Tagged: scope of work

Do You Have Two Appraiser Brains? Which Brain Wins? 12

Do You Have Two Appraiser Brains?

So, do you have two brains? One appraiser brain says you must be “independent, impartial, and objective.” (USPAP) It wants to be good. It wants integrity and to sleep peacefully at night. But there’s another brain. It’s primal and wants to survive. It has other responsibilities: meet the bills, feed the family, pay the mortgage, and pay government taxes/fees. And recorded in this brain is that part of the standards which say: Do what your clients expect; do what everyone else does. As paraphrased, the sole guides to an acceptable scope of work. The two brains may not talk to each other. Each...

If It’s Not an Appraisal, What Is It? Doing Away with Reporting Type? 4

If It’s Not an Appraisal, What Is It?

…do away with specifically ‘naming’ an appraisal report as to the “type” it is… Folks, the Second Exposure Draft of proposed changes to the next USPAP was released by the Appraisal Standards Board on August 23. See embedded PDF below. The ASB is encouraging all users to review this document, and provide commentary back to them on/before October 10, 2018. One item of note is there is a proposal in the Draft to do away with specifically ‘naming’ an appraisal report as to the “type” it is. If it’s not an ‘appraisal’, what is it?? Currently we have “Appraisal Report”...

Reality vs Positivity - The Appraiser's Journey: What Happens when Reality Sets in? 41

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,...

AMROCK Valuations New Service Seems to Seek Circumvention of USPAP! 14

Can you say ‘L-A-W-S-U-I-T’ boys and girls?

Fellow appraisers I strongly discourage anyone from accepting AMROCK Valuations work generally due to their poor track record in dealing with appraisers across the country; and their apparent habit of making up their own appraisal rules as they go along without regard to C&R fees; Dodd Frank and most other common sense sound appraisal practices up to and including USPAP. Y’all remember USPAP don’t you? A series of uniform rules we’d all follow to promote, preserve and protect the American real estate appraisal profession and the American Public. That is until it became an inconvenient impediment to MISMO; FNMA and...

Are Bifurcated Appraisals Legal in Your State 95

Are Bifurcated Appraisals Legal in Your State?

Lately there has been a push for bifurcated (hybrid) appraisal products. Those promoting these questionable products claim it will reduce the amount of time to obtain an appraisal. Most appraisers are screaming foul play, and for good reason. It is because of bad players doing questionable things that licensing became mandatory in Virginia. Mandatory. Licensing of appraisers protects the public trust. We all know splitting the process will not save time, but rather create delays. The only reason for this questionable product is the profit of the amc, nothing more. And then there is the quality of the information being...

ENV Format Appraisals May be a Violation of USPAP 18

Appraisals in ENV format

From my perspective there seems to be an increase in the number of appraisal requests that require the ENV format. The conversion to ENV of your completed appraisal report is usually not an exact copy of the report which the appraiser completed and signed. Some forms may not convert, other may separate your photos from the text which go along with the photo and the order of the forms in your report may not be the same and there may be other changes to your report. This should be a concern to every appraiser since the client/lender, is not getting...

Fix What is Broken before Replacing the Product 34

Fix It Before Replacing It!

Fix what is broken before replacing the product. Appraisers are talented professionals that know how to take mass amounts of data, filter through it, analyze & make sense of it all. Utilize the talents of the 70,000 plus experienced, licensed professionals & don’t short change the consumer… Yesterday was the National Association of Realtors Real Property Valuation Forum: Rethinking Real Estate Valuations: Alternatives to Traditional Appraisals. First, VaCAP was well represented with 8 members present from all over the state.  There were many of our Network colleagues there as well from all over the country. Thank you for taking the...

Virtual Assistants & Outsourcing Appraisals? When is Enough, Enough? 96

When is Enough, Enough?

Yet another expert who is making gazillions of dollars using "virtual assistants and outsourcing"… I have been blessed in my life with more than my share of good friends. I’m talking about the lifelong kind. The kind we maintain friendships over 30; 40 or even 50+ years. My Mother and Father have always told me you can never really have too many real friends. They were right. So, at my age I don’t need or consciously seek to make enemies. Just as I have had more than my fair share of true friends, I’ve probably also had my share of...

ClearVal Value IS So ClearCut - What IS a “ClearVal Appraisal” 162

What IS a “ClearVal Appraisal”?

Clear Capital ClearVal… Value Not So ClearCut… I’ve finally had an opportunity to read a hybrid ‘appraisal’ start to finish. All may read the unedited, non-redacted version in all its glory… or infamy, as the case may be. Please click here (report also embedded below) and read it first. I’ll wait right here. Finished? Great. One thing is clear. It is not an appraisal by any current accepted definition that I am familiar with. Ironically, there is also very little that is clear as far as support for the opined values is concerned. (I’m old fashioned and think it should...

Alternative Hybrid Reports, Finding a Solution By Working Together 22

Solution for Alternative Reports

Lenders are having a problem finding enough appraisers to fulfill the number of ‘alternative’ reports… This is my follow-up to the previous essay about FIVE different types of ‘hybrid’ reports. You need to know some background about why I’m writing about this. I’m acquainted with a highly skilled appraiser/instructor of 40+/- years in the trenches. I had the pleasure of meeting this appraiser in glitter gulch in 2008, again in 2013, and we have stayed in touch over the years. I greatly respect this appraiser’s opinions and willingness to contribute cogent remarks in-person, when teaching, and via various forum posts, etc....

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