Tagged: IRS

Professionals With No Appraisal Experience Cornering The Hybrid Market 6

New Hybrid Desktop Hucksters

What could lure these successful 'professionals' from their chosen careers? Fellow appraisers, I just received an advertisement for a company that wants to pay ‘me’ $50.00 an hour to do desktop appraisals. Actually, probably not me, because they prefer a degree. Now, my routine hourly rate for complex appraisal assignments is $150 ($500 for EW and something variable in between for pretty much everything else). So they are asking me to take a cut of 2/3… assuming I could meet their degree requirement “preference”. It got me thinking. I cannot always command my hourly rate for 8 hours a day,...

AMC Business Model is Based on Lies That Hurt The Consumer 36

The Reality

There is no shortage of appraisers, only appraisers willing to work for Appraisal Management Companies, but there will be a shortage if the current toxic business climate does not change. The AMC business model is based on lies that hurt the consumer and your constituents. There are many voices that have agendas to reduce the qualifications to become a Real Estate appraiser, whether it be a Licensed Appraiser, Certified Residential Appraiser or a Certified General Appraiser. There are also voices that would like the requirements of an appraisal by a person licensed by the state to be waived as there is a...

Appraiserville – Fake Claim of An Appraisal Shortage 65

Appraiserville – Fake Claim of An Appraisal Shortage

Please provide feedback immediately to “two banking institutions have requested that the Appraisal Subcommittee temporarily waive the requirement for use of state licensed or certified appraisers” based on the fake claim of an appraisal shortage. I wrote about Tristar Bank in Appraiserville a few weeks ago. It is worth re-visiting since I translate the Tristar request into my interpretation of what they are really saying. It is recommended to send your responses ASAP to webmaster@asc.gov rather than to Jim Park directly although either way is fine. The Appraisal Foundation will be responding to this issue. Here is an email I just received on this issue:...

Solidifi on Notice... AMC System Is Further Degrading Itself 62

Appraisers Pushing Back!

Solidifi has taken the disrespect to another level… Appraisers Pushing Back Against AMC Bad Behavior! Appraisers have finally had enough of bad behavior by AMCs. VaCAP received the following email from an appraiser, who by the way is not located in Virginia. VaCAP spoke to the author concerning the email and found out a few more details. First, the author does not do residential work as they are a Certified General nor do they work for AMCs and are not on any AMC roster. Somehow, this nonresidential appraiser received this email from Solidifi. VaCAP commends our colleague for stepping up...

Rounding of Adjustments Because We Are Just Not That Good 16

Adjustment Question

Rounding of adjustments is perfectly acceptable. Would someone kindly, and logically, explain to me why the ‘Site’ is adjusted precisely at $0.20 per square foot, down to the nearest dollar, but all other adjustments are rounded to $50? Are ‘we’ appraisers really that good, where we can divine buyer motivations or values (i.e., adjustments) as accurately as that?  In other words: “Well, I believe it’s worth exactly that much.” Usually I see this kind of adjustment practice to the nearest dollar when applied to the Gross Living Area and below grade areas, which is also screwy (IMHO).  This is the...

Subject Inspection for Hybrid Appraisals & USPAP Compliance 62

USPAP Compliance & Hybrid Appraisals

WHO does the SUBJECT INSPECTION? Appraisers, Some appraisers have questioned the name ‘Hybrid Appraisal’ because the requesting client WON’T USE THAT NAME for the product. When they call or email you, they’ll say something like “We have a really fast appraisal for you to do that you can do on your desktop without leaving your office.”, or “Can you do an exterior appraisal for us?” or they might identify it by the ‘name’ that client uses for the product. The FIRST question you need to ask is simple: WHO does the SUBJECT INSPECTION? If they say ‘someone else does that’…...

Hacked! Are We to Rely on FNMA to Keep Our Private Tax Info Protected? 12

Is Your Private Tax Info Protected?

Even the Pentagon gets hacked! Do Consumers really KNOW how their loan application data is being handled? Having worked for IRS, I know it is against the law for any government employee to divulge specific (identifiable) taxpayer information without exceptional effort to get advance approval. There is no legal way for that personally identifiable taxpayer information to get into the public domain without the taxpayers specific written permission for it. Even inside IRS, we were required to protect the identification of the taxpayer in any case related situational discussions where we sought each others advice. We could talk about the...

Driver for Appraisal Inspections? Do You Need an Appraiser Driver? 9

Do You Need an Appraiser Driver?

Using a Driver for Appraisal Inspections… Anyone who’s followed me for a while knows that I have three main aims. I want to help real estate appraisers make their business more efficient, more effective, and generate more money. People almost always assume that making more money relies only on cutting costs. This is completely inaccurate. If you become more efficient and more effective, and work smarter instead of working harder, then you’ll start boosting your income. In the past, one of the ways in which I’ve made my work more efficient, and in effect spent money to make more money,...

Geographical Competency...What the Flip is it? - AppraisersBlogs 19

What the Flip is ‘Geographic Competency?’

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...

HUD Tag # on Manufactured Homes Missing? Solution for Appraisers 22

Missing HUD Tag # on Manufactured Homes

Sometimes NO HUD Tag number can be found… Appraisers, Regarding Manufactured Homes (MFH), sometimes NO HUD Tag number can be found on, or in, the MFH. However, this number is required to be entered on the 1004C appraisal form. Loans for MFH’s cannot be processed without these numbers. The HUD Tag is the metal plate(s) attached to the rear of each section. Numbers are usually sequential, with three letters as the prefix. Inside the home, someplace, should be a paper ‘Data Plate’ with the home serial number, HUD Tag #’s, and other data. But often the Data Plate cannot be found, and...

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