Tagged: Political Action

February 13, 2018

How Fast Can Your Head Spin?

Hopefully you have been busy and have not noticed VaCAP has been quiet over the past few weeks. Not by choice, but necessity. You see, there has been so much happening, we have been overwhelmed and our heads are spinning out of control. VaCAP needs more members to volunteer to help us help you. Let us know how you can help. Let’s start with the easy stuff: The Virginia Real Estate Appraiser Board Quarterly Meeting will take place on February 21, 2018. The meeting will begin at 10:00 AM and there will be a public comment period for anyone who wishes to address...

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

February 9, 2018

Dangerous Pending Bill in US Senate

Appraisers, If you work in Rural Areas [that definition is referenced in (b)(1) below], your appraisal livelihood is threatened by this pending bill in Congress. This bill, if signed into law, will allow lenders to bypass appraisals for any property with a ‘transaction value’ of $400,000 or less (this is moving the de minimus goal post) if the lender was unable to find an available appraiser to complete an appraisal “within a reasonable amount of time”… that time frame apparently as determined by a regulator agency with jurisdiction over the lender. The bill shows ‘exceptions’ to this as per other laws. Appraisers...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisers News / Political Action / Trending

Bill Removes Consumer Protection and Legalizes Bad Behavior by AMCs

February 3, 2018

Legislative Call to Action

Bill removes consumer protection and legalizes bad behavior by AMCs. Now is the time to contact your legislators with comments. They want to hear from you! HB 1453 – Changing the definition of evaluations – has passed the General Laws Committee and was read in the House of Delegates on February 1, 2018 for the first time. SB 655 – Capping fees of an AMC to 20% and disclosing the AMC fee to the consumer – is on the agenda for Monday February 5th in the General Laws and Technology Committee. Please contact your representatives and the committee members and...

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

USPAP Compliant Hybrid Online Forms? Risks With Hybrid Reports

January 29, 2018

What’s All the Fuss About?

There is no form that is USPAP compliant… There have been numerous articles and discussions on blogs, social media and other forums concerning alternative products, mainly Hybrid Appraisals. The profession is truly divided on the topic. Some see it as a race to the bottom, others see it as another revenue stream. Regardless if you are for or against completing these products, we need to remind all appraisers that there is no form that is USPAP compliant. The appraiser’s actions are what will make a report USPAP compliant. If the product is an online form, which most are, make sure you are able to...

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

January 24, 2018

Call to Action

Three bills introduced concerning our profession… Fellow Appraisers, The 2018 Virginia General Assembly has begun and there are three bills that have been introduced concerning our profession. VaCAP is not behind any of these bills and we honestly do not know how they came about. We were truly blind-sided by them. We ask that you contact your representatives and offer your support, opposition and suggestions. It is also a good idea to contact the committee members that will be discussing and voting on each of these bills. We will continue to follow the bills and alert you when they appear...

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

January 14, 2018

Cap on AMC Fees

Cap on AMC fees & Compensation Disclosure… VaCAP was informed of Senate Bill 655 introduced on January 10, 2018 in the General Assembly by Senator McPike. The bill limits the amount an AMC can charge a consumer for their services at 20% and also requires the AMC to disclose the amount charged for their services. We do not know who is behind this bill, but we thank Senator McPike for introducing it. We will share more information as we obtain it. See the bill here or below. BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 54.1-2022.2,...

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

January 13, 2018

Maryland AMC Legislation Introduced

VaCAP has been asked by our neighbors in Maryland to help promote their AMC legislation. HB 64 was introduced into the General Assembly by Delegate Michael Jackson on January 10, 2018. The bill reduces the amount of time an AMC has to pay an appraiser from 60 days to 30 days. The current language of the bill is as follows: Article – Business Occupations and Professions (a) Except in cases of breach of contract or substandard performance of services, an appraisal management company shall pay an appraiser for the completion of an appraisal or valuation assignment within [60] 30 days...

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

AMC Business Model is Based on Lies That Hurt The Consumer

January 12, 2018

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...

AMC / Appraisal / Appraisal Management Companies / Appraisal News / AppraiserLoft / Appraisers News

Tax Reform & Appraisers Responsibility to Verify Data - AppraisersBlogs

October 27, 2017

It’s All About the Details…

The National Association of Realtors is encouraging all members and citizens to contact their representatives concerning tax reform. Congress is considering many tax reforms including the elimination of the mortgage interest deduction. See their website for further details on how the middle class can be impacted. Excerpt from NAR Tax Reform Call for Action: I urge you to oppose any tax reform plan that would weaken the tax incentives for owning a home, such as the mortgage interest deduction. Additionally, please do not let a tax reform plan increase taxes on middle-class homeowners through the elimination of the state and...

Appraisal / Appraisal News / Appraisal Organizations / Appraisers News / NAR / National Association of Realtors

May 15, 2017

Legislators Supportive of Appraiser Issues

We need supportive legislators! June 13th is an important date for Virginia Appraisers The Republican Primary is June 13, 2017. VaCAP does not care if you are Republican, Democrat or Independent. We do however; think it is important for you to know of several candidates that are supportive on appraiser issues: Senator Frank Wagner is running for Governor of Virginia. Senator Wagner introduced the successful AMC legislation for 30 day payments to appraisers that goes into effect July 1, 2017. Although the bill for using only third party fees when calculating customary and reasonable fees to appraisers did not move forward,...

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