damned, dollar signs in their eyes.

The amc is legally defined as an agent of the lender, so oversight of non appraisal activity falls on the lenders, which they’re obviously not providing adequate oversight either. For every lender that takes advantage of this regulatory work around they gain additional market share advantage over the few remaining lenders whom provide traditional full service appraisal in the interests of more stable and reliable loans. Why should they care anyways, taxpayer backs the entire thing up and there is untold risk and inadequately capitalization all around. The attrition continues at a rapid pace. The every day home owner and mortgage lending consumer is and will continue to be the most harmed.

So you’re o.k. with sending unlicensed individuals into peoples homes? Gig workers? As a consumer I object.

The delusional people here are those whom have unjustly enriched themselves at other peoples expense and risk.

You’d never support pdc’s and valuation waivers if your company was lending it’s own money. If there was no taxpayer back stop. There is only so much room to bury never ending QE in the housing market and we’ve long since exceeded that point. We’ll never have stable markets again.

It’s time for the FHFA to revoke the GSE’s charters and wind them down. The conversation is not going away. Only a matter of time before the bubble pops again.

https://www.cato.org/briefing-paper/gse-experiment-has-failed-congress-should-end-it
https://appraisersblogs.com/fannie-mae-fraud-and-abuse-exposed/

Current status of GSE managers; Tap dancing on a bubble, cigar and whiskey in hand.