Real Estate Appraisers

From the Publisher

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From the Publisher Reward, Risk and Bankrupt AMCs The extent of my business savvy is pretty simple: make more money than you spend. So it’s hard for me to imagine a reasonable scenario in which Evaluation Solutions/ES Appraisal Services (ES) can go out of business owing appraisers and real estate agents $11 million. Neither, by...… Read More

Taking Back Control of Your Appraisals

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Premium Content, Real Estate Appraiser Independence, Real Estate Appraisers

According to appraiser David Smith, AMCs just need to be told to do their job. “When an AMC receives a request from a lender for more information, BANG, it is immediately forwarded to the appraiser for correction without the AMC reviewing the legitimacy of the lender’s request,” says Smith (not his real name). “I often wonder… Read More

Pressure, Subtle Influence and Plausible Deniability

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Premium Content, Real Estate Appraiser Independence, Real Estate Appraisers

Editor’s Note: Appraisers report that despite tough new appraisal independence laws, lenders, AMCs and others haven’t stopped trying to influence the process- they’re just being more careful about covering their tracks. Fraud expert Richard Hagar, SRA, explains how to protect yourself and your independence. Pressure, Subtle Influence and Plausible Deniability by Isaac Peck, Associate Editor...… Read More

Stiffed Appraisers Go After Chase

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Real Estate Appraiser Fees, Real Estate Appraisers

// Stiffed Appraisers Go After Chase by Isaac Peck In January, Evaluation Solutions/ES Appraisal Services (ESA) declared bankruptcy, leaving thousands of real estate appraisers, agents, and brokers with unpaid invoices for work performed. With close to nine million dollars in unpaid invoices for appraisals and broker price opinions (BPOs), it is the worst of a...… Read More

Review: 2010 Appraiser Survival Kit

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Real Estate Appraiser Training - Education, Real Estate Appraisers

Editor’s Note: This review is reprinted with permission from Real Estate Appraiser Tips. Please see below for details on how to win a free custom-built appraiser blog by author, appraiser and social media expert Bill Cobb. 2010 Appraiser Survival Kit: FHA Inspection Course, Checklist and eManual By Bill Cobb With the many challenges before… Read More

Agents/Brokers – About “Low” Appraisals

Real Estate Agent, Real Estate Broker, Real Estate Agent News, Real Estate Broker News

Editor’s Note: Appraiser and real estate broker Justin T. Stevens looks at the issue of “low appraisals” from both sides of the fence. This story first appeared in Working RE’s Agent/Broker News Edition. About “Low” Appraisals by Justin T. Stevens There are well-supported appraisals that come in low, and then there are poorly prepared appraisals… Read More

Diary of a Happy (AMC) Appraiser

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Real Estate Appraiser Independence, Real Estate Appraisers

Editor’s Note: Here, one appraiser explains why he is better off after HVCC and shares the names of a few AMCs he says are worth working for. The individual profiled here has been appraising 21 years in a large metro area in Texas and wishes to remain anonymous. Diary of a Happy (AMC) Appraiser I’m… Read More

Engagement Letters – Doing it Right

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Real Estate Appraiser Independence, Real Estate Appraisers

Editor’s Note: Appraiser Phil Spool shows how an effective engagement letter puts you in control of an assignment. Doing it Right: Engagement Letters by Phil Spool, ASA Now that many of you are searching for new non-lender clients in the aftermath of the mortgage crisis and HVCC (Home Valuation Code of Conduct), it is advisable… Read More

E&O Insurance – Insurance: Insight and Advice from the Inside

Real Estate Errors and Omissions Insurance, Errors and Omissions Insurance, E&O Insurance

Editor’s Note: David Brauner is Senior Broker at David Brauner Insurance Services/OREP.org and Editor of Working RE Magazine. He has been providing E&O insurance to appraisers and home inspectors for 20 years. In this interview, he provides insight and advice from the inside on rates, claims, disciplinary actions, coverage and more. Insurance: Insights and Advice… Read More