appraisal business - Appraisers Blogs

And Why Is the Second Appraisal Always the “Correct Value?”

Jonathan Miller — Fri, 09 Jun 2023 12:30:06 +0000

On Friday morning, May 19, I was one of five expert witnesses (and the only as an appraiser) to testify on the topic of appraisal bias in front of the Appraisal Subcommittee (ASC). During the first hour of testimony, our fourth grandchild was born. My wife was in the audience and stepped out of the hearing (the nerve!) to take the call from my oldest son on the news of our new granddaughter. The Appraisal Subcommittee (ASC) held a second hearing on challenges facing the appraisal industry, including barriers to entering the profession and racial bias in home appraisals. The...

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Mueller Sample Report. You Decide!

VaCAP Board — Tue, 12 Mar 2019 12:30:02 +0000

A recruiter for Mueller Services, Inc. (Mueller Reports) contacted a VaCAP member about joining their team as a W-2 employee to complete bifurcated appraisals. Our member communicated with them and received samples of their product. During the course of the communication, the recruiter mentioned, via email: In the past 30 days, we have had 23 cases in Virginia as a whole and expect that number only to increase. A quick check on the Department of Professional Occupational Regulations (DPOR) website revealed Mueller Services, Inc. is not registered as an appraisal firm. In fact they are not registered at all. In Virginia, to operate an...

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Being an Appraiser With a Disability

Dustin Harris — Thu, 28 Feb 2019 13:30:49 +0000

Here are some thoughts on something I know nothing about, but want to get some answers. How does the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) affect real estate appraisers? This act exists to help those with disabilities to have the same advantages of those who do not (at least as much as possible). At the time it first past, there was grumbling from those who had to spend the money to retrofit their buildings into compliance. There were cheers from those who before could not access buildings, elevators, stairwells who now could. My opinion is that the benefits outweighed the costs...

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Inspections Can Sometimes Be Embarrassing

Dustin Harris — Wed, 19 Dec 2018 13:30:47 +0000

Inspections can occasionally get embarrassing, right? It happens to all of us. That’s just part of the appraisal business. But that does not make things any easier or less embarrassing, does it. Let me tell you three stories. First is the house with the unique basement. It’s your typical single-family residence on the ground floor; nothing out of the ordinary, nothing embarrassing. Then I tell the owner I need to go into the basement to inspect it. He hesitantly says OK, so into the basement we go. It was not your typical basement. It looked like some kind of department...

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The Evil Octopus

Michael Ford — Wed, 20 Jun 2018 12:30:59 +0000

Appraisers, it’s not paranoia when ‘the bastards’ really are out to get you (end us as a profession). …Find each octopus and how they relate to our jobs. Look at MISMO Directors list… An Open Letter to Appraisers: Residential & Commercial This started as a response to a blog post by a respected appraiser concerning the influence of AMCs. During drafting it was clear that trying to explain AMCs was only part of the bigger struggles we face today. Picture a violent “all in” three-way gang fight among Octopi. Say a dozen on each side. That’s 36 Octopi x 8 tentacles...

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Appraisals, Fees, Lenders and Lies…

Hamp Thomas — Wed, 09 May 2018 12:30:43 +0000

Can you think of a single business where an individual has less control over their own financial future than the appraisal business? In most professions, your level of success is dependent on your personal work ethic, dedication to education, promptness of service, and overall level of quality. But, no, not in the appraisal industry. The HVCC took all that away. In the vast majority of circumstances, appraisers in any general market are paid the same fee. An average appraisal in Moore County, NC is worth $450.00. A VA appraisal $500.00. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been licensed six months or...

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Do You Need an Appraiser Driver?

