• Welcome to AppraisersForum.com, the premier online  community for the discussion of real estate appraisal. Register a free account to be able to post and unlock additional forums and features.

ala mode tech support

Status
Not open for further replies.
Maybe it is just hopeful thinking on my part, but that would make the URAR misleading and many appraisers who do not keep up with current requirements simply just will not know unless it is under their nose. I have mentioned the three year sales history to at least ten appraisers and not one of them had a clue.


I would also like a exposure time check box, too. Here is a good question. if marketing time is 0-6 months, whcih box do you check? You should be able to check both, but nobody likes that. The market here is too unpredictable. Two identical houses next door to each other, one sell in 5 days, the other in 175 days. I check the 3-6 month box, but put zero to six months in my comments.
 
Since we don't have very many basements here (and those that do are considered by everyone as part of livable--but that is another story), I have the words Exposure Time typed on the second line in the basement box for the subject. Then on that same line for each comparable I post the days or months or years the comparable was exposed to the market. In my attached USPAP Compliance addendum I describe what I think the exposure time would have been and what I think the marketing time of the subject will be based on my opinion of value. And I am also in a market where who knows how long it will take a home to sell. Maybe it will take somebody moving back into town to buy the house next to grandma, which could be tomorrow or five years from now. Or if over $90,000, somebody being transferred to town that works for a company that pays more than the $24,000 median income for my area, or maybe all the prospective buyers didn't like the carport on the north side of the house or the sound of the door bell. But on the front I do mark 3-6 months because a home reasonably price without any odd ball quirks usually sells under the 6 month time frame. Also in my addendum I describe the listing and sales history of each comparable; their original asking price by the owner before or after listing with the realtor, then with a realtor, whether it had any reductions and what the final asking price is. When a loan offiicer is unhappy with my value I point out the exposure time and listing history of the comparables and they kinda go sputtering away into the distance. But I never get calls from an underwriter.

And yes I do review many reports that the appraiser hasn't read or worried about USPAP since their last required course or even paid any attention when they did take that class. I have found when I attend seminars and meetings in the big cities, that most of the big city appraisers (who don't have time for any of the appraisal chat rooms) are way behind the times and haven't a clue to what is currently happening. All the chat rooms (and especially this one Wayne) is very informative, helpful and very, very, very necessary for every appraiser in the country!!
 
Once again, find myself completely agreeing with Tim (not a bad thing)

Tim is correct; the downloads should be OPTIONAL. AlaMode could accomplish this, but doesn't care to. Why? I can think of two reasons right away: first, it would take more programming (time and money) and second, part of their yearly membership "sell" is to say that "our members got 75 free updates last year!!!". They don't mention that the average appraiser really only needed about 10 of them.

You can see my own post about the IDC problems under "IS IT ME??"

One of the reasons they got me to upgrade to Enterprise was to get the "free" IDC data automatically. Under the heading "You get what you pay for", I can tell you all that as of This Date, the IDC download information is STILL NOT WORKING.

As far a tech support, my "beef" is that with most problems, their first and second replies are that its' YOUR SYSTEM, NOT THEIRS. Funny, but after a few days, everything is working again and you did not change a thing with your machine.

I got the same "Can't give a sh**" answer when my MSN ISP made some security changes. My EDI stopped working, and I could not transmit any reports. I was going nuts. MSN told me to tell Alamode to make changes to make their software work with the MSN service provider. AlaMode told me it was MSN's problem and they had to make the adjustments. My only other alternative was to change service providers. Once I changed to Earthlink, my EDI worked immediately. In the meantime, my email address changed, I had to endure the changes to my own system to accomodate Earthlink, and went through double billing for three months because I did not want to immediately loose MSN until the rollover to Earthlink was complete. MSN would not change, AlaMode would not change, I was expected to change despite the fact that I AM THE CUSTOMER.

The other response I get from Tech Support is "I'm sending you a bulletin"
GReat.........client is waiting for me to fix my system to get their report out, and Alamode will NOT do the research FOR ME, no matter what my level of service.

Tim, I feel your pain. (That one was for those of you who still miss Slick Willie)
 
BarbarNJ --

Although I miss Slick Willie terribly ...

That's not a valid reason for a la mode to market their product(s) by following the Bill Gates model.

It isn't much more complicated than that:

Announce your new product early enough to keep the competition from obtaining venture capital or make it too expensive for them to intrude. Then, when the product is not truly ready, extend the entry period several times, finally, slap the product into this waiting niche that you've successfully pre-empted others from being able to get into, then fix the product on the fly (in the in-progress mode) out in the field.

This is part oligarchical and gutsy -- That's what happens on the upside.

The downside can be frustrating, though. Without enough competition, everybody hates your monopoly for all the right reasons -- which are no longer defensible by ordinary problem solving channels.
 
And I use a different software provider that doesn't shove updates down your throat. Come to think of it, our software is so good, we don't need no stinkin updates!

It is a bad plan that admits of no modification.
Publilius Syrus (~100 BC), Maxims
 
I used WinTotal for several years. About three months ago, my former boss moved out of state and I joined a new firm. They use what I feel is a rather out-of-date program (Appraise-It), and you know what? I actually like it!

At least once a month, we would have a serious problem with WT. Here's my favorite Ala Mode tech support story: (remember, this IS a true story)

After performing an update, our network crashed. We call tech support. Tech asks a bunch of standard questions. His solution: We downloaded a "bad" version, must have gotten "garbled" during the download. He'll rush us a complete CD overnight.
Two days later (remember: no appraising for two days now) the CD arrives. We do a re-install. Still no network. We call tech support. After discussions, here's the tech's solution: (get ready)...
You have a bad CD ROM drive. Buy a new CD ROM drive and THAT should fix everything!!!!!

Can you imagine?

We get another tech on the line... He says, "Hmmm... Open up the wintotal INI file... change this line.... reboot...

It worked!




Since I've switched to Appraise-It, I've had ZERO problems and zero updates. We are using the latest version and the best part... now I can take my work home with me.


Just my .02 worth - please don't flame me! :)
 
Alamode tech support has been pretty good to me, so far. My only complaint