Now they’re saying your license has to be revoked! The Federal Government is cracking down on appraiser licenses that were issued by the states where the applicant did not meet the “new” TAF requirements. Several states have this problem. Virginia is in that mix. About nine appraiser licenses were issued that the Federal Government is now saying have to be revoked. About half of these people have reached out to me. There is not a lot I can do or VACAP can do. But the state will be addressing this issue over the next couple of board meetings. So if...
Licensed Residential Appraiser out of work! I find it hard to believe that there is a shortage of appraisers when I, a Licensed Residential Appraiser, have only completed three (3) appraisal assignments for 2016. I am constantly denied approval by Banks and AMCs. I’ve been denied because I am Licensed. I’ve been denied because I am not Certified. I am not being denied work because I am incompetent or because I have not been USPAP compliant. Certainly not because I have been disciplined. FHA removed Licensed Residential Appraisers. Then Banks and AMCs were eager to follow. I do not see...
Work opportunity for $25… Opportunity? A member of VaCAP forwarded this email from an AMC. VaCAP wanted to share. “We have a new product which is a review of a BPO. You’ll need to log onto a site and complete a checklist. The pay is $25 per report with a 24-48 hour turn time. Most can be done in about 10-20 minutes. All work can be done from your desktop. Training will be provided. Please let us know if you are interested. At this time, we are reaching out to garner interest. We’ll let you know the next steps as...
TSUNAMI! Before the Internet and YouTube, most of us read about or saw a few pictures of Tsunami’s in books. Reading about a tsunami though, will never be the same as actually being in a tsunami, or seeing a video of a tsunami. A YouTube video of the Japanese tsunami of 2011 truly captures what a tsunami is, and how destructive it can be. If you have never seen that video, take a look at it below. People die in tsunamis. Tsunami death pictures can be found all over the internet. But who were those people and why did they...
Smoke & Mirrors? Could it be as easy as updating your fee schedule? I got an email from an appraiser today. The only thing the email said was “Call Me 804-XXX-XXXX”. The email had a read receipt attached to it . My first thought, “What did I do now?”. With hesitation, I called the number. The appraiser said, I have to share something with you, but you have to promise not to mention my name or the AMC. I agreed. The appraiser received an order request from an AMC for a fee that was low, but not nearly the lowest...
Being a bad businessman is not an excuse not to pay me. Period. The borrower pays the AMC up front. The AMC HAS MY FEE FROM DAY ONE! If they do not have it on the date I complete the assignment, it is because they used MY MONEY for some other purpose. If they are too incompetent to operate a general ledger, then open a second checking account and make the fee deposits for the appraisers the same day they are received. Being a bad businessman is not an excuse for not paying me for work I do for you....
Fee for commercial appraisals cut in half Metro West is an AMC entering the Virginia Commercial world. They are coming on strong as they have viable operations in other states. I heard that in the states they are presently in, the fee for a commercial appraisal has been cut in half. Like I said before, it’s only a matter of time. Will Virginia establish a C&R fee for a commercial report? Customary & Reasonable Fee Since Virginia enacted the C&R fee rule, I have gotten a lot of emails from appraisers asking when can they charge more. “When can I...
AMC says sentence was unacceptable based on one word in that sentence Beware appraisers, big brother is watching what you write. This is the sentence in question. See if you can figure out what is considered to be ‘wrong’ about it: “Skagit County is centrally located between Seattle and Vancouver, BC, and is considered a desirable residential area with good appeal and has had continued stable growth for years.” Okay…now re-read that sentence again. Then, read this, which is from the FNMA Seller’s Guide, pg 567 in the Feb. 2016 edition: Unacceptable Appraisal Practices The following are examples of unacceptable...
Request for appraiser input on current and future educational / experience requirements… The AGA sent the below letter to the AQB in response to their outreach asking for comments. Please write them and tell them YOUR views. If you agree with what we have said, then just copy it and add your name to it saying “we agree”. Or don’t copy it, and just say “We agree with the AGA letter”. If there are any significant parts you disagree with, then please ‘except’ those. If you have additional thoughts or suggestions for them (civil ones), feel free to add them....
Homeowner was not comfortable with the apparent fraud that was committed… Folks, I am sometimes offered information about appraiser issues in a confidential nature by other appraisers. When that occurs, I do not distribute specific information about the issue, but may choose to reveal facts via the ‘big picture.’ This is one such case: A homeowner decided to refinance their home. Appraisal appointment was scheduled. ‘Someone’ showed up at the home to do the interior & exterior inspections and take photos, etc. When the homeowner asked who that ‘someone’ was, ‘someone’ provided a different appraiser name. Report was completed and...
