geographic competency - Appraisers Blogs

The Great Debate on Appraisal Fees

Isaac Peck — Mon, 28 Oct 2024 12:30:09 +0000

She included several different fee split examples indicating AMCs retained as much as 70 percent of the total appraisal fee paid by the borrower, which prompted her to stop working with AMCs because of the lack of transparency. The appraisal industry is abuzz with a discussion about appraisal fees. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) recently issued a Request for Information Regarding Fees Imposed in Residential Mortgage Transactions [Docket No. CFPB-2024-0021] in which it solicited feedback from the public and industry stakeholders on the fees charged to consumers by mortgage providers and related settlement services. The CFPB framed it as...

Appraisal Regulation Compliance Council Exposes… The Appraisal Regulation Compliance Council published a detailed breakdown to the CFPB, which showed the median average AMC fee being…
Lack of Fee Transparency: Exposing the AMC Exploitation By keeping the borrower in the dark about the true cost of the appraisal, the AMCs are able to charge…
AMCs Billing Scheme, Hidden Profits & Deceptive Practices Appraisers who do not agree to their hidden billing methods are excluded from the majority of the GSE lending marketplace…

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Fannie Wants to Script Conclusions of Outside Analyst – Believes It Is Above the Law

Jeremy Bagott — Mon, 29 Apr 2024 12:30:51 +0000

Government-sponsored mortgage giant Fannie Mae is essentially forcing banks to repurchase any loan it wants if [the appraiser] refuses to use the comparables Fannie has selected. [The corporation] was created by the government, is controlled by the government, and operates for the government’s benefit,” wrote Justice Anthony Kennedy in a unanimous Supreme Court ruling in 2015. He was describing passenger rail hegemon Amtrak, but he could easily have been describing government-sponsored mortgage giant Fannie Mae. The Roberts Court held the National Railroad Passenger Corporation – known more commonly as Amtrak – was a government entity for the purposes of the...

Is the GSE's "Appraisal Modernization" Really Just… Mass Appraisal tend to exhibit a regressive nature... In the intricate landscape of real estate mortgage financing, the notion of…
It’s Time to Take Out the Junk: AMC Practices Exposed Appraisers have spent years carrying the weight of broken AMC practices, and this article pulls every one of those practices…
Dear Representative, FNMA Has Gone Rogue! Dear representative, waiving/eliminating property appraisal for lending purposes is wanton recklessness. Fannie Mae’s decision to waive/eliminate property appraisal for lending…

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AMCs Billing Scheme, Hidden Profits & Deceptive Practices

Guest Author — Wed, 07 Feb 2024 13:30:29 +0000

Appraisers who do not agree to their hidden billing methods are excluded from the majority of the GSE lending marketplace for appraisal orders. Appraisal Management Companies (AMC’s) do not pass on cost savings for reduced appraisal services to consumers. Instead, they keep the savings for themselves without disclosing the amount to the consumer or the appraiser. What should have been cost savings for the consumer are pocketed by the AMC in secret. This is considered a junk fee or unearned fee billing scheme under current law. Appraisers who participate in this system are in violation of The Management Rule of...

The Great Debate on Appraisal Fees She included several different fee split examples indicating AMCs retained as much as 70 percent of the total appraisal fee…
It’s Time to Take Out the Junk: AMC Practices Exposed Appraisers have spent years carrying the weight of broken AMC practices, and this article pulls every one of those practices…
First the Borrower Fee. Now the Appraiser… Two lawsuits place Class Valuation’s fee transparency and staff-appraiser compensation practices under federal scrutiny. Most appraisal disputes examine only one…

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Subject Property Actual Location

Dave Towne — Tue, 28 Jun 2022 12:30:12 +0000

Don’t say that the subject property is ‘within’ a particular City or Town due to the postal ZIP Code that applies to the street address unless that is accurate. The actual location may be miles away from there. Appraisers, this article was prompted by my ‘coming in contact with’ several appraisal reports where different regional appraisers report the physical location of the subject property “in” a particular City associated with the postal ZIP Code for that City. Actually, the property was not “in” the City at all. It was in the County. Since I observed this inaccuracy among appraisers who...

