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Posted in: AMCs, appraisal business, bias, FHA, non-lender appraisals

Tags: AMC, appraisal business, bias, FHA, non-lender appraisals

Top Ten Reasons Why It Is Great to be an Appraiser!

By Ann O'Rourke on January 20, 2023 / Leave a comment

Top Ten Reasons Why It Is Great to be an Appraiser!

10. Dazzle your friends with your knowledge of external obsolescence.

9. The wonderful world of rats, bats, and spiders.

8. Be a part of the profession blamed for the collapse of the savings and loan industry.

7. See places in people’s houses that usually require a search warrant to access.

6. Arouse the suspicion of an entire neighborhood when inspecting comparable sales.

5. Chance to really irritate annoying real estate salespeople.

4. Walk around holding a clipboard just like “Skip” down at the Jiffy Lube.

3. Spend hours writing volumes of supporting documentation to justify the market value of a property you already decided on when you pulled into the driveway.

2. See that some people really do hang those black velveteen pictures of Elvis on their living room walls.

1. Be one of a handful of people who know that USPAP is not a medical term.

Many thanks to reader Joe Ibach, MAI, for this great list! He doesn’t know the source…seems like it is one of those email/send/resends now floating around the Internet!

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1-12-17 Newz .New scam: owners pose as renters, 21 day turn times

Posted in: AMCs, appraisal business, forecast, humor, real estate market

Tags: AMC, appraisal business, forecast, humor

Appraiser Scam – Be Careful!

By Ann O'Rourke on January 13, 2023 / 1 Comment

Appraiser Scam – Be Careful!

Posted Jan 5 on National Appraisers Forum. This was also posted in the 100% Appraisers group on FaceBook as happening to others.

“Last week, I received a text from “Master Chief Robert Roy” requesting an appraisal for a cash purchase. I thought it was odd that he was addressing himself by his rank as I do work for the VA and no service member has ever done that in my experience. Also my daughter’s boyfriend, a West Point graduate, was visiting at the time and he also thought it was odd too. I looked him up on line and saw that he was a Navy Seal and a public speaker. I addressed him as Sir in our texts out of respect.“

“He requested that I inspect the property 1/5/2023 as the inspector would be there at the same time. My fee was $775 however sent me a $1950 cashier’s check via Fed Ex the next day. He stated that his assistant mistakenly included the inspector’s fee and would I please pay the inspector the $1175 balance. (That seemed high for an inspector….) “

One of the responses:

“Sorry this happened to you. I posted about this about a month ago. Same guy. Because it seemed so odd, I didn’t respond to him and instead called the listing agent directly. He said I was the 4th female appraiser to call him about this in 24 hours. He had reported it all to the police. I never responded to the dude, as it is obviously a scam or worse. When I researched the name he was using, I found that person to be deceased. “

My comments: When appraisers are very slow, it is very hard to turn down an appraisal. Savvy scammers may know about this. Beware!!

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The future of residential appraising

Posted in: appraisal business, Fannie, non-lender appraisals, real estate market

Tags: appraisal business, Fannie, non-lender appraisals, real estate market

Appraiser Professional Goals

By Ann O'Rourke on January 4, 2023 / Leave a comment

1-6-23 NEWSLETTER

Appraisers Share Their Top Professional Goals for 2023

By: McKissock (Survey)

Excerpts:

Maintain my current business (26%)
Earn a designation or certification (16%)
Grow my business (15%)
Prepare for retirement (12%)

“I would like to turn over my appraisal business to my daughter, who is certified.”

Should have retired last year but put it off due to the high amount of requests!”

After 23 years in appraising, which was very beneficial for me and my customers, I’m preparing for retirement.”

Achieve a better work-life balance (10%)
Other (6%)

To read more, including personal comments from appraisers, click here.

My comments: The post has links to some topics above with many tips. I have recently been writing about many of these topics since the market changed.

I write about non-lender work, staying up when business is down, retirement planning, and more in my monthly newsletter. I will be writing soon about upgrading to Certified General. I have always done both commercial and residential. My business has been much more stable as I can shift between them when the appraisal markets change, especially fees.

What are you planning to do in 2023? Now is the time to learn all the features in your MLS and forms software, upgrade your skills by taking seminars and classes, and more.

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Where VA loans are soaring. Are you doing VA appraisals?

Posted in: non-lender appraisals, real estate market, USPAP

Tags: non-lender appraisals, real estate market, USPAP

VA Required to Encourage Hybrid Appraisals

By Ann O'Rourke on December 30, 2022 / Leave a comment

VA Required to Encourage Hybrids – Senate Passes HR 7735

By Dave Towne December 21, 2022

Excerpts: The U.S. Senate has announced the passage of HR 7735, the Improving Access to the VA Home Loan Benefit Act of 2022.

