By attorney Todd F. Stevens
Excerpts:
Here’s a trend in real estate law: attorneys are waking up to the potential liability of review appraisers. Couple this with the common misunderstanding among review appraisers that their risk is less than the author of the original report, and you get a burgeoning new area of litigation. Here’s how to protect yourself.
Another big myth is that reviewers have less liability than the original appraiser. In fact, I have heard some attorneys argue that reviewers have more liability than the original appraiser since reviewers have the “last” opportunity to correct any problems with the report. While I am unaware of any case precedent specifically addressing this issue, logic dictates that the liability of a reviewer and the original appraiser are the same.
My comment: a topic that appraisers who review appraisals don’t like to think about. This article was written several years ago and refers to mortgage brokers, but it applies now. The author defends appraisers.
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