Tagged: appraisal orders

Outrage Over New Connect by ValueLink Monthly "Junk Fee" 50

Outrage Over Connect by ValueLink’s New Monthly “Junk Fee”

The recent announcement from Connect by ValueLink has sparked outrage among appraisers. Effective January 1, 2025, the company plans to institute a new $19.99 monthly user fee for all appraisers utilizing their portal to receive and submit appraisal orders. This fee will be in addition to the existing technology fees already charged on a per-appraisal basis. Understandably, many appraisers are up in arms over this development, viewing it as yet another “junk fee” that will only serve to erode their already-thin profit margins. What makes this particularly galling for appraisers is the fact that it is often appraisal management companies,...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisal Software / Appraisal Technology

Insights from CFPB's Public Comment Period 53

Insights from CFPB’s Public Comment Period

The comment period on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) “Request for Information Regarding Fees Imposed in Residential Mortgage Transactions” concluded on August 2, 2024, with a total of 959 comments received. Upon reviewing some of these submissions, several noteworthy perspectives emerged regarding appraisal fees and the role of Appraisal Management Companies (AMCs). The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) highlighted the lack of transparency surrounding AMC fees, which are often bundled together with the actual appraisal fee on the Closing Disclosure (CD). This opaque structure prevents consumers from understanding the true cost of the appraisal service and hinders their ability...

ACOW / AMC / American Society of Appraisers / American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers / Appraisal / Appraisal Institute

Appraisers to Subsidize UWM Underwriters' Salary 47

UWM Underwriters Subsidized by Appraisers

The $29 fee also happens to nearly match the average hourly base salary of $29 for UWM underwriters.  United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) began an aggressive campaign in September 2021 to recruit appraisers for their new Appraisal Direct system, which aimed to cut out appraisal management companies as middlemen. Through repeated emails, they urged appraisers – both current and former, alive or deceased – to partner directly with UWM through ANOW. Despite claims that this system would benefit appraisers by providing higher fees and faster payments, the reality did not match the hype. Fees offered by UWM through ANOW were well...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Trending

And Why Is the Second Appraisal Always the “Correct Value?” 19

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

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...

Appraisal / Snippets / Trending

AMC Celebrating One Million Appraisal Orders Sucker Punches Appraisers 40

AMC Sucker Punches Appraisers

Class Valuation sucker punches appraisers! Class Valuation has been celebrating completing 1,000,000 orders and sent a Tweet thanking their clients and staff. There is no mention of the boots on the ground licensed professional appraisers who actually completed those appraisals. Is this the true feelings of Class Valuation? Do they not realize not one order would have been completed without appraisers? Not one simple thank you… Meanwhile VaCAP has learned InHouse Solutions, the AMC division of Get Connexions, Inc. is ceasing all operations as of February 28th. Appraisers on their panel across the country have been getting this email: Jan...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisers News

Latest Bid Scam for Fee & Turn Time Quote via Mercury Network 26

Latest Bid Scam for Fee & Turn Time Quote

Lately, I and other appraisers who are ‘members’ of Mercury Network have been getting emails with what ‘looks like’ individual “bid requests” to quote fee and turn time for residential properties. I say ‘looks like’ because the email only has the singular appraiser’s email address showing. What’s actually been happening is the client is sending multiple emails to individual appraisers via Mercury Network. These emails always have an acceptance window of several hours, which is acceptable (unless 4 hrs or less). But they are not honoring the time frame window to present a bid, and withdraw the potential assignment, after...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Trending

Mortgage Industry Expert Wants to “Eliminate” Appraisers – A Response 109

Expert Wants to “Eliminate” Appraisers

Mortgage Industry Expert Wants to “Eliminate” Appraisers – A Response The National Mortgage News website just published an interview with an industry expert who openly stated she wants to “eliminate” the appraisal profession. No subtlety, no nuance — she wants us gone! Given the name of the website, I didn’t expect to find too many pro-appraiser viewpoints. I ran a search for the term “appraiser” on the website’s internal search engine and many of the articles that came up were about eliminating the profession or the current state of appraisal waivers.…to “eliminate” the appraisal profession…   Rather than read the article...

AMC / American Society of Appraisers / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisers News

Closed for Business, Sorry Folks! Appraisal Management Company Fiasco 62

Closed for Business, Sorry Folks!

For those who are not familiar with what an AMC is, it is short for Appraisal Management Company. They are not new, but since the adoption of the Home Valuation Code of Conduct, the number and the frequency of their use have increased. They are the order manager for the lender and ensure appraiser independence. If you have not already read “What’s Not in Your Wallet” or “Round and Round!”, go get a little more familiar before reading this. AMCs manage appraisal orders. They find the appraisers to give the orders to, and are supposed to provide quality control reviews...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / AppraiserLoft / Appraisers News

MISMO Blueprint... The Evil Octopus - AppraisersBlogs 5

The Evil Octopus

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...

a la mode / AGA / AI / AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Institute

Solidifi on Notice... AMC System Is Further Degrading Itself 62

Appraisers Pushing Back!

Solidifi has taken the disrespect to another level… Appraisers Pushing Back Against AMC Bad Behavior! Appraisers have finally had enough of bad behavior by AMCs. VaCAP received the following email from an appraiser, who by the way is not located in Virginia. VaCAP spoke to the author concerning the email and found out a few more details. First, the author does not do residential work as they are a Certified General nor do they work for AMCs and are not on any AMC roster. Somehow, this nonresidential appraiser received this email from Solidifi. VaCAP commends our colleague for stepping up...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisers News

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