Promoting False "Racist Appraiser" Narrative Some Lenders promoting false "racist appraiser" narrative to optimize profits via AVMs Like most businesses lenders want to optimize their…
USPAP’s Typical Buyer Standard in the Fair Housing Era The Irreconcilable Conflict Between USPAP's Typical Buyer Standard and the Current Fair Housing Compliance Regime. Retain this document as a…
The Real Cause of the Home Value Gap Is the Income Gap Blaming appraisers for the income gap will never solve the real underlying problem... Blaming appraisers for the income gap is…

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Who’s REALLY Completing Hybrids?

Dave Towne — Thu, 28 Jan 2021 13:30:07 +0000

Who’s REALLY completing bifurcated/hybrid appraisal reports? This essay has been “rattlin’ around my cranium” for a few months from the time I acquired two ‘case study’ report examples in early 2020. I’ve recently received a third bifurcated report, which has similar appraiser data. So now is a prime time to spill the beans, so to speak. Especially since FHFA, the conservator of Fannie and Freddie, is currently on a mission to “modernize the appraisal process.” They are seeking input from appraisers and other stakeholders who use appraisals. But first, as the infomercials say, there’s more! One ‘more’ concerns appraiser obligations...

Modernization Should Only Be Determined by the… The appraisal professions should be the only ones to determine any modernization; whatever that is... When Things Don’t Go as…
FHFA to Screw Up Appraisals The FHFA is looking for comments on how they can better screw up the appraisal process. So if you’ve got…
The Unbiased Reality of Census Tract Data Dump...… Folks, the following letter was sent to FHFA by an appraiser I know. It was sent in response to the…

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Unsolicited Appraisal Request

VaCAP Board — Wed, 11 Mar 2020 12:30:08 +0000

…an unsolicited appraisal request instructing payment be collected at the door… Well who said 2020 would be a nice calm year for appraisers? VaCAP has been receiving messages from appraisers about some of the crazy dumb stuff lenders and amcs are doing. What is scary is the things we are hearing are very reminiscent of 12-15 years ago. A long time VaCAP member forwarded an appraisal request to us he received via Mercury Network. All was good with the order, turn time, fee; all good except for one little issue, payment was to be collected at the door from the...

West Virginia Appraisal Board Scheme The Doomed Quest to Reform a corrupt West Virginia Licensing Board “Board members earn money working for a law firm…

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Fee Transparency, Pivotal Point for Appraisers

Isaac Peck — Wed, 23 Oct 2019 12:30:10 +0000

…appraisers may finally have a chance at making the goal of fee transparency a reality… Keep your eyes open, events are happening fast. Ever since the passage of the Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC) in 2010 and the monumental rise of Appraisal Management Companies (AMCs), one of the main issues appraisers have pressed for is transparency for consumers in terms of the fee split between appraisers and AMCs. Specifically, how much of the actual “Appraisal Fee” being paid by the consumer goes to the licensed real estate professional and how much is withheld by the AMC “manager.” Now, over...

First the Borrower Fee. Now the Appraiser… Two lawsuits place Class Valuation’s fee transparency and staff-appraiser compensation practices under federal scrutiny. Most appraisal disputes examine only one…
Fannie Mae Filed a Complaint Against Me An appraiser shared the following with us which was posted on one of the appraisers’ groups. Fannie Mae filed a…
Uncovering Flaws in FHA Appraisal & Loan Review Process The story of this single mother's harrowing experience with a defective home purchase and HUD's negligent oversight exposes deep flaws…

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AMC Incompetence in Appraisal Management

Michael Ford — Wed, 18 Sep 2019 12:30:48 +0000

I’m told USRES routinely sends orders to out of state appraisers for orders in areas they don’t work in. Is this indicative of the Home Point Financial “We care” motto? ATTN: Executive Leadership Gentlemen, see attached copy of an Alabama appraisal order placed by your AMC, USRES. Among our many other efforts on behalf of appraisers and promoting appraisal quality, we periodically communicate directly with lenders that use AMCs. We do this to make sure they are aware of any substandard practices or services that may be offered in their name. This particular issue is not an isolated instance. Though...

