$200 appraisal fees – appraisers removed for refusing low fees!!

Blacklisted for Refusing Low Fees
Source: WorkingRE

Excerpt:
Dawson (quoted under an alias because she fears retaliation), tells a story that many appraisers can relate to. She says she was blacklisted for requesting what should be protected under law-her right to customary and reasonable fees. Dawson is different because instead of being secretly blacklisted and left to wonder why she stopped receiving orders after requesting a fee increase on an assignment, she was formally removed from an AMC’s panel after insisting that the AMC’s fee was not customary and reasonable…

Recently, however, her client began using an AMC to manage the appraisal process. After an 18-year relationship with a quality client, Dawson found herself dealing with an AMC that wanted to pay her considerably less than her standard fee. Dawson says the AMC wanted to pay her $290 for an appraisal. “For five years my standard fee with my client was $375. They decide to go through an AMC and now I’m expected to accept a fee of $290 for the same work,” says Dawson.

She discussed her concerns multiple times via telephone with the AMC. “I told them that I would not accept a fee of $290 for the same appraisal that my client had previously paid me $375 for. Their fees are unprofessional and not in the spirit of Dodd-Frank. One girl just laughed at me on the phone because I wouldn’t take $290. She told me they didn’t need me because there are plenty of other appraisers who will do it,” says Dawson.

Dawson was removed from the fee panel for “Unprofessional Conduct – Derogatory responses to communication from Nationwide Appraisal Network,” according to a document supplied to Working RE . Dawson says it was her pushback on fees that led to her removal, which followed her sending the AMC an email pointing out that the C&R fee established between her and her client was $375, and that the fee offered by the AMC was neither customary nor reasonable. The return letter from the AMC concludes: “Due to the issues we have experienced with your conduct… you are hereby notified that you are being removed from our approved appraiser list.”

http://www.workingre.com/blacklisted-refusing-low-fees-2/

My comment: Appraisers are getting letters or emails that they are being removed from AMC lists because they are turning down low fees. I am also hearing about desperate AMCs who can’t find anyone to work for their low fees. This often happens in rural areas with few appraisers. Low fees can be ok in nearby conforming tracts but go rapidly go downhill from there. I have no idea who will be doing appraisals as more and more appraisers are turning down the low fees.

I am also hearing some AMCs are raising fees. Maybe they have figured out that one fee for an entire state often does not work well!!

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$200 Appraisals – Poor Business Decisions for the Appraiser AND Lender
By Joanna Condé
Source Arizona Association of Real Estate Appraisers

Excerpt:
As many of us fight for customary and reasonable fees of $350 or more, some of our appraisal brothers and sisters are still taking the $200 appraisal and not only hurting the cause for the rest of us, but doing something that will eventually, if it hasn’t already, hurt themselves.

… there are many AMCs that pay customary and reasonable fees of $350 and more, that give five business days to do the report, and that will pay more if the properties are complex, in an area that requires more work and research, and will allow more time if there are reasons…

So why would anyone accept a fee below $300, let alone in the $200 range. I can only attribute it to not thinking it through.
Below are the reality checks as I see it.

Reality Check – $: The net from doing one $350 appraisal is about the same or even more than doing two $200 appraisals…

Reality Check – Time: There is twice as much time spent on two appraisals as there is on one. So, the appraiser taking the $200 appraisal spends twice as much time for the same money unless corners are cut. If an appraiser tells me he doesn’t do the same amount of work for the $200 appraisal as he would for the $350, then there is no other choice but to believe he is: a) cutting corners, or b) not doing a full report and providing the information necessary for a credible report, i.e. USPAP compliant. Not smart. The issue becomes not “if” you get reported, but “when” you get reported.

Reality Check – Liability: It seems apparent to me that the same lenders that have the highest foreclosure rates are also the lenders that work through AMCs that pay low appraisal fees and ask for short turn around times…

To Lenders: For those lenders that do not inquire of the AMCs they use what they pay their appraisers, and the time they give them to complete the report, shame on them. They are putting their own company at risk as well the borrower. Why?
The best appraisers won’t work for cut-rate fees. They know the quality of their work and they charge for it. Those appraisers who work for low fees usually produce low quality. “You get what you pay for.”

