Tagged: Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice

The Appraisal Foundation Chocking The Appraisal Industry and Resisting Change - Imagecredit Flickr - Rafa Garces 23

The Appraisal Foundation Chocking The Appraisal Industry

The Appraisal Foundation Resisting Change The Appraisal Foundation sent out a correspondence stating the Appraisal Institute is undermining their authority. This was very one sided and off the mark. Everything changes. The appraisal business is changing. AI is staying on the fore front of this change. The Appraisal Foundation is resisting change. The Appraisal Foundation policies are chocking the appraisal industry. It is next to impossible to bring on new people. As a result the number of appraisers across the country in 2007 were 120,000 +/-. Today its about 70,000. The industry is changing and so must the policies. AI does not want to go back...

7

Residential Appraisers Dos and Don’ts

Residential appraisers are a critical piece in the puzzle that is determining a property’s “true” value. But in today’s market, the role they play is more pivotal than ever. When every dollar counts (as the players of the game may still be licking their wounds from the oh too recent housing crisis) sellers want to be able to get the highest value possible for their property and buyers certainly do not want to overpay for a home, so working with an appraiser who is trained to perform services in an ethical and professional manner with rich knowledge of the market...

Unpermitted additions assignment condition 1

Unpermitted Additions “Zombie” Assignment Condition

Unpermitted Additions This is a “zombie” assignment condition that seems to never die. Let’s agree that unpermitted means something was constructed without a required written permit. There are plenty of jurisdictions that don’t issue permits because the permit process doesn’t exist. The assignment condition goes something like this: The appraiser is not to include any GLA from any unpermitted additions unless they use comparables that have similar unpermitted additions. Here’s what Fannie Mae stated in their September 2014 FAQs: If the subject property features an unpermitted addition, can the square footage of the unpermitted addition be included in the total gross living area reported on the appraisal report? If the appraiser has identified an addition(s) that does...

Appraisers Blacklisted 24

Blacklisting Lawsuit Continues

Appraiser Michael J. McSwain filed a lawsuit against Yadkin Valley Bank and the appraisal management company (AMC) StreetLinks Lender Solutions, alleging that he was retaliated against for failing to reach targeted values.

According to the suit, McSwain performed two appraisals for StreetLinks in late 2012, on behalf of Yadkin Valley Bank, both of which failed to “meet value.” The suit cites explicit emails from the branch manager at Yadkin which state:

“StreetLinks has sent out a BUTCHER on two of my last refis [sic] … make sure he is not sent out in our county and make sure he is not on the approval list…I thought I would let him do these two just to see. NOW THE DEALS ARE DEAD.”

5

What Should an Appraiser Do?

Burdensome indemnity language required by a lender or AMC Appraisers are often required to sign lengthy contracts to obtain assignments from lenders or Appraisal Management Companies. These contracts outline the scope of work, when the assignment is due, how to transmit reports and other items that require review and understanding. Once the contract is formalized, the appraiser is then legally required to comply with its’ provisions. One important and often troublesome requirement is the Indemnity Provision. The concept of indemnity means “security against hurt, loss or damage”. Through indemnity, one party can shift the responsibility of loss to another party...

Going the distance in USPAP 3

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 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...

LenderVend Requirement For Appraisers to Upload Copies of Appraisal Workfiles - Imagecredit Flickr - GotCredit 23

LenderVend Requirement For Appraisers to Upload Copies of Appraisal Workfiles

Many residential appraisers we insure and several appraiser organizations have contacted us in the last few days about an appraisal management company’s new requirement that their panel appraisers upload a PDF copy of their appraisal workfile for each assignment they perform.  The AMC is LenderVend, LLC and, according to its website, it is affiliated with mortgage lender Provident Funding. We understand that LenderVend’s requirement imposes an additional burden on appraisers.  We’ve also heard firsthand from appraisers about the anxiety the policy is creating because of the unknown uses to which the workfile may be put by the AMC.  As is the case with any peculiar...

2

The Humility to Ask

I was recently asked by a local lender to appraise 14 vacant lots. Though the lots were all quite similar, 14 separate appraisals were needed (obviously, a large discount was given for the multiplicity). Once a value was established for each individual lot, the lender came back and now wanted a ‘bulk value’ for 10 of the lots. Hmmm. That certainly changes things. Per USPAP in fact, we now have a new assignment. As I inquired to the bank and got more information, it was clear that I was out of my element. The lender did not just need a total...

Appraisal Bias Appraiser Pressure ~copyright AppraisersBlogs 9

Why All Appraisals are Always Wrong

Appraisal Bias & Appraiser Pressure: Why All Appraisals are Always Wrong Real estate markets cooled down in the fourth quarter of 2014, and despite historically low interest rates, refinance volumes dropped as well. The increasing pressure on lenders and real estate agents to maintain loan and sales volumes has brought about renewed interest in appraisal accuracy and increasing concern that residential real estate appraisals are inflated. A recent Wall Street Journal article asserts that “home appraisers are inflating the values of some properties they assess (appraise), often at the behest of loan officers and real estate agents, in what industry...

2016-17 USPAP changes 0

USPAP 2016-17 Summary of Changes

2016 – 17 USPAP Updates & Revisions Appraisers, On Feb 6, the Appraisal Standards Board finalized the upcoming changes to the next issue of USPAP. See the PDF for the actual document. The highlights are: Revisions adopted for 2016 – 17 USPAP The following changes were adopted by the Board in a public meeting on February 6, 2015, and will be incorporated in the 2016 – 17 edition of USPAP and associated guidance material with an effective date of January 1, 2016: Revisions to the RECORD KEEPING RULE Revisions to STANDARD 3 Revisions to the Definition of Assignment Results and Confidential Information and...

xml sitemap
blank