The Great Debate on Appraisal Fees She included several different fee split examples indicating AMCs retained as much as 70 percent of the total appraisal fee…
Uncovering Flaws in FHA Appraisal & Loan Review Process The story of this single mother's harrowing experience with a defective home purchase and HUD's negligent oversight exposes deep flaws…
It’s Time to Take Out the Junk: AMC Practices Exposed Appraisers have spent years carrying the weight of broken AMC practices, and this article pulls every one of those practices…

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Appraiser’s Response to MyAMC

Michael Ford — Thu, 01 Nov 2018 12:30:36 +0000

Thank you for your invitation to join your panel. I read all your details. They are addressed in the following: I find it unlikely you retain top appraisers nationwide if you think $350 is a reasonable fee in my area. Did you arrive at that by buying Corelogic’s purported ‘independent survey’? I don’t accept 30 day billing from any unproven clients with unspecified volume. Provide a copy of your current Dunn and Bradstreet rating along with a guarantee of a minimum of 25 orders per month, and I will consider deferred billing. Otherwise you would have to pay me by...

The New & Improved Fannie Mae “FRAUDULATOR 2.0” Originally known as Fannie Mae’s Collateral Underwriter (CU), and subsequently Collateral Underwriter 2.0 (CU-2)i this always dubious product of Fannie…
Proposal to Eliminate the VA Fee Panel VA Fee Panel - The Appraisal Institute does not believe that a move to a lender select program, such as…
The Great Debate on Appraisal Fees She included several different fee split examples indicating AMCs retained as much as 70 percent of the total appraisal fee…

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What the Flip is ‘Geographic Competency?’

Dustin Harris — Thu, 14 Sep 2017 12:30:42 +0000

I want to talk today about one of my biggest pet peeves in the whole real estate appraisal industry: geographical competency. We belong to an industry in which large numbers of people are failing to make a living, and being forced to leave. It’s sad, but it can be reversed. One of the major changes that is needed regards geographical competency. We throw this phrase ‘geographical competency’ around a lot, and pretend that it means something. Does it really? Well, if you go and take a look in USPAP, I don’t think you’ll find it there. You’ll find the competency...

The Real Cause of the Home Value Gap Is the Income Gap Blaming appraisers for the income gap will never solve the real underlying problem... Blaming appraisers for the income gap is…
Look in the Mirror The phrase “take a look in the mirror” is a common idiom used to encourage self-reflection and introspection. It is…
Uncovering Flaws in FHA Appraisal & Loan Review Process The story of this single mother's harrowing experience with a defective home purchase and HUD's negligent oversight exposes deep flaws…

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What Do You Suppose Might Have Caused This?

Dave Towne — Thu, 29 Sep 2016 12:30:17 +0000

In my area, the Market Conditions data is basically worthless. Folks, One of the data analysis aspects I do in all reports is research sales trends of comparable properties, using MLS data, and making a graph to show report readers the actual market activity that has occurred over a long real estate cycle…usually 4-5 years back from the Effective Date. I use this to supplement, but not replace, the cruddy Market Conditions form, which poorly accounts for only 12 months of activity. In my area, the Market Conditions data is basically worthless. I’m sharing this because in the 8 years...

Market Action and Reaction I believe it is time that we take a practical look at what a subject's market is... Drawing on part…
AVMs Can NEVER Replace Appraisals AVMs Can NEVER Replace Appraisals & why FNMAs vaunted CU AVM is flawed! Yesterday (March 15, 2016), an appraiser called…
Down the Rabbit Hole with the Form 1004MC OK, I admit it. I am old school. I still think you need to understand how to do something manually…

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Don’t Fence Me In

Dustin Harris — Tue, 13 Oct 2015 12:30:55 +0000

We truly live in an incredible world. The age of information and technology has given us more freedom than at any other time in the history of mankind. Just in the last few years, the mobile office has become a reality in such a way that it would be nearly impossible for our clients to know much about our physical office at all. Since most of us have little to no walk-in traffic, running an appraisal office from a spare bedroom at home or even from the lanai of your Belizean condo is not out of the realm of possibility....

