Tagged: fees

2017, A Time for Change. Change for the Good! 3

2017, A Time for Change. Change for the Good!

Real Change is on the Horizon! It is always the same; out with the old, in with the new. New Year resolutions typically last a few weeks and then we are back to the same routine. Sound familiar? Well, 2016 saw some improvements in the appraisal profession, but real change is on the horizon. VaCAP’s new year resolution is all about change. Change for the good! 2017 will be a year in which Virginia appraisers continue to move forward in a positive direction. Over the next few months, pay attention to our communications. Some exciting opportunities are in the works...

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

Real Estate Appraisal Industry Crying Out for Leadership & AI Inaction 7

AI Current Path is a Serious Issue for ALL Appraisers

Time for the AI to cooperate with real estate appraisal state coalitions…? Is it finally time for the AI to cooperate with other respected professional peer organizations and state coalitions? Please read the following article by Jonathan Miller, titled “Sadly, The Appraisal Institute is now working against its local chapters“, to see what AI insiders views are about the relevance of the AI’s current path. While my intent is not to take cheap potshots at the AI, I do find it odd that the same organization that repeatedly testifies in public that it represents the interests of all appraisers in...

AGA / AI / AMC / APB / Appraisal / Appraisal Institute

The Partisan Battle to Eliminate Dodd Frank 15

The Partisan Battle to Eliminate Dodd Frank

Dodd Frank created the illusion… I had a different “take away” from the Housing and Insurance Subcommittee “Modernizing Appraisals” hearing. My impression was that there were two simultaneous hearings by the same people in the same place. There was the actual televised hearing with disparate prepared speeches, and then there was the real underlying reason for the hearing. The partisan battle to eliminate Dodd Frank. I try very hard to take a non partisan approach to the issues facing appraisers when writing about or for the American Guild of Appraisers (AGA). Obviously AGA is a union organization, though as I’ve...

AGA / AI / AMC / American Society of Appraisers / APB / Appraisal

Conforming Loan Limits to Be Raised 2

Conforming Loan Limits to Be Raised

FHFA raises conforming loan limits for mortgages acquired by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Appraisers, The announcement by Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) on November 23, 2016 may affect your fee structure if your fees are higher for loans above the upper limit for home sale prices for a standard mortgage loan, so called conforming loan. When mortgage loans are for amounts higher than the conforming limit, the loans are termed “Jumbo” loans. This is not the same as basing appraisal fees on APPRAISED values. As a general statement, Jumbo loans are for homes with excessive characteristics – considered ‘complex’...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Fannie Mae - Freddie Mac / Federal Housing Finance Agency / FHFA

Appraisers Just Say No to Certain Assignments From Certain Clients 32

Appraisers Just Say No to Certain Assignments From Certain Clients

Some appraisers just say no and refuse to do assignments for low echelon AMCs fishing for cheapest and fastest appraisers… Folks, A very experienced Chief Appraiser, Mr. Greg Stephens, for the largest independently owned appraisal company in the US, Metro-West, has had an article published in National Mortgage Professional magazine, about the state of affairs concerning the so-called “appraiser shortage.” You can read the article here. While this article reveals important details based on appraiser population facts, there is a glaring omission. The omission is relative to “why” certain mortgage lending assignments are being delayed. It is different, and perhaps...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Customary & Reasonable Fees

Unintended Use & Misleading Appraisal Reports 13

Unintended Use & Misleading Appraisal Reports

Unintended and Potentially Misleading At what point do we ALL say enough? When they insist on unlocked PDF, XML or ENV formats that facilitate recipients in removing portions of appraisal reports they don’t like? Too late. When they blacklist appraisers for refusing to make post effective date contract analysis changes? When they set the fees we charge? When they change the scope of work after assignments are completed? When they LIE to borrowers about how much the ‘appraisal fee’ is? Now we have several that think THEY own MY professional work product? Like HELL they do! Any, repeat, ANY appraiser...

AGA / AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations

AMC Vendor Agreement Controversies - Bad, Worst & Ugly AMCs 43

Vendor Agreement Controversies & Worst AMCs

AMC Vendor Agreement Controversies – Bad, Worst & Ugly AMCs And the winner is… According to a recent non-scientific survey conducted by AppraiserNews, the World’s Worst AMC Alive is Clear Capital. Honorable Mention goes to Coester VMS and Streetlinks. And the Worst Vampire AMC title goes to AppraiserLoft which is no longer operational. Excerpt: We’d also like to note the passion with which appraisers made their votes, describing the many ways that these AMCs deserved their titles! One final remark: It is sad that so many appraisers still hesitate to go public with their comments about AMCs, (justifiably) fearing that...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / AppraiserLoft

Expert Witness AMC Order Blast & Appraiser's Response 5

Expert Witness AMC Order Blast & Appraiser’s Response

AMC’s order blast for Expert Witness Appraisal Services Before I can offer ANY bid, you folks need to decide whether you want a FNMA 1004 form, a 1073 form or a 1025 form. If the latter is sought, then a 1004MC would not appear to be relevant. I am expert witness qualified in Los Angeles County Superior Court. In addition to the base fee (due in advance) which starts at a minimum of $1,500 for SFR, $2,000 for a condo and $2,500 for a 2 to 4 unit rent controlled property in Los Angeles, I charge $350 an hour for...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Customary & Reasonable Fees

Appraisers to Comment on AMC Registry Fees 11

Appraisers to Comment on AMC Registry Fees

AMC Registry Fees not be passed on to the appraiser… The Appraisal Subcommittee is accepting comments on the proposed rulemaking to implement the collection and transmission of AMC registry fees. VaCAP has submitted a letter in support of the registry of AMCs by the ASC and is strongly advocating in the rulemaking that the registry fees not be passed on to the appraiser or consumer. We encourage each appraiser to provide comments to the ASC. Comments are closed on July 19, 2016, so please comment NOW. Post your comment here. Comments must be submitted by 07/19/2016 at 11:59 PM As...

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

ppraisers Under Siege & Cost of Appraisals 31

Appraisers Under Siege & Cost of Appraisals

Appraisals that were just $400 are now $550 This little ditty of a few hundred words is via Jonathan Miller’s Housing Notes blog on June 24, which I hope he, and Mr. Chrisman, won’t mind if I re-post. I added a bit more below: Appraisers Remain Under Siege Miller: The banks have won and the appraisal industry has lost. At least for now. Here is a series of feedback from Rob Chrisman (Mortgage News Daily blog) in his must read newsletter on the mortgage industry. It is a heavily read source of in-the-trenches mortgage insights that I subscribe to. He...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Customary & Reasonable Fees

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