Tagged: appraisers

April 19, 2013

Short Sale & Low Appraisal Value?

What Happens When a Short Sale Property Gets Approved for More Than the Appraisal Value? Most of the time when a potential home buyer submits a contract on an Orlando short sale, that person is expecting to get a fantastic deal on a home. Many times this is exactly what ends up happening. The lender approves your offer and you get the deal of a lifetime! However, depending on what happens with the appraisal, everything can still fall apart on you, so don’t celebrate just yet. Appraisal values, when it comes to short sales, are a crucial part of the...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Fannie Mae - Freddie Mac

April 18, 2013

ASA Letter Opposing Bill A3781

Letter from ASA Opposing Bill A3781 Abolishing the NJ State Appraisal Board and Transferring Control to the Real Estate Commission Assemblyman Giblin: The American Society of Appraisers (ASA), the largest multidisciplinary professional appraisal organization in the United States, is writing to express strong opposition to Assembly Bill 3781, which would abolish the New Jersey State Real Estate Appraiser Board and transfer the regulatory oversight of appraisers to the State Real Estate Commission. This bill would weaken the overall regulatory scheme applied to real estate transactions and its myriad parties at a time when new federal and federally-mandated state regulations are...

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

April 17, 2013

Another Overtime Class Action Filed Against an AMC

A lawsuit filed last week by a former staff appraiser against LandSafe Appraisal Services, Inc. exemplifies the overtime liability risk faced by many appraisal firms and appraisal management companies. In February, I wrote that overtime lawsuits by appraisers present a genuine liability risk to appraisal firms and AMCs. In that article, I explained some of the special issues relating to whether appraisers properly can be treated as “exempt” employees for purposes of overtime compensation. The real-world risk to an appraisal firm or AMC is that a staff appraiser will file a legal action alleging that he or she worked more...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / E&O

April 16, 2013

A Wakeup Call for the Valuation Industry: Is Anybody Listening?

On February 13, 2013 the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) published a fascinating critique on the world of valuation. The document: “A Comprehensive Blueprint for Residential Appraisal Reform” should be read by every appraiser, every user and every client. NAHB is telling us our core systems are not working and to take another look at our process and procedures. Our systems are too inconsistent, too cumbersome, and NAHB is asking us to improve our efficiency which impacts their and our profitability. NAHB is asking the industry to provide them a uniform, consistent, quality product utilizing well trained staff. These exact...

American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers / Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisal Subcommittee / Appraisers News

April 11, 2013

Summary of Actions Related to Proposed USPAP Changes

Potential changes and additions to USPAP On February 1, 2013, the Appraisal Standards Board (ASB) adopted modifications to the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP). This action was the culmination of a period of 15 months and multiple discussion drafts, requests for comments, and three exposure drafts. Written comments were received in response to each document, and oral comments were provided at each public meeting. The ASB read and carefully considered every comment, developed a work plan to address the issues brought forward, and adopted revisions for the 2014-15 edition of USPAP. 1. Revisions adopted for 2014-15 USPAP The following...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisers News / ASB / The Appraisal Foundation

March 29, 2013

Forecasting Your Appraisal Business

Improving your financial management through cash flow forecasting Memorize this statement: “Cash flow is the lifeblood of all businesses. Without cash flow your business will die.” I stress this statement often when I talk to appraisers during conferences, meetings, and webinars. Why? Because you are a small business owner first… and an appraiser second! Appraisers do a remarkable job and take great pride in their appraisal work. I recommend that you also take this attitude and approach towards your appraisal business, particularly your cash flow. What Is Cash Flow Forecasting? Cash flow forecasting is defined as planning what cash will come into the business in...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Business Development

March 28, 2013

Kentucky Passes Legislation Helping Appraisers Harmed by AMCs

On March 21, Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear signed into law House Bill 120, which created a new appraisal management company recovery fund to replace its current surety bond requirement. The Kentucky Real Estate Appraisers Board will establish procedures for making claims against the fund and will administer the funds in order to provide restitution to licensed or certified real property appraisers who have suffered pecuniary harm by an AMC. Appraisers will be able to seek

AI / AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Institute / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News

Appraisal Institute Releases Enhanced ‘Green’ Addendum

March 22, 2013

AI Releases Enhanced ‘Green’ Addendum

The Appraisal Institute released on March 7 an updated version of its Residential Green and Energy Efficient Addendum. The form is designed to assist in the valuation of energy-efficient home features, and it remains the first of its kind specifically intended for appraisers’ use. AI originally issued its green addendum in September 2011 as an optional form to Fannie Mae Form 1004, which is the valuation profession’s most widely used form for mortgage lending purposes. The addendum allows appraisers to identify and describe a home’s green features, from solar panels to energy-saving appliances. Form 1004 devotes limited attention to energy-efficient features,...

AI / Appraisal / Appraisal Institute / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisers News

Orlando real estate sales and appraiser - Image courtesy of watcharakun / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

March 21, 2013

Orlando Real Estate Sales & Over Cautious Appraisers

Orlando Real Estate Sales Affected by Over Cautious Appraisers With the Orlando Real Estate market on the rise, appreciation has become an actual piece of the puzzle again. It’s very common these days for a property to receive several offers on it for thousands above the asking price, specifically in the more desirable neighborhoods. Unfortunately, appraisers don’t really care about offers that are submitted above asking price and will rarely appraise any Orlando property above that property’s listing price. Instead, they just go by the listing price and try and get as close as they can to it. However, this doesn’t...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News

March 20, 2013

ASC “Refer My Appraisal Complaint” Website

ASC “Refer My Appraisal Complaint” Website is Up and Running The ASC’s new Refer My Appraisal Complaint website and hotline are up and running. Here is the link to the website: https://refermyappraisalcomplaint.asc.gov/ I would suggest you all take a second and read this site’s Homepage direction to consumers and maybe you will understand why the Federal Government is so deeply in debt. This is a silly attempt by the ASC to project an image of consumer protection when in essence it is nothing more than a buck passing platform to the appropriate State Licensing Agency. It even goes so far as...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisal Subcommittee / Appraisers News / ASC