Tagged: 1073

The Way Things Used To Be - Appraisal fees unchanged in two decades 127

The Way Things Used To Be

“We haven’t had a raise in two decades.” Give me a break! It’s a common complaint in our industry that real estate appraisers haven’t had a raise in two decades. The argument goes that twenty years ago, the standard fee for an appraisal was $350. Fast forward twenty years and it’s still $350. That’s a great sound bite, but the actual logic is deeply flawed. In real terms, we’ve had a huge raise thanks to the massively reduced amount of time we spend on our appraisals. It’s something I’ve written about before (Never Had a Raise in 20 Years), but...

Community Banks Appraisal Waivers Deja Vu - If I Could Turn Back Time 61

If I Could Turn Back Time

Community Banks want to bypass appraisals in rural area… Evaluations are the answer, right? There have been lots of discussions lately concerning property inspection waivers, waivers of appraisals in rural areas, and allowing appraisers to complete Evaluations outside of USPAP standards. Doesn’t this all sound familiar? It should, we have already lived it 30 some years ago, prior to FIRREA. Back then Savings and Loans had staff appraisers to complete appraisals. The appraisal was not completed by a licensed appraiser, because licensing to protect the public did not exist. Today Community Banks want to bypass appraisals in rural area. Their...

Stop Senate Bill 2155 in the Senate, Fake Claim of an Appraisers Shortage 49

Stop S.2155 in the Senate

Call to action to oppose Senate Bill 2155, also opposed by an overwhelming majority of Americans… Appraisers, We are placing an immediate nationwide call to action to oppose Senate Bill 2155 currently in the United States Senate. Senate Bill 2155 has a provision, (sec 103) which allows a bank to waive an appraisal in rural communities. This will be detrimental for homeowners and communities in rural areas. A loss of income will also occur for appraisers who cover rural counties. To see the text of S.2155, click here. The Independent Community Bank Association has been hard at work promoting this bill....

AMC Abuses? What's Your Story? 85

AMC Abuses? What’s Your Story?

Many of you have filed formal complaints against AMC abuses with State appraisal boards… The place was a small subdivision developed with coastal style homes on the Ocean side of route 12 in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The bank was Bank of America. The AMC was LandSafe and the time was just before Corelogic purchase of Landsafe for $122 million. I was asked by this AMC to appraise a home for a purchase transaction. My comparable sales consisted of one recent sale of the next door neighbor, one on the same street, and two closed sales in the...

ClearVal Value IS So ClearCut - What IS a “ClearVal Appraisal” 162

What IS a “ClearVal Appraisal”?

Clear Capital ClearVal… Value Not So ClearCut… I’ve finally had an opportunity to read a hybrid ‘appraisal’ start to finish. All may read the unedited, non-redacted version in all its glory… or infamy, as the case may be. Please click here (report also embedded below) and read it first. I’ll wait right here. Finished? Great. One thing is clear. It is not an appraisal by any current accepted definition that I am familiar with. Ironically, there is also very little that is clear as far as support for the opined values is concerned. (I’m old fashioned and think it should...

Professionals With No Appraisal Experience Cornering The Hybrid Market 6

New Hybrid Desktop Hucksters

What could lure these successful 'professionals' from their chosen careers? Fellow appraisers, I just received an advertisement for a company that wants to pay ‘me’ $50.00 an hour to do desktop appraisals. Actually, probably not me, because they prefer a degree. Now, my routine hourly rate for complex appraisal assignments is $150 ($500 for EW and something variable in between for pretty much everything else). So they are asking me to take a cut of 2/3… assuming I could meet their degree requirement “preference”. It got me thinking. I cannot always command my hourly rate for 8 hours a day,...

AMC Business Model is Based on Lies That Hurt The Consumer 36

The Reality

There is no shortage of appraisers, only appraisers willing to work for Appraisal Management Companies, but there will be a shortage if the current toxic business climate does not change. The AMC business model is based on lies that hurt the consumer and your constituents. There are many voices that have agendas to reduce the qualifications to become a Real Estate appraiser, whether it be a Licensed Appraiser, Certified Residential Appraiser or a Certified General Appraiser. There are also voices that would like the requirements of an appraisal by a person licensed by the state to be waived as there is a...

Senior Citizen Homeowner Rejects Hybrid Appraisal - AppraisersBlogs 27

Homeowner Rejects Hybrid Appraisal

Appraiser Alert: Don’t Mess with a 4’ 10” Senior Citizen! Last week I called a borrower to schedule the appraisal appointment. She asked me some very odd questions; “Are you a licensed appraiser? What is your license number? How can I verify this information?” Well I had never been asked any of these questions in my entire career, but I answered as there really wasn’t anything I was hiding. It was 19 degrees outside when I arrived at the property and this senior citizen, not more than 4 feet 10 inches tall, was sitting on the porch. I proceeded up the porch...

Alternative Valuation/Hybrid Appraisal Created by Independent Appraisers? 83

Hybrid Appraisal Created by Appraisers?

Hybrid Appraisal Created by Independent Appraisers? Hybrid appraisals/alternative valuations is the most polarizing topic in the profession these days. With AMC’s all rolling out their new alternative valuation products, wouldn’t it make sense for independent appraisers to come together and create OUR own hybrid/alternative product? This is our opportunity to compete directly with AMC’s and regain control of our profession. The blueprint for this hybrid/alternative valuation model is already in place. We just need to come together, create a better one, and market it to the same investors that are already using them. If independent appraisers got together and did...

Appraiserville – Fake Claim of An Appraisal Shortage 65

Appraiserville – Fake Claim of An Appraisal Shortage

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:...

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