Dustin Harris — Tue, 17 Oct 2017 12:30:37 +0000

Using a Driver for Appraisal Inspections… Anyone who’s followed me for a while knows that I have three main aims. I want to help real estate appraisers make their business more efficient, more effective, and generate more money. People almost always assume that making more money relies only on cutting costs. This is completely inaccurate. If you become more efficient and more effective, and work smarter instead of working harder, then you’ll start boosting your income. In the past, one of the ways in which I’ve made my work more efficient, and in effect spent money to make more money,...

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GLA Adjustments & Pizza Slices – They Do Correlate!

Dave Towne — Thu, 04 Aug 2016 12:30:47 +0000

Determining the GLA Adjustment in Appraisal Reports I promised in a previous post I’d send out my method for determining the GLA adjustment in appraisal reports. Goodness! Appraisers actually found that statement buried in the prior post, and have ‘rung my chimes’ requesting this info! OK, but first, the pizza analogy. I often tell clients and other appraisers that appraising (residential) real estate is far more complex than grabbing a store-bought pre-boxed pizza (that has exactly the same ingredients from box to box no matter which store you shop in) at a grocery and then applying 425 degrees of love...

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Your Appraisal Business in 3 Years?

Dustin Harris — Wed, 03 Feb 2016 13:30:45 +0000

What Does Your Appraisal Business Look Like in Three Years? If I were to ask you to paint an accurate picture of what your appraisal business looks like three years from today, could you do it? If you can’t answer this question, perhaps you are getting hung up on the word “accurate”. Any individual can guess what the future might look like, but can you make that prediction with some sentiment of reality? In an exercise such as this, it is easy to get paralyzed by so many unknowns that are outside of our control. What will the markets do?...

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Dave Biggers, You Owe Me an Apology

Dustin Harris — Thu, 22 Jan 2015 13:30:29 +0000

Normally, I like Dave Biggers. I think a la mode — like other appraisal software companies — has always been (and will likely always be) an advocate for appraisers. I am not saying any of that has changed, but I feel like Mr. Biggers owes me, and all appraisers, an apology. Ever since I first heard of Collateral Underwriting (CU), I have been a bit — and at times, much — overwhelmed at what it might mean to me and my peers. Frankly, there have been times that I have been downright scared of what CU might do to my thriving appraisal...

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Adjustments – Your Opinion Doesn’t Count

Richard Hagar, SRA — Tue, 14 Oct 2014 12:30:50 +0000

Regulations state that appraisal adjustments cannot be based upon an appraiser’s opinion. According to federal and state law, adjustments must be based on support and evidence- proof if you will, and an appraiser’s opinion is not considered to be “support.” Many appraisers have failed to support their adjustments and as a result have had their licenses revoked, penalties assessed and lawsuits lost, all because the they failed to understand a single but important requirement. Think about your appraisals. Are the adjustments based on your opinion or do you have proof of the adjustment in your workfile? Then one day I...

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Appraisal Bullying, Still Going Strong!

Hamp Thomas — Wed, 20 Aug 2014 12:30:02 +0000

It’s time to stop appraisal bullying for good and put some teeth in any new law. Even today there is undue pressure being put on appraisers to make loans work. All the new regulations in the appraisal industry did nothing for the bullies who work for AMC’s now. It’s sad to hear veteran appraisers talk about the way they were disrespected and treated unprofessionally, and how they are making plans to leave the industry. It happens every day in appraisal forms and blogs all across the country. The bullying and intimidation is as bad now as it ever was before....

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Where Did All the Good Appraisers Go?

Hamp Thomas — Fri, 02 May 2014 12:30:22 +0000

The good appraisers are leaving mortgage appraising as fast as they can. Thus far the housing industry has been applying “Band-Aid” solutions to the bigger real estate crisis. There are several problems going on at the same time, all contributing to the big picture, which is bleak to say the least. One true crisis in the real estate industry is an “information crisis.” This information problem, trickles down to appraisals, lenders, and ultimately, mortgage investors. Standardization, national guidelines, and disclosures are the only way back from this nightmare (i.e. the RESPA disclosure. One fee on the good faith estimate for...

