7 Hour Online USPAP Class - Appraisal Institute Vs Mckissock Vs. Calypso

[George Hatch]

Choose the cheapest option. USPAP will not enhance your skills as an appraiser; it primarily serves to exert control over appraisers by bankers and enrich a small group of unethical individuals.

Do you even read? USPAP isn't aimed at advancing an appraiser's skills. USPAP is primarily about the appraiser's conduct, both in terms of acting in the role and in accepting and performing assignments per the user's legitimate needs. USPAP has never been an instruction manual on how to perform a Cost Approach or support an adjustment.

Most of the control you're constantly whinging about isn't even part of USPAP itself, but originates in the terms and conditions of the assignments those lenders offer to appraisers.

As for appraisers being "inadequately trained" it is the clients and users who decide both what they need in an appraisal as well as which appraisers they're willing to do business with. Neither of which is within the purview or reach or grasp of TAF or it's ASB/AQB.

Moreover, appraisers choosing NOT to meet the requirements of their assignment is in no way the result of being UNABLE to meet those requirements as a result of it never being covered in their QE or their testing. If an appraiser was ever taught in a QE course how to develop a market conditions adjustment but they aren't making market conditions adjustments thats on the individual, not their QE instruction or the requisite testing.

Additionally, if an appraiser was instructed 10 years ago on how to develop a market conditions adjustment but they forgot the instruction via nonuse because their clients didn't care that fail is still on the individual and not on the QE course nor on the TAF-origin of the criteria that QE course was required to meet in order to be approved.

Grow up and try to act like an adult. If you've ever been stipped for something you know how to do then that was your own failing, not a failure of your training. Get a clue.

 

[George Hatch]

Given my familiarity with the material, the online USPAP courses do not generally take me long to complete. Last time i decided to switch it up and do a live online course. It was miserable. The instructor literally just read the slides to us and di nothing to have any meaningful discussion. It was brutal.

Live instruction can be the worst, but live instruction can also be exceptional depending on the level of interaction.

But let's be honest here; there is no delivery of this material that would have advanced your individual understanding or application thereof. You are merely complying with a checklist. Cooperate to graduate. Albeit on an entirely different basis than someone who has never actually engaged with the material and is still ignorant of it all even after just sitting through the instruction.

 

[Mejappz]

I look at the USPAP update the same way I do a mandatory vehicle inspection, I want the fastest and cheapest. The vast majority of the industry views it that way. For actually learning something useful, I’ll be selective with the electives I take.

USPAP has been an absolute disaster. Forty years of revisions, and we're still dealing with the same issues—if not worse. The whole thing has turned into a bureaucratic nightmare that benefits a handful of insiders(i.e., the shills) while making life harder for working appraisers.

The standards are supposed to bring clarity and consistency, but instead, they've become a bloated mess of legalese that adds more confusion than value. Meanwhile, fees keep dropping, regulatory burdens keep piling up, and the number of active appraisers keeps shrinking. If USPAP were truly effective, wouldn’t we have seen meaningful improvements by now?

And let’s not ignore the elephant in the room—there are people who have made a fortune pushing USPAP as the "gold standard" while the rest of us struggle with an outdated, inefficient system. The industry is evolving with better data and tech-driven valuation models, yet USPAP refuses to adapt in any meaningful way.

At this point, it's hard not to see it for what it really is: a self-serving, overcomplicated system that does more harm than good.

 

[Bobby Bucks]

USPAP has been an absolute disaster. Forty years of revisions, and we're still dealing with the same issues—if not worse. The whole thing has turned into a bureaucratic nightmare that benefits a handful of insiders(i.e., the shills) while making life harder for working appraisers.

The standards are supposed to bring clarity and consistency, but instead, they've become a bloated mess of legalese that adds more confusion than value. Meanwhile, fees keep dropping, regulatory burdens keep piling up, and the number of active appraisers keeps shrinking. If USPAP were truly effective, wouldn’t we have seen meaningful improvements by now?

And let’s not ignore the elephant in the room—there are people who have made a fortune pushing USPAP as the "gold standard" while the rest of us struggle with an outdated, inefficient system. The industry is evolving with better data and tech-driven valuation models, yet USPAP refuses to adapt in any meaningful way.

At this point, it's hard not to see it for what it really is: a self-serving, overcomplicated system that does more harm than good.

The similarities between USPAP and the US tax code are frightening. I used to enjoy live USPAP updates when the instructors were given free rein. The last one I recall was 30 minutes of getting over the any important USPAP changes and the rest of the time was discussing actual appraisal issues. I prefer online now because I've been told live USPAP update courses are the equivalent of medieval self-flagellation.

 

[Mejappz]

The similarities between USPAP and the US tax code are frightening. I used to enjoy live USPAP updates when the instructors were given free rein. The last one I recall was 30 minutes of getting over the any important USPAP changes and the rest of the time was discussing actual appraisal issues. I prefer online now because I've been told live USPAP update courses are the equivalent of medieval self-flagellation.

USPAP is such a mess that even the people responsible for enforcing it don’t fully understand it. The vague, convoluted language allows for different interpretations depending on who’s reading it, and enforcement varies wildly from state to state. An appraiser could be disciplined in one state for something that’s completely acceptable in another. How does that make sense? If this is supposed to be a "uniform" standard, why does it seem like a roll of the dice depending on where you work?

The inconsistencies are everywhere. Some state boards enforce USPAP aggressively, handing out sanctions for minor infractions, while others barely pay attention to the same issues. There have been cases where even regulators themselves can't agree on what constitutes a violation. If the people enforcing the rules can’t interpret them consistently, how can appraisers be expected to comply? Worse yet, there’s little to no accountability for these enforcers. If you get hit with a violation, you might not even have a fair appeals process because the decision is based on someone’s subjective interpretation of the rules. Just ask Terrel.