Low quality appraisals put the lender at a higher risk of making a bad loan.Isn’t it time ALL appraisers and lenders realized that!

Cheap is Expensive!

My comment: well written. Not just a lot of whining and complaining. Explains why it is important to the lender.

CLICK HERE TO READ WHAT OTHER APPRAISERS SAY ABOUT LOW FEES AND POST YOUR COMMENTS ON MY BLOG

Read the full commentary at:
http://appraisersblogs.com/appraisal/the-folly-of-the-200-dollar-appraisal/

 

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Appraisers receiving warning letters from Fannie about discrepancies in Q and C ratings

I keep reading online about appraisers receiving warning letters from Fannie that they are using different Q or C ratings on the same property.

Of course we do change our opinions about a property. Sometimes we have new information or just re-think the property and change our opinion. Be sure to explain this in your appraisal.

You need to set up a way to use your comp database to check the Q and C ratings for any property you use in your appraisals. It should only take a few minutes. Hopefully software vendors will automate this for you. Bradford has software for this.

What happened to the appraisers who got the letters? Nothing that I heard of. But, Fannie may be putting them on a special list so their appraisals are scrutinized. Fannie has stated for awhile they would be sending warning letters.

Why is Fannie looking at Q and C ratings? Who knows why they picked these factors. Maybe because they are absolute. But, I suspect that other factors are being looked at or will be coming soon. I don’t think they would want to get into the very hot issue of GLA…

Remember, Q and C ratings are absolute, not relative. If you don’t agree with this, don’t do appraisals for Fannie Mae loans as that is in their Scope of Work.

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Fannie's Appraiser Quality Monitoring(AQM) FAQs July 2014

I did not compare these FAQs with the 2013 FAQs but they seem very similar.

The Q&As below may be new or revised:

– Will appraisers have the opportunity to appeal or offer a rebuttal?

– What should an appraiser do if he or she believes that the rebuttal would violate the Confidentiality section of the Ethics Rule as set forth in the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP)?

– What actions will Fannie Mae take with respect to specific appraisers?
Part of the reply: Fannie Mae will provide information directly to appraisers whose appraisal reports exhibit a pattern of minor inconsistencies, inaccuracies, or data anomalies. The intent and expectation of communicating these issues to appraisers is for training and educational purposes, and to provide them with an opportunity to improve their work. Future appraisal reports from those appraisers will be monitored to assess improvement.
https://www.fanniemae.com/content/faq/appraiser-quality-monitoring-faqs.pdf

Fannie posts a list of appraisers subject to 100% review of their appraisals or are not approved to do appraisals for Fannie Mae loans. The Appraisal Quality Management list is only accessible to lenders who sell loans to Fannie. The last list was posted in May.

My comment: Maybe a few of those appraisers hiring armies of people to do their inspections and drive comps will get caught. For example, completing 40 appraisals a week in urban areas or 10 appraisals a week in very rural areas. Of course, they can make lots of money working for very low AMC fees!!

Appraisal Today newsletter

Video – AMCs – fees, blacklists, etc.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPQjJidp8b0

The topics include:
– Major restructuring of residential lender fees since HVCC
– AMC fees and how to make more money
– Consolidation and what it means for appraisers
– What is an AMC
– AMCs since 1969, when LSI started
Note: the fee discussions start at about 14 minutes

I have been writing about AMCs since 1992 in my paid Appraisal Today newsletter. My speaking style is much more informal than my writing style ;>

Phil Crawford, the host, is a certified general appraiser who has been appraising (residential and commercial) for over 15 years. He is a third generation appraiser. He has been doing interviews on a local Cincinnati real estate radio show for a few years. We are a good match!!

To see other radio shows, go to www.voiceofappraisal.com

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My first interview was in April, on Fannie Mae’s exclusionary list. To listen to this interview, and listen to the other shows, go to www.voiceofappraisal.com and scroll down the page to the video “E3: The Fannie Mae List!!”

Topics included:
– Why Fannie is using UAD data
– Fannie and Big Data
– How appraisers get on the black list
– Which appraisers are getting on the black list
– The future of Fannie’s Big Data

Positive Resolution to Chase AppraiserBlacklisting Saga

 Source: WorkingRE

Excerpts:
Nearly two years have passed since Working RE first reported the story of John Dingeman, an appraiser who faced the difficult choice of either violating USPAP’s Confidentiality Section or suffering the wrath of JP Morgan Chase by refusing. Finally, this holiday season, there is some good news to share.