Competency I have had numerous appraisers, both residential and general certified, ask me about various elements of competency. Some are questions…
Geographical Competency Can we stop equating distance with geographical competency? There was a recent study completed that proved, beyond a doubt, what…
Going the Distance in USPAP Arbitrary distance limitations.... When I was in private practice, much of my litigation work took me to Somonauck, Sandwich and…

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Ganter Brothers Versus Appraisers

Brian L. Trotrier — Tue, 15 Sep 2015 12:30:57 +0000

It’s been a few months since we issued our last update on our friends (and yours) the Ganter brothers (Chris and Ben). The Ganters have suffered what for most people would be a series of embarrassing setbacks in their blatant attempts to use the legal system to pressure appraisers and/or their E&O carriers into paying off what we view as frivolous claims to save the cost of litigating the underlying dispute. For those of you who are reading this for the first time, we have issued two other alerts about this in the past 18 months. Links to the earlier...

USPAP’s Typical Buyer Standard in the Fair Housing Era The Irreconcilable Conflict Between USPAP's Typical Buyer Standard and the Current Fair Housing Compliance Regime. Retain this document as a…
First the Borrower Fee. Now the Appraiser… Two lawsuits place Class Valuation’s fee transparency and staff-appraiser compensation practices under federal scrutiny. Most appraisal disputes examine only one…
The New & Improved Fannie Mae “FRAUDULATOR 2.0” Originally known as Fannie Mae’s Collateral Underwriter (CU), and subsequently Collateral Underwriter 2.0 (CU-2)i this always dubious product of Fannie…

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Going the Distance in USPAP

IDFPR Board — Mon, 11 May 2015 12:30:27 +0000

Arbitrary distance limitations…. When I was in private practice, much of my litigation work took me to Somonauck, Sandwich and Plano, Illinois. That’s about 45 miles west of where I live. Still, I had so much work in those areas, you’d think I had an office there. However, if I were working for many AMCs, I’d have been considered too far out of my area for the assignment. Some AMCs, under the guise of authenticating geo-competency, restrict assignments to Illinois certified appraisers based upon arbitrary distance limitations. Most typically seen are 15 miles for urban/suburban locations and 25 miles for...

Geographical Competency Can we stop equating distance with geographical competency? There was a recent study completed that proved, beyond a doubt, what…
USPAP’s Typical Buyer Standard in the Fair Housing Era The Irreconcilable Conflict Between USPAP's Typical Buyer Standard and the Current Fair Housing Compliance Regime. Retain this document as a…
Uncovering Flaws in FHA Appraisal & Loan Review Process The story of this single mother's harrowing experience with a defective home purchase and HUD's negligent oversight exposes deep flaws…

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Can’t We All Just Get Along?

Dustin Harris — Tue, 31 Mar 2015 12:30:55 +0000

You are not the boss over who does or does not do business in 'your area.' “Our investigation and the Board’s review concluded that the evidence did not reveal a violation of the Board’s laws and rules governing the practice of Real Estate Appraising. The Board has, therefore, closed the file in this matter.” That is how the most recent complaint against me ended. The ordeal began last spring. I have been called upon multiple times from my current clients to please be willing to go to a new area. It is an area with few appraisers, and there is...

HUD Investigation Leads to Illegal Break-In &… Over the past four years, I have been subjected to a relentless, unjust investigation by the U.S. Department of Housing…
Promoting False "Racist Appraiser" Narrative Some Lenders promoting false "racist appraiser" narrative to optimize profits via AVMs Like most businesses lenders want to optimize their…
When ‘Protected’ Becomes Pressure: You Have Until… The new fair‑housing course weaponizes protected characteristics to pressure appraisers into outcome‑driven valuation, directly contradicting USPAP’s prohibition on advocacy. The…

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Competency

AppraisersBlogs — Tue, 04 Mar 2014 12:30:27 +0000

I have had numerous appraisers, both residential and general certified, ask me about various elements of competency. Some are questions regarding levels of certification and property types. On other occasions, the questions have to do more with geographic coverage. Finally, the concept of competency as it relates to various special use property types is the most complex topic I typically discuss with fellow appraisers. Subject Matter First, I will start with residential versus general certification and the common and ongoing concern appraisers have in Missouri. USPAP itself does not dictate what is residential and what is commercial. It simply requires...