Under the terms of HR 7735, sponsored by Sen. Dan Sullivan and Rep. Mike Bost, the VA will be required to:
- Issue certification requirements for appraisers;
- Execute minimum property requirements;
- Review the process for selecting and reviewing comparable sales;
- Implement quality control processes;
- Establish the Assisted Appraisal Processing Program; and
- Establish the use of waivers or other alternatives to existing appraisal processes.
This is not yet ‘law,’ but likely will be in the not too distant future. Has passed House and Senate. Needs Biden’s signature.

To read more, click here

My comments: Read the appraisers’ comments. The law is not surprising. The mortgage industry has been wanting this for a long time. I still recommend VA to appraisers as they are the only mortgage organization that wants to help the borrower instead of making as much money as possible

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Posted in: appraisal business, bad appraisers, forecast, hybrid appraisals, non-lender appraisals, va

Tags: appraisal business, Bad appraiser, non-lender appraisals, va

What is a residential complex property?

By Ann O'Rourke on December 23, 2022 / Leave a comment

How to Identify a Residential Complex Property

By: McKissock December 16, 2022

Excerpts: The property to be appraised is atypical

In this case, the property is an outlier, oddball, or not common for the particular area. Of all the characteristics that can make a property complex, physical features are the ones that are most obvious. Some of the key physical features that can make an appraisal assignment complex include:

The form of ownership is atypical

In this case, circumstances involving ownership are uncommon or make the appraisal more complex. For example: The owner doesn’t own property rights on a waterfront property.

The market conditions are atypical

In this case, unique market conditions increase the complexity of the appraisal. For example:

The property is located in an area where there are no other sales.

There is no market for the house; no sales are occurring for some reason (e.g., the property is near a nuclear site cleanup).

Note: the link to the complementary post, “How to Pull Comps on a Complex Property,” is included in this blog post.

To read more, click here

My comments: Worth reading with good tips. I published “Tips for dealing with complex residential appraisals” in the November issue, much longer with many more tips and examples.

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Fannie New Appraisal Form Modernization

Posted in: adjustments, appraisal how to, george dell, humor

Tags: adjustments, appraisal how to, George Dell, humor

Appraisal Risk and Modernization

By Ann O'Rourke on December 16, 2022 / Leave a comment

Industry Insider Insight on Risk and Modernization

Excerpts: The Collateral Risk Network (CRN) met in Sarasota on December 6th to discuss a variety of issues ranging from appraisal turn times to Fannie Mae’s economic outlook for 2023. Bill Rayburn gave a rousing and lively explanation of exactly what quality means in valuation at a recent meeting. Lenders want a compliant document that allows the loan package to be sold as quickly as possible, while investors want an appraisal that allows for securitization or resale to another downstream buyer.

Appraisers were encouraged to provide convenience as one aspect of quality. His figures show there is a holding cost of $200 per day on an unclosed loan and this hinges on the appraisal which is the last thing in the critical path to closing. He suggested we redefine quality to include a time element.

Joe Minnich, a condo risk consultant, spoke on how loans secured by an individual unit in a condominium project have greater risk than found in typical SFR lending. Lenders must address the various layers of risk to ensure that the loan is of saleable quality and the likelihood the borrower can/will repay the loan.

To read more, click here

My comments: Bill Rayburn, Chairman, and CEO at mTrade, is an excellent speaker and very savvy. I have known him for many years. FYI, CRN (Collateral Risk Network) was set up for AMCs and lenders. It was “closed” to appraisers for a while but is open now. Worth attending.

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What Causes Appraisal Revisions?

Posted in: appraisal business, Fannie, real estate market

Tags: appraisal business, Fannie, real estate market

How to Reduce Appraisal Revision Requests

By Ann O'Rourke on December 9, 2022 / Leave a comment

How to Reduce Appraisal Revision Requests

By Clear Capital November 14, 2022

Excerpts:

To cut down on appraisal revision requests, it is important to keep these best practices in mind:

Communicate in a timely manner

Address the request thoroughly and professionally. Add additional commentary where appropriate.

Ask questions. If you disagree with the request for appraisal submissions or have concerns or need clarification, please reach out for clarification.

1. Explain ‘How’, not ‘Why’ in the appraisal report

The most common frustrations arise when the appraiser focuses more on the type of adjustments made while the reader would look for the ‘how’ in the appraisal report. For example, if a positive or negative adjustment was applied in the report, the reader wants to know how the adjustment was determined.

