Fraud or Incompetence: You Make the Call by David Brauner, Editor Fraud or incompetence? According to Larry Disney, Executive Director, Kentucky Real Estate Appraisers Board, that is a question that regulators across the nation are grappling with as they sort through the growing number of complaints against appraisers. The answers are not always clear cut....…
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Live and Learn Complaints, Errors, Actions Blue Grass Missteps Larry Disney, Executive Director, Kentucky Real Estate Appraisers Board says that approximately 95 percent of all Kentucky complaints are real property appraisal assignments of one-four unit properties. He says the reasons for complaints vary but the most frequent violations are one of the following. * Not...…
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Risk Management Loss Prevention Checklist The following steps have proven effective at avoiding complaints and lowering the liability of home inspectors. Two points emerge: First, according to risk management experts, loss prevention is as much about communication as it is about understanding the systems of a building. They stress that expert knowledge is vital but…
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Risk Management Strategies for Avoiding Complaints By Alan Carson Good home inspectors don’t get complaints. We thought we might catch your attention with that opening sentence! Actually, we believe that all home inspectors get complaints eventually. Why? There are several reasons but part of the answer may lie in our definition of a home inspection,...…
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Consent Orders: Signing Away Your Rights? By Diana Jacob, MSA These days, appraisers facing a disciplinary complaint from their state board are often presented with several options to clear the case. Be careful how you choose – the consequences can be long term and unpleasant. Once a complaint is filed, state appraisal boards typically review...…
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Avoiding Complaints Are You Doing All You Can? The following is excerpted from the Liability Reporter, a risk management e-newsletter for real estate home inspectors and appraisers published by the Organization of Real Estate Professionals (www.OREP.org). Home Inspector Checklist* 1. Do you always obtain a signed pre-inspection agreement from the client? 2. Does your pre-inspection…
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Fighting Back By Sam E. Blackburn Client pressure, especially from mortgage brokers, continues to be a serious problem for appraisers. Lender pressure will continue to be a problem until Congress enacts predatory lending legislation to prohibit unethical conduct. As long as lenders and brokers control who receives appraisal assignments and can act with little fear...…
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Loss Prevention – Nine Mistakes You Shouldn’t Make By Douglas A. Glass, Esq. I’ve spent the last 17 years defending home inspectors in civil lawsuits. Along the way I’ve seen a number of mistakes that often cause inspectors to wind up in litigation. Here are a few suggestions for staying out of trouble. Defer to...…
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Editors Note: Client complaints are a fact of life for home inspectors. But complaints do not have to turn into lawsuits. In fact, if handled properly, complaints are actually a golden opportunity. Here is the first in an ongoing series of risk management strategies from Alan Carson designed to help inspectors insulate themselves from liability....…
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Most of us consider ourselves to be technically astute when in the field performing inspections. We spend many hours each year learning through continuing education classes and meetings. But how often do we think about managing our risk each day? When is the last time you updated your contract? Do you think about…
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