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Appraisal Quality Determined by AVMs?

Hamp Thomas — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 13:30:48 +0000

...So, now we can check to see if appraisals are accurate by checking them against Automated Valuation Services? Wow! That’s frightening on so many levels. Remember the “garbage in, garbage out” articles about using AVM’s? Many AVM’s are close to useless. “Relevant data,” really, like an AVM? Gimme a break! Hard to get passed this on and it’s flat out crazy. If computers could price real estate accurately, the appraisal industry would have died out years ago...

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Blacklisted? How to Get Reinstated

Brian L. Trotrier — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 12:30:41 +0000

There is a high cost of being blacklisted. When a lending institution loses confidence in an appraiser’s work, the bank or AMC will put them on a “do not use” list, also known as a blacklist. In some cases, this means an appraiser has made a costly mistake. However, some banks are taking blacklisting to an extreme by treating appraisers as guilty until proven innocent without cause or reason why. If unchallenged, this practice can be devastating because being blacklisted even once can have permanent detrimental effects on an appraiser’s career, income, and reputation. By engaging in blacklisting lenders are...

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College Degree for Appraisers?

AppraisersBlogs — Mon, 20 Jan 2014 12:30:36 +0000

Why Do Appraisers Need a College Degree? Let me begin by stating that I hold both a Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s degree. I do not state that to get the adulations of the reader, but to qualify myself as one who can speak with at least a small degree of authority on this subject. Let me also be fair in stating that I loathed school. Do not misunderstand, I love and cherish education, I just hate school. I am a lifelong learner. I enjoy reading, researching, and experiencing new things. I love furthering my education. However, I am not one that fits very...

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“Hiring of Trainees to Remain Slow” Shocking News?

AppraisersBlogs — Sun, 25 Aug 2013 12:30:39 +0000

“Hiring of Trainees to Remain Slow” This is ‘Shocking News?’ According to a recent survey conducted by the Appraisal Institute, “trainee hiring will remain relatively weak for the next one- to two-years.” Um, I hate to disagree with the results of what I am sure is a credible survey, but this is just a gross underestimation. One-to two-years? How about FOREVER unless something drastically changes in our industry? Most know me as a fairly optimistic voice in the appraisal world. I am not usually one of those on the sidelines calling “foul” at every supposed indiscretion and ‘unfair’ practice that...

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Independent Contractors vs. Employees Pros and Cons

AppraisersBlogs — Fri, 19 Jul 2013 12:30:01 +0000

Business owners must determine whether to hire appraisers as employees of the company or as independent contractors. Because many appraisers are self-employed or run small businesses with few staff, recruiting and staffing employees can present a unique set of challenges. Business owners must determine whether to hire appraisers as employees of the company or as independent contractors. According to a recent article in Valuation magazine, businesses are increasingly taking the independent contractor option whenever possible due to the significant savings and flexibility for the employer. However, there are pros and cons to both angles. Benefits for appraisal firm owners and...

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Oil Change Stickers and Appraisal Marketing

AppraisersBlogs — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 13:00:12 +0000

Keeping a current appraisal customer (AMC, local bank, lawyer, real estate agent, etc.) should be a higher priority to you than digging up new ones. What are you doing to keep your current customers? Are you reaching out and ‘touching’ them often?

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Business Decision to Hire a Trainee

AppraisersBlogs — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 12:30:27 +0000

3 Ways Hiring a Trainee Can Help Your Business It would likely come as no surprise to most appraisers at this point that with the changing demographics and aging of the valuation profession, attracting the next generation remains crucial to the future. With the many opportunities for employment and continued growth, the benefits for those considering pursuing an appraisal career are clear. The advantages to an experienced real estate appraiser of hiring a trainee may be less apparent, but they are no less significant. While there is undoubtedly significant work and time commitment upfront, hiring a trainee can reap long-term...

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