Tagged: fees

October 9, 2018

Appraiser Politics

I doubt that appraisers would be as excited if a cap were placed on appraisers… Recently, I noticed many appraisers were excited about a new bill that was introduced in Virginia. This bill initially sounded favorable to me, but as I examined it more closely, I quickly became concerned with the excitement that was building up around it in the appraiser community. Laws in general are typically difficult to understand, and they can look better at first glance than they actually are. It is important for us to analyze new laws carefully before we advocate for them. Senate Bill 655...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Political Action

October 5, 2018

Are You a Hybrid Appraiser?

We won’t take appraiser trainees, but we’ll take real estate trainees… That’s the million dollar question. Big banking is counting on the majority of appraisers to fall in line with whatever hybrid product they decide is best. It makes for an interesting road ahead because appraisers actually have the power to make these products a success or a failure. A hybrid appraisal is still an appraisal and must have a signature from a licensed appraiser. If banks can keep whittling away at the appraiser’s scope and can get the total appraisal fee low enough, they will achieve their goal and...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Trending

September 20, 2018

Stand Your Ground!

Many states have laws in place that allow citizens to protect themselves and their property without prosecution. In the appraisal profession, you must also stand your ground to protect their business. Social Media is a quick and easy way to communicate. Recently there have been numerous appraisers reaching out and sharing trouble getting paid from some Appraisal Management Companies. Some are claiming they are long time clients with no issues in the past. This is wake up call for all appraisers to pay attention to the economic and financial side of your business. Volume is slowing as school starts and the...

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

September 19, 2018

How To Charge Cancellation Fees

A-Clients who have no qualms paying cancellation fees… You’ve been driving for more than an hour and a half to your appraisal appointment. So, you decide to call the client and let them know you’re almost there – only for you to get told, ‘We cancelled, didn’t the bank tell you?’ For those involved in real estate appraisal, this is an all too common experience. The flip side is that they get just as angry when the bank cancels and we don’t call them to inform them. So let me share some tips with you on how to effectively deal...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News

September 14, 2018

Solidifi Agreement

Solidifi Agreement provides little or no protection for the appraiser… Many appraisers have seen the Solidifi agreement that appraisers must agree to if they want to receive appraisal assignment from them. This 18-19 page agreement written by a lawyer which was paid by Solidifi provides lots of protection and power for Solidifi and little or no protection for the appraiser. Many of you might be on the fence, should I agree to this or should I not and know that I will lose some business. If Solidifi is your major provider of appraisal assignment they have just put you between...

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

August 29, 2018

Reality vs Positivity

Read any sales training publication and you will learn about positivity and how it helps you succeed. For the most part, this is true. But what happens when reality sets in? Positivity: Many appraisers have praised the decision by Fannie Mae to eliminate the 1004MC. No question, it is a flawed form, but every software vendor allows us to complete the form with the push of a button. This can be done in most MLS systems as well. The form shows the number of sales in the past 90 days and the number of current active listings. With enough data,...

1004MC / AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisers News

Nationwide Appraiser Count - The Number Game - Appraisers Blogs

August 28, 2018

Nationwide Appraiser Count vs. Fake News

12 Year Trend: Active Appraiser Credentials… We often hear about the ‘shortage’ of appraisers in the US. This is fake news promulgated by a number of AMC’s who cannot find enough appraisers to do their assignments – largely because the AMC won’t pay the appraiser an appropriate fee for service, or other issues. John Brenan, Director of Appraisal Issues for The Appraisal Foundation, gave a presentation at the Washington State association of appraisers conference on Aug. 16. He showed this slide during his presentation: Note that these are CREDENTIALS… the licenses granted by the individual states, which are then reported to...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisal Subcommittee

August 27, 2018

Criminal Charges

Criminal Charges Brought Against AMC Owner VaCAP has been informed that AMC owner Brian Coester, of Coester Valuation Management Services (VMS), has new criminal charges filed against him. We have confirmed these charges through the court system public access system: Maryland Judiciary Case Search Criteria Below is a list of 19 court cases found under the name Brian Coester: Is Another Financial Scare on the Horizon? George Will, Washington Post Writers Group, has an interesting column in entitled “America is overdue for another Lehman-Like Episode”. In this article he stated that the stock market has enjoyed its longest-ever bull run. The...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisal Subcommittee

August 14, 2018

Appraisal Profession to Grow!

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Appraisal Profession is expected to grow 14% by 2026 Quick Facts: Appraisers and Assessors of Real Estate 2017 Median Pay $54,010 per year $25.97 per hour Typical Entry-Level Education Bachelor’s degree Work Experience in a Related Occupation Long-term on-the-job training Number of Jobs, 2016 80,800 Job Outlook, 2016-26 14% (Faster than average) Employment Change, 2016-26 11,700 Even the Bureau of Labor Statistics understands the importance of the appraiser visiting the property: Although appraisers and assessors of real estate work in offices, they often spend a large part of their day visiting properties....

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Video

BB&T Adopts VA Appraisal Fee Schedule & Will Refund Appraisers Upload Fees

August 8, 2018

Appraisal Fee Increase & Upload Fees

VaCAP has learned from one of our members, BB&T will be following the Veterans Administration Fee Schedule moving forward. They will also being reimbursing appraisers for all upload fees. This is exciting news. Please share with your contacts and clients. See the announcement below. To: BB&T Approved Mortgage Appraiser Continuing our commitment to compensate appraisers with fees which are customary and reasonable, BB&T utilizes the Veterans Administration’s published fee schedule as a foundation. We wish to inform you that we are adjusting our mortgage fee schedule to remain consistent with recent fee increases announced by the Veterans Administration to certain states in...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisers News / Customary & Reasonable Fees / Dodd-Frank Act / C&R Fees