commercial appraisers - Appraisers Blogs

Fighting for Consumer Protection & the Appraisal Industry

Guest Author — Mon, 24 Jul 2023 12:30:42 +0000

I’m just an Average Joe, surrounded by some really smart people, and we are fighting back. I often wonder if Certified General, MAI or SRA appraisers sitting in their ivory towers often chuckle to themselves and say HA, data collectors will never impact commercial. Who cares about the residential appraiser. Well, it looks like it’s time for you all to care. Copied from a Real Estate Forum Post: “Good morning, My name is Kevin Graham, and I am with Beacon Property Data Collection Services. You had recently signed up to become a panel member and we have an assignment for...

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Commercial Appraisal Reports: How Much Do They Cost?

Guest Author — Thu, 13 Oct 2022 12:30:25 +0000

Every business that owns a commercial property will require an appraisal. Commercial real estate transactions are the most common. Commercial real estate appraisals are necessary when acquiring or selling a commercial building. As with home appraisals, commercial property appraisals offer unbiased, third-party insight into their value. In contrast to residential properties such as single-family houses or condominiums, commercial appraisals estimate the value of stores, offices, hotels, apartment buildings, and the like. When you build, insure, tax, mortgage, or sell real estate, an appraisal is required. Besides helping secure a loan or ensure that you have enough insurance, it may also...

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Appraisers Being Sued for COVID-19 Errors?

Peter Christensen — Mon, 02 Nov 2020 13:30:44 +0000

The alleged errors in appraisals that parties are suing appraisers over during the pandemic are the same types of errors that appraisers usually get sued over… Wow. I did not go into the basement on my last visit. I’ll explain why an appraiser wrote that in a moment. Are appraisers being sued for errors relating to the COVID-19 pandemic? My short answer is “no” – there’s no pattern of that happening. One of the services that I provide to my legal clients is tracking lawsuits and legislation that relate to valuation services. I locate and follow cases of all types...

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NCUA Quadruples the Appraisal Threshold

Dave Towne — Mon, 22 Jul 2019 12:30:05 +0000

Like so many things in life, the NCUA Board decision was predicated primarily on greed… This is a lot like the liar loans that infiltrated residential lending not that long ago. Appraisers, especially Commercial appraisers, I picked this info up from a message sent out by the Appraisal Institute on July 18, 2019: “The NCUA Board of Directors today quadrupled – from $250,000 to $1 million – the appraisal threshold for nonresidential real estate loans. NCUA is the National Credit Union Administration. The appraisal threshold is the loan amount below which appraisals are not required. Increasing the threshold would drastically...

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What is Truth or Accuracy for Appraisers?

George Dell — Fri, 07 Dec 2018 13:30:26 +0000

Are we supposed to be paid truth-seekers? The appraiser is supposed to be accurate. What is “accurate”? Dictionary meanings say accuracy is “the condition or quality of being true, correct, or exact.” Tell the truth. Can it be? Hmmm. A search for truth. OK. So how do we come to know the truth? Are we supposed to be paid truth-seekers? Cool. I read that there are four ways to “know” truth: Tradition, Authority, Insistence, and Science. Wow! Let’s look at these briefly. This sounds serious! Let’s look at USPAP and The Appraisal of Real Estate. Appraisers have long been steeped in the...

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Appraiser Overtime Lawsuits Continue

Peter Christensen — Tue, 25 Sep 2018 12:30:57 +0000

Appraiser Overtime Lawsuits Continue to Hit Banks and AMCs – and Now Commercial Appraisers Against a National Commercial Appraisal Firm In May, I wrote a short piece (posted here) about the legal threat posed to AMCs, appraisal firms and other employers of appraisers in relation to classification of appraisers as exempt from overtime. I included a warning that the threat was spreading to commercial firms. It’s time for an update. In August, another bank – U.S. Bank – was sued for unpaid overtime by a potential class of appraisers. Also named as a defendant to the class action is U.S....

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Report an Opinion of Value as a RANGE – Yes or No?

Dave Towne — Fri, 07 Aug 2015 12:30:49 +0000

Can appraisers report an opinion of value as a range? Can that be done? The answer is both YES and NO, or as some like to say, “It Depends!” Here’s an interesting example of YES, involving two commercial properties in Miami Beach (yeah, I know, resi’s, but hang with me here!): Appraisals: Town-owned lots in West Palm Beach worth millions You will notice in the article that the value reported in the appraisals is stated as a RANGE by the appraisers. That is entirely acceptable when appraisals are done under the guidance of USPAP Standard 2. It makes sense to do it...