And let's not forget the language itself—USPAP is written in such broad, vague terms that it’s nearly impossible to apply consistently. Instead of providing clarity, it creates confusion, leaving appraisers to guess what’s acceptable and what isn’t. It’s not a standard—it’s a moving target, and appraisers are the ones paying the price. This piece of junk cant die fast enough.

 

[Fernando]

Never took Calypso class on USPAP.
Did take AI USPAP and it was boring and costly.
McKissock was passable to get the credit. I thought I saw Terrel falling asleep in that class one time.

 

[George Hatch]

USPAP is such a mess that even the people responsible for enforcing it don’t fully understand it. The vague, convoluted language allows for different interpretations depending on who’s reading it, and enforcement varies wildly from state to state. An appraiser could be disciplined in one state for something that’s completely acceptable in another. How does that make sense? If this is supposed to be a "uniform" standard, why does it seem like a roll of the dice depending on where you work?

The inconsistencies are everywhere. Some state boards enforce USPAP aggressively, handing out sanctions for minor infractions, while others barely pay attention to the same issues. There have been cases where even regulators themselves can't agree on what constitutes a violation. If the people enforcing the rules can’t interpret them consistently, how can appraisers be expected to comply? Worse yet, there’s little to no accountability for these enforcers. If you get hit with a violation, you might not even have a fair appeals process because the decision is based on someone’s subjective interpretation of the rules. Just ask Terrel.

And let's not forget the language itself—USPAP is written in such broad, vague terms that it’s nearly impossible to apply consistently. Instead of providing clarity, it creates confusion, leaving appraisers to guess what’s acceptable and what isn’t. It’s not a standard—it’s a moving target, and appraisers are the ones paying the price. This piece of junk cant die fast enough.

You cannot cite one passage of USPAP that actually "confuses" you. That's why you always duck that question every time I pose it to you.

 

[Bobby Bucks]

USPAP is such a mess that even the people responsible for enforcing it don’t fully understand it. The vague, convoluted language allows for different interpretations depending on who’s reading it, and enforcement varies wildly from state to state. An appraiser could be disciplined in one state for something that’s completely acceptable in another. How does that make sense? If this is supposed to be a "uniform" standard, why does it seem like a roll of the dice depending on where you work?

The inconsistencies are everywhere. Some state boards enforce USPAP aggressively, handing out sanctions for minor infractions, while others barely pay attention to the same issues. There have been cases where even regulators themselves can't agree on what constitutes a violation. If the people enforcing the rules can’t interpret them consistently, how can appraisers be expected to comply? Worse yet, there’s little to no accountability for these enforcers. If you get hit with a violation, you might not even have a fair appeals process because the decision is based on someone’s subjective interpretation of the rules. Just ask Terrel.

And let's not forget the language itself—USPAP is written in such broad, vague terms that it’s nearly impossible to apply consistently. Instead of providing clarity, it creates confusion, leaving appraisers to guess what’s acceptable and what isn’t. It’s not a standard—it’s a moving target, and appraisers are the ones paying the price. This piece of junk cant die fast enough.

Honestly, I only go as deep into USPAP as it pertains to assignments I accept. If one is a USPAP instructor, we expect them to have a much higher level of understanding than the average bear. The areas that actually apply to most residential appraising is not that lengthy or complex and yes there are some areas that are not interpreted the same by everyone. It that sense, it's like the good book and those who choose to go to war over finer points, they can find plenty of ammo to use in that manner. I've been patiently waiting for 25+ years in here for someone to slip up to a degree that I can make a USPAP felony arrest for a cyber USPAP infraction. When that happens, one unlucky soul will either face the music or become Eric Snowden's roommate. Nailing someone with initials will be a feather in my cap.

 

[Mejappz]

Honestly, I only go as deep into USPAP as it pertains to assignments I accept. If one is a USPAP instructor, we expect them to have a much higher level of understanding than the average bear. The areas that actually apply to most residential appraising is not that lengthy or complex and yes there are some areas that are not interpreted the same by everyone. It that sense, it's like the good book and those who choose to go to war over finer points, they can find plenty of ammo to use in that manner. I've been patiently waiting for 25+ years in here for someone to slip up to a degree that I can make a USPAP felony arrest for a cyber USPAP infraction. When that happens, one unlucky soul will either face the music or become Eric Snowden's roommate. Nailing someone with initials will be a feather in my cap.

That’s why I’ve suggested in the past that USPAP should be eliminated for the secondary market, FHA, and VA appraisals. Instead of forcing appraisers to navigate its vague and inconsistent rules, we should simply follow the guidelines set by these agencies and be done with it. There’s no need for an extra layer of bureaucracy that only adds confusion and risk.

Of course, doing away with USPAP in these areas would mean a major loss of control for the unethical stakeholders who have profited from its enforcement. A small group of insiders has built a business around pushing compliance, selling education, and creating unnecessary complications that only serve to keep appraisers under their thumb. If appraisers could just follow agency guidelines without the added burden of USPAP, this cabal would lose not only its grip on the profession but also the massive income it generates from keeping appraisers tangled in red tape.

 

[ZZGAMAZZ]

You have been getting more exposure to the material and its applications here on this forum than you'll ever get from an update course.

One limitation with canned instruction is that they can usually only use one approach to convey the material and usually only one or two examples to illustrate. With live instruction or in long form discourse we can approach from multiple directions and rephrase multiple ways until we find one that resonates with the participant. Can connect more dots.

In my experience in general, McKissick instructors are slow to respond although their responses Always are excellent. Regarding the current 2024 USPAP update--the changes are too few to warrant the mandatory course (not even to mention the $1000+ Cali BREA renewal fee...)