It’s Time to Take Out the Junk: AMC Practices Exposed Appraisers have spent years carrying the weight of broken AMC practices, and this article pulls every one of those practices…
The New & Improved Fannie Mae “FRAUDULATOR 2.0” Originally known as Fannie Mae’s Collateral Underwriter (CU), and subsequently Collateral Underwriter 2.0 (CU-2)i this always dubious product of Fannie…
Uncovering Flaws in FHA Appraisal & Loan Review Process The story of this single mother's harrowing experience with a defective home purchase and HUD's negligent oversight exposes deep flaws…

The post Competency appeared on Appraisers Blogs.

Non-Lender Valuation: Consumers Should Tread Carefully

Guest Author — Fri, 28 Feb 2014 12:30:53 +0000

Competition, in a free market, is a fierce catalyst: one that can effectively sort out the bad apples from the bunch. Capitalism works, it is simple when left unfettered and when all parties are ethical in their approach to business. It works until politicians, however well meaning they try to be, step in with a”solution”. Through the Dodd-Frank reform and the Andrew Cuomo created Home Valuation Code of Conduct that predates Dodd-Frank, congress effectively went anti-small business again. I liken this profession’s recent undermining by congress to how they saw to sort out the small-family farmers by paving the way...

Dear ASC: Details... Why They Matter DETAILS... NO MATTER HOW SMALL OR BIG NEED TO BE PRESENTED. If not, you failed. ASC, today you failed us…
Fannie Mae Filed a Complaint Against Me An appraiser shared the following with us which was posted on one of the appraisers’ groups. Fannie Mae filed a…
USPAP’s Typical Buyer Standard in the Fair Housing Era The Irreconcilable Conflict Between USPAP's Typical Buyer Standard and the Current Fair Housing Compliance Regime. Retain this document as a…

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Upcomming AMC Licensure

VaCAP Board — Mon, 22 Jul 2013 12:30:38 +0000

AMC Licensure in Virginia On July 1, 2014, every AMC wishing to continue operating in Virginia will be required to apply to the Virginia Real Estate Appraiser Board for a license to conform with recently passed AMC laws. Hopefully, the VREAB will prudently and completely vet these business PRIOR to the issuance of a license. It is my understanding the VREAB staff is leaning towards granting licensure upon application without any substantive vetting of the applying AMC’s. It is also my understanding that appraiser members of the VREAB are opposed to this administrative position and understand the importance of pre-licensing...

USPAP’s Typical Buyer Standard in the Fair Housing Era The Irreconcilable Conflict Between USPAP's Typical Buyer Standard and the Current Fair Housing Compliance Regime. Retain this document as a…
Appraiser Independence: What Does it Mean & Who Does… Why It Matters Appraiser independence is mandated by state and federal laws - not a professional courtesy. Every agent, broker,…
Uncovering Flaws in FHA Appraisal & Loan Review Process The story of this single mother's harrowing experience with a defective home purchase and HUD's negligent oversight exposes deep flaws…

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Geographical Competency

Dustin Harris — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 12:30:19 +0000

Can we stop equating distance with geographical competency? There was a recent study completed that proved, beyond a doubt, what I have essentially suspected for years. The topic was what causes criminals to do what they do. After much study and consternation, it was discovered that all criminals, regardless of the crime and in 100% of the cases, have one thing in common. They all had a mother. There is an old debate trick called “Hasty Generalization.” Basically, it means taking something that may be true in some cases and applying it to all cases. “The Hansen family home schools...

The Town With No Bank: How Rural America Lost Its… For decades, we’ve been told that the problem is demand. That people don’t want to live in rural America anymore.…
Freddie's Study, NPR Story Recall Notable Academic Hoax NPR topped the online edition of its article with the headline, “Black and Latino Homeowners are About Twice as Likely…
The Great Debate on Appraisal Fees She included several different fee split examples indicating AMCs retained as much as 70 percent of the total appraisal fee…

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geographic competency - Appraisers Blogs

The Great Debate on Appraisal Fees

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AMCs Billing Scheme, Hidden Profits & Deceptive Practices

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