Why am I paying more than TWICE the amount paid to the appraiser? I was recently charged/paid $750.00 to have the appraisal completed on the home I was purchasing. With the fees and costs associated with obtaining a mortgage, the appraisal fee was one of little to no concern to me BUT then I received a copy of my appraisal. In accordance with local regulations, the appraiser disclosed the amount he was paid to do the appraisal…$275.00 minus a $15.00 technology fee. I thought to myself why am I paying more than TWICE the amount paid to the person who...
GUILTY of not using human brain power of thinking and communicating… More Please… How many of you can honestly state with all sincerity the appraiser is better off today with the use of Appraisal Management Companies (AMCs)? How many of you can say with all sincerity the consumer is being protected with the use of an AMC? How many of you can, with all sincerity state your business model is how you want it? How many of you are happy with the current environment of the industry? If you answered yes, congratulations, you have found your peace. You should stop reading...
Do NOT send your digital signature! I just received the following message from LRES (AMC) requesting I send my digital signature to them. I think this message should get out to all appraisers immediately. I don’t know if any other appraisers received this message however I would strongly suggest that you do NOT send your digital signature to this AMC or anyone else. I hope you all understand the possible problems this could open you up to, including forgery, fraud and many other illegal activities. If you have any doubts just call your E&O insurance and ask them what they...
We need supportive legislators! June 13th is an important date for Virginia Appraisers The Republican Primary is June 13, 2017. VaCAP does not care if you are Republican, Democrat or Independent. We do however; think it is important for you to know of several candidates that are supportive on appraiser issues: Senator Frank Wagner is running for Governor of Virginia. Senator Wagner introduced the successful AMC legislation for 30 day payments to appraisers that goes into effect July 1, 2017. Although the bill for using only third party fees when calculating customary and reasonable fees to appraisers did not move forward,...
CoesterVMS & Brian Coester have a questionable history with the law… According to a lawsuit filed against CoesterVMS and Brian Coester by appraiser Mark Skapinetz on April 20, 2017, Brian Coester and CoesterVMS have illegally accessed (hacked) his email accounts. The lawsuit alleges violations of the Stored Communication Act, Trespass to Chattel, and Trespass to Land, Conversion, Fraud, and Invasion of privacy. Mark Skapinetz is a Certified Residential Appraiser in Georgia that owns a very active private Facebook page with over 700 members. Mr. Skapinetz has been very vocal about appraisers being treated unfairly by AMC’s and advocates for appraisers.
Mark Skapinetz believes that appraisers are being held captive by AMCs…. Reserved is not a word that anyone would use to describe Mark Skapinetz; at least of those who know him. Shy is not in his vocabulary. Mark is the founder of the “100% Real Estate Appraisers” group on Facebook. He joined me on April 23, 2017 as a guest on The Appraiser Coach Podcast to discuss everything from training the next generation of appraisers to the AMC debacle. Mark believes that appraisers are being held captive by AMCs. Though he works for a handful of AMCs himself (in other...
Could Ocwen’s trouble mean more business for appraisers? Ocwen Financial is in trouble with 22 States and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Some states have issued a Cease and Desist Order, others like South Dakota are telling it like it is: “Ocwen does not possess the competence, experience, character, or general fitness required to permit Ocwen to continue…” Could this mean more business for appraisers? Will these issues be found in other lenders? How will the Real Estate and mortgage market be impacted? Time will tell. In the meantime, read all about Ocwen’s trouble on HousingWire here. In Other News:...
Oh what fun it is to become PREFERRED… Folks, From various sources I’m learning that you now have the outstanding opportunity to become a "preferred appraiser" with certain AMC’s. What does that mean…really? It means you will have assignments automatically assigned to you at a set (lower than C&R) fee and with a mandated report delivery date pre-selected. This process might even 'help you out' by also pre-scheduling the home visit with the borrower or RE agent for a certain day and time. It matters not that many of the assignments will be the left over highly complex junk properties...
Your employees did not come from Taco Bell, they delivered your pizza! In a recent New York Times article by Julie Creswell on 01/21/2017, former executives of Quicken Loans confirm “many employees come in with little or no background in financial services. One employee joined after delivering pizzas to the Quicken Loans Offices”. No need to say anymore, that statement speaks volumes. The article titled “Quicken Loans, the New Mortgage Machine” is a tell all article, right down to the founder and Chairman Dan Gilbert’s physical altercation on a former colleague at a religious function, to his public tirade against LeBron James,...
E&O coverage has nothing at all to do with underwriting mortgage loans… Do not include your E&O binder page in any appraisal report. Period. End of story. Especially if you are being ‘managed’ by an AMC who has that in their engagement agreement, claiming it’s a lender requirement. A while ago, I received a “correction notice” via a prominent AMC for a report I submitted: “Per lender requirements, evidence of E&O coverage must be included in the report.” My response to the AMC directly via email, not in the report, was this: “To: AMC rep Is there any way you...
