Tagged: assignments

Failure to Inspect & Photograph Comps Backfires on Appraisers 52

Appraisers, did you Shoot yourself in the Foot?

When I explain the rules many of the appraisers start complaining: “An MLS photograph depicts the house at the time it sold so it’s more accurate than my photograph would be”… There’s a lot of yelling and screaming about bifurcated appraisals. Unfortunately, appraisers may have shot themselves in the foot when it comes to this issue. Allow me to provide an analogy to help explain the issue. I’m not sure if this happens in other areas of the country but in Seattle there is a strange “left leaning” way they do things: State and Federal governments perform numerous traffic studies, to...

REVAA Doesn't Like New NY AMC Law 50

REVAA No Fan of the New NY AMC Law

The NY State Coalition of Appraisers wants you to to know that there is a new AMC law coming into effect at the end of the month and REVAA doesn’t like it. Last December New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo signed Senate Bill S9080 into law, effective at the end of this month. REVAA‘s biggest concern is that it requires all valuations to be performed by appraisers AND invoices must be attached to the report so the consumer knows what the appraiser was paid. This is groundbreaking for our industry. Let’s hope that the word spreads and the consumer is...

Mueller Sample Bifurcated Appraisals. YOU Decide! - AppraisersBlogs 48

Mueller Sample Report. You Decide!

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...

AMC Request to Only Appraise the Residence of the Live-Work Building 13

Is This Something You’d Do?

An AMC for a lender contacted a residential appraiser with the request that the appraiser “appraise only the second floor residence” in a two story Live-Work building within a commercial district, where SFR’s are allowed by zoning. Ground floor area of this Live-Work building is an ice cream & gift shop. The second floor is a fully finished & functional residence. Entire property is being sold. There are numerous legitimate Live-Work buildings in Seattle (and likely elsewhere also). They are properly zoned as such, are listed that way, appraised by using similar type sales – and mortgaged. Typically these are 2-3...

Third Party Inspectors, Hybrids... Spelling Out the Consequences 10

Hybrid Assignments, the Consequences

The concept of a third party providing one or more functions in an appraisal assignment is nothing new. Back in the 1970s and 1980s there were plenty of appraisers who used somebody else to do the sketch or to take the pictures or to pull comps. The “appraiser” put all of the pieces together and signed the report. Then came USPAP in 1989. Licensing followed shortly thereafter. Today, there are a number of lenders and AMCs who believe that they’ve invented something no one else has ever considered. The bifurcated or hybrid appraisal process. To be clear, we’re not talking...

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...

Quoting Fee/TT to AMCs - Lenders SLOWING DOWN the Loan Process 30

Quoting Fee/TT to AMCs

Appraisers, I had a revealing conversation with a clerk at an AMC last week. I actually received an email requesting Fee/TT, then awhile later a phone call about the same property, from a different clerk. I decided to call that clerk back after researching the property. Conversation went something like this: AMC clerk: Hi, this is James. Me: Hi James, I’m calling about the Timbucktoo property, which I can do for you. AMC: OK, I have that pulled up. Me: First of all, I don’t discount my fee for anyone, including your AMC. Second, I can do the assignment, probably...

ENV Format Appraisals May be a Violation of USPAP 18

Appraisals in ENV format

From my perspective there seems to be an increase in the number of appraisal requests that require the ENV format. The conversion to ENV of your completed appraisal report is usually not an exact copy of the report which the appraiser completed and signed. Some forms may not convert, other may separate your photos from the text which go along with the photo and the order of the forms in your report may not be the same and there may be other changes to your report. This should be a concern to every appraiser since the client/lender, is not getting...

Determining What to Charge for Appraisal Fees - Hard & Soft Costs - Imagecredit Flickr - Chris Potter 21

Retainer or Not?

Last month I asked appraisers if you ask for a retainer when doing vacant land private assignments, which tend to be more difficult than private ‘home on dirt’ residential assignments. For those who do private assignments on GP forms (NOT the stinking GSE forms!), do any of you request a retainer from the prospective client before you start the research? I do a fair number of private assignments, with about half of those vacant land (unimproved) assignments. Those are more challenging than ‘home on dirt’ assignments. Lots of initial research and perhaps a site visit is necessary before committing to...

Community Banks Appraisal Waivers Deja Vu - If I Could Turn Back Time 61

If I Could Turn Back Time

Community Banks want to bypass appraisals in rural area… Evaluations are the answer, right? There have been lots of discussions lately concerning property inspection waivers, waivers of appraisals in rural areas, and allowing appraisers to complete Evaluations outside of USPAP standards. Doesn’t this all sound familiar? It should, we have already lived it 30 some years ago, prior to FIRREA. Back then Savings and Loans had staff appraisers to complete appraisals. The appraisal was not completed by a licensed appraiser, because licensing to protect the public did not exist. Today Community Banks want to bypass appraisals in rural area. Their...

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