“How did you determine that the subject comparable was inferior or superior in condition? Don’t leave the ‘how’ part out while applying adjustments. Be sure to address those questions; it will certainly help you in the long run.” says Ken Folven, Senior Director, Appraisal Quality Assurance at Clear Capital

2. Reduce lengthy commentary

In some cases, appraisers provide lengthy boilerplate commentary in an attempt to avoid a revision request. This strategy often backfires because parties involved in the lending process cannot find the specific information they are looking for in the report. Inconsistent commentary can result in common requests for revision.

Prior to submission, read the letter of engagement in detail, which highlights the customer-specific information, and make sure to include all required information in your report. Organize your commentary and explain your comparable selection process briefly.

“I always recommend organizing commentary by adjustment rather than by comparable and make it a habit to review the pre-delivery rules,” says Khan.

Derek Mitchell, a California-based Senior Appraiser at Clear Capital, has a different approach: “I use a lot of characteristic-based comments as opposed to comparable-based comments because it cuts down on the amount of writing that I have to do and the amount of reading the reviewer has to do,” Mitchell says. “It tends to get redundant when you’re just talking about different comparables but the same characteristics.”

In addition, staying up-to-date with Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP), Federal Housing Administration (FHA), and GSE guidelines and industry requirements also goes a long way in drafting error-free reports that would otherwise create unnecessary revision requests.

To read more, click here

My comments: Good practical tips. We all hate revisions unless maybe it was because we forgot to put the value in. I did this sometimes in appraisals for a local bank ;> Your clients hate them also. They take appraisers too much time and can sometimes make you very upset, which interrupts your workflow.

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NAR Appraisal Survey 2022

Posted in: adjustments, appraisal, appraisal classes, appraisal how to, real estate market, retirement

Tags: adjustments, appraisal business, classes, real estate market, RETIREMENT

NAR: Appraisal License Equivalency Credit for RE Agents?

By Ann O'Rourke on December 2, 2022 / Leave a comment

NAR Urges Appraisal Foundation To Establish Equivalency Credit for Education and Experience

Excerpts: The AQB previously considered the option of allowing parallel professional non-appraisal experience. In a July 9, 2015, Concept Paper – Alternate Track to the Experience Requirements in the Real Property Appraiser Qualification Criteria, the AQB asked: “Are there practical alternatives for some (or all) of the appraisal experience requirements to include non-appraisal experience?”

The National Association of REALTORS® believes there are alternatives to some of the experience requirements that the AQB should consider.

NAR sent a letter to the Appraisal urging the Appraisal Foundation (TAF) to review the experience and education of workers in parallel professions and consider it for potential credit to satisfy the accreditation requirements of appraiser licensing.

Excerpts from the letter:

… including, but not limited to, experience in real estate market analysis and real estate brokerage, including:

• Evaluating and pricing residential real estate

• Counseling buyers, sellers, owners, and tenants on inspections and remediations, improvements, and the appraisal process

• Counseling buyers, sellers, owners, and tenants about listing and offering prices, and market rent

• Completing broker price opinions and Competitive Market Analyses

• Completing Evaluations in compliance with the Interagency Appraisal and Evaluation Guidelines

• Compliance with Fair Housing laws, rules, and regulations

• Compliance with the Equal Credit Opportunity Act

To read the letter (PDF), click here

My comments: Real estate agents and brokers are salespersons. They provide CMAs, etc., which can relate to valuation. I don’t know if Realtors can be re-trained to see value rather than price. I speak with a lot of Realtors and many are not oriented the same as appraisers.

Over the years, I observed that successful real estate agents seldom switched to the much less profitable appraisal side. Persons who started in sales but were not very good sometimes went into appraising.

On the other side, appraisal provides excellent experience for real estate agents. I know some successful agents who were trained as appraisers and appraised for awhile. There are also agents/brokers who are licensed appraisers and do both. Appraisers with real estate sales experience know real estate from the “inside” by interacting with buyers and sellers. Appraisers are real estate reporters.

Does NAR want to allow some appraisal experience and education instead of 100% sales experience and more than one appraisal class for a broker’s license? What about a salesperson license?

I have been a licensed real estate broker since 1986. I got it mostly for MLS access and have only done one sale, representing the buyer. At that time, no sales experience was required for a broker’s license, only a 4-year degree. I am familiar with the current experience requirements for a broker’s license. Can appraisal experience count for some of these experience requirements? It should go both ways.

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