Apr 23, 2017
Mark is a colorful guy and it is always a pleasure to have him on. Today, he sounds off on AMCs, fees, and some of the other problems he sees with the appraisal profession.
Doug Adams... Appreciate your OPINION. I have mine. Never did I say that lenders have to use AMCS. But there is a lot of regulation that keeps us down. Dodd frank, C&R whatever that is. It Never existed yet now is something these AMCS follow and preach. Then there are states that have no AMC laws and they are suffering as well. Most States keep making more and more laws with AMCS in mind and now are starting to make them with appraisers in mind. What other industry has this? As for the whining? Who was whining? I was making points that I believe in. You are entitled to your opinion as well as I am. I'm out there trying to make a difference. Are you? I am being vocal and keeping the issues freash. Appreciate the feedback.
John Clark. You can pm me on Facebook or send a message to wiwapp@gmail.com and we can get you in the group.
Dustin -
Thanks for the follow-up... It would be a good recommended value-add service on your part... to list the actual real numbers... that I gave you on the alarming trend of DECLINING APPRAISERS in America... -47 % decline in CA. in the last 10 days... I would like glad to share, my public data. thanks BRUCE
From my experience, there are very good AMCS around. Bad ones I do not work with. Period.
Bruce:
With due respect, I was not quoting statistics. I was repeating what Zach Dawson from Fannie Mae said to a whole room full of appraisers at the Expo last fall. I was paraphrasing him, but the numbers are pretty close to what he reported. By the way, these are FNMA's numbers based on their profile numbers with UAD. Actual numbers may vary.
Enjoyed today's discussion. I have said this before, the fee level is all about supply and demand. As long as there is an over abundance of appraisers in a market, the fees will be depressed. Those $800 fees in OR and other states are caused by the supply shortage. For me, I have an hourly rate after expenses that I operate on. If I wanted to be more busy, I could lower the fees and the work would flood in. My R & C fee is based on the VA fees. With my business model, the biz is satisfyingly profitable.
The American Guild of Appraisers is as proud of Mark's membership in AGA as he is to be a member.
He's one of a growing number of appraisers that is fighting back against unfair appraiser treatment by AMCs; lenders and GSEs. For those that want the contact info Mark offered; email janbellas@appraisersguild.org or call her or Leo Regensburg at (301) 220-4100.
Mark has many excellent ideas for fixing what's wrong with our profession however adoption of TRID precludes one of his most common sense based solutions-calling the appraiser before setting a fee. TRID doesn't permit it. More accurately TRID makes it so out of the ordinary as to be next to impossible.
Mark's other thoughts and suggestions are right on the money. I just learned of his Facebook Group and intend to join it tonight. I urge all (real) licensed appraisers to join and work toward our collective benefit.
Why do all of the smart guys have to have such good points ruined by whining?
Mark makes all kinds of good points and then draws all of the attention away by blaming regulations for them. What regulations require a lender to use a AMC? ...AMCs to have a bunch of stips? ...AMCs to pay bad? There are none. The same rules govern the bad AMCs as the good. Stop blaming regulations. This red herring will only distract from other good points and keep them, in part, from being solved.
As for the fees. Some appraisers accept the lower fees because they are vocational, not professional. Have you ever heard of a lawyer working for $30 an hour for profit? ...and accountant? ...doctors? The only hope to combat this is to keep the entrance criterion high and turn this into a profession and away from a vocation. This will take years to get better but a regression could happen in just a few.
How can I join Mark Skapinetz Appraiser facebook discussions?