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Drop in US Real Estate Appraisers Slows: AI Research

AppraisersBlogs — Mon, 11 Aug 2014 12:30:26 +0000

80,500 Total number of active real estate appraisers CHICAGO (July 31, 2014) – The number of active real estate appraisers in the United States fell less than 1 percent in the first half of 2014, the Appraisal Institute announced today, lower than the average annual decrease of 2.6 percent over the past six years. Research conducted by the nation’s largest professional association of real estate appraisers found that as of June 30, the total number of active real estate appraisers in the U.S. stood at 80,500, down from 81,050 on Dec. 31, 2013. A broader analysis suggests the rate of...

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CoStar Suing Appraisers for Copyright Violations

Peter Christensen — Thu, 24 Apr 2014 12:30:35 +0000

CoStar accuses the “John Does” of violating CoStar’s copyrights by contributing photos or other information obtained from CoStar to the CompStak database… In the last week, CoStar Realty Information has filed several lawsuits against commercial appraisers and real estate brokers for intentional copyright violations and fraud relating to the alleged use of CoStar property data and photos without proper registration/payment. If you use CoStar, be sure you are doing so properly and within the terms of your license agreement. Examples of the types of alleged situations that have led to CoStar’s recent and past copyright lawsuits are: (1) sharing IDs/passwords, (2) obtaining an...

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Appraisers Expect Continued Growth

AppraisersBlogs — Wed, 23 Oct 2013 12:30:28 +0000

Appraisers Expect Continued Growth: Appraisal Institute Survey CHICAGO, Oct. 22, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire: Appraisers anticipate continued growth in mortgage lending appraisals and in specialized areas of consulting, according to a recent survey conducted by the Appraisal Institute, the nation’s largest professional association of real estate appraisers. Commercial appraisers said the top five areas of growth in the next one to two years (in order of potential) are mortgage lending appraisals, land valuation, litigation valuation/forensic appraisal, real estate consulting (fee-based) and right-of-way/easements. Residential appraisers said the top five areas of growth are mortgage lending appraisals, review appraisal services, real estate owned/foreclosures/short sales,...

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Statute of Limitations Against an Appraiser

AppraisersBlogs — Tue, 01 Oct 2013 12:30:26 +0000

The Statute of Limitations for a Claim Against an Appraiser Why You Should Keep Your Workfile for 7 to 8 Years In 2013, many lawsuits against both residential and commercial appraisers continue to relate to appraisals performed years ago at the peak of the real estate price bubble, 2005 to mid-2008. These lawsuits are filed by borrowers, lenders, investors or the FDIC and typically allege that an appraiser’s inflated value resulted in the plaintiff borrowing, paying or loaning too much money. The plaintiff blames its loss on the appraiser and sues for damages. When reporting a claim like this to...

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Mortgage Takings: The Next Appraisal Frontier or Liability?

Brian L. Trotrier — Fri, 20 Sep 2013 12:30:30 +0000

According to the Appraisal Institute’s recently published 2013 Real Estate Appraisal Outlook, U.S. appraisers anticipate that litigation valuation/forensic appraisals will be one of the top five areas of growth in the next one to two years in both commercial and residential appraisal. Indeed, approximately 33% of surveyed commercial appraisers anticipate more demand from law firms and lawyers in the near future, with 24% of those surveyed expecting an increase in valuation consultation and studies in support of litigation. The appraisers’ prediction may be spot on the money as at least one U.S. municipality has begun to implement a plan to...

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Trainees Hiring to Remain Weak

AppraisersBlogs — Thu, 15 Aug 2013 12:30:40 +0000

Appraiser Trainees Hiring to Remain Weak: AI Survey Hiring of real estate appraiser trainees will remain weak for the next one to two years, according to an Appraisal Institute survey released July 17. About one-fifth (21 percent) of commercial appraisers said they would add full-time trainees; fewer than one-tenth (9 percent) of residential appraisers said they would do so, according to the survey of U.S. real estate valuation professionals conducted in May and June. Commercial appraisers account for less than one-third of practicing U.S. appraisers. According to the survey, 93 percent of the residential appraisers who employ trainees employ one...

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Who Has Been Suing the Most Appraisers?

Peter Christensen — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 12:30:32 +0000

Two Names You Know. Two Names You’ve Probably Never Heard. These are four of the parties who have been suing the most appraisers in 2011-12. I suspect most appraisers won’t recognize two of the names, unless the appraisers are defendants in one of their cases. The parties are in no particular order, but the last one does file the most lawsuits. LSF6 Mercury REO Investments This is an investment fund of a private equity company named Lone Star. LSF6 bought discounted mortgage debt from bankrupt CIT Group in 2008. In late 2011, LSF6 began suing appraisers in New York as...

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