In March 2012, Dingeman refused Chase’s initial request to discuss an appraisal with the bank because of the Confidentiality Section of USPAP.  Immediately following his refusal, Dingeman was placed on Chase’s Ineligible Appraiser List. Chase then filed a complaint against Dingeman with the Arizona Board of Appraisal. The complaint was promptly dismissed and found to be without merit.

The good news? After battling for over a year, Dingeman recently learned that he has been removed from Chase’s “Ineligible Appraiser List.”  He’ll be the first to tell you that it didn’t happen without a fight.

http://www.workingre.com/blacklist-positive-resolution-chase-saga/

My comment: I am not a lawyer and don’t play one on TV, so I don’t know what it means legally. But, it is great to see an appraiser winning!! I do know that many appraisers refuse to work for Chase because of this and many other problems.

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Info on Fannie’s do not use appraiser list available

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Info on Fannie’s “do not use” appraiser list available

Many thanks to appraiser Dave Towne for sending the email below!!

FannieMae distributed this info below on 1/07/14 ….. shown here just as an FYI, because appraisers cannot access the AQM page.

But you can access the LL-2013-10 which describes some of the negative reporting issues the GSE’s have seen since the UAD was implemented.

Your UAD reports are subject to a higher level procto exam if:
–>you often use the same comp in different reports, but the data you report for that property is different between reports
–>you change the Quality and Condition rating for the same property used as a comp in different reports  (The first time it’s used the Q & C ratings should ‘stick’ thereafter)
–>you are contacted by a GSE reviewer who discusses the above item(s), and you don’t have a credible explanation as to why you have done the above
–>you continue to make the same reporting errors frequently

If you wind up on the GSE’s ‘do not use list’ you are effectively out of business – at least for federally regulated mortgage lending reports.  So “let’s be careful out there!”

Appraiser Quality Monitoring Information
Fannie Mae has published a new web page with information about the recently implemented Appraiser Quality Monitoring (AQM) process. The new AQM web page includes FAQs and a link to the AQM list identifying appraisers whose appraisals will be subject to 100% review by Fannie Mae or whose appraisals are no longer accepted by Fannie Mae. The AQM list is protected content, and approved Fannie Mae sellers/servicers may set up access through Technology Manager.

For more information, refer to Lender Letter LL-2013-10: Appraisal Quality, which reminded lenders of Fannie Mae’s appraiser selection requirements, highlighted several data quality issues, and described the AQM process that Fannie Mae has implemented to identify and monitor issues with individual appraisers.

Direct link to Fannie Appraiser Quality Management (AQM) web page at  www.fanniemae.com/singlefamily/appraiser-quality-monitoring

Dave Towne, AGA, MAA                                             towneappraisals@clearwire.net                           www.towneappraisals.comMount Vernon, WA

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What do I think? This can be good for the appraisal profession!

Appraisers have been complaining for years about the “other” appraisers who are unethical, incompetent, lazy, or stupid. For many clients, since licensing, all appraisers are seen as the same. Why not use someone who gives you what you need – turn time, fee, no problems with underwriting, etc.?

Unfortunately, AMC hassles have driven many very experienced appraisers out of the business, or refusing to do AMC work. This makes the problem more difficult.

Maybe more AMCs will start using appraiser quality rather than fee, turn time, etc. to select their appraisers.

Also, the preference by many AMCs for low fees makes it very tempting to skimp on the time and effort for doing appraisals.

A low fee does not mean that you can do a poor job on an appraisal. I know what it is like to work for a low fee. I tried doing low fee jobs a few times over the years, but found I had a really “bad attitude” about the appraisal and had to force myself to do the same appraisal no matter what the fee. Doing a good appraisal is more important to me than using a low fee as an excuse for doing less work on an appraisal.

It is great to see that Fannie is using objective criteria, rather than a reviewer that gives an appraiser a bad rating, removing them from the list of a major lender. Just like appraising, reviewing is subjective. Particularly with the use of reviewers not familiar with your local market.

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Fannie's Appraiser Quality Monitoring(AQM) FAQs July 2014(Opens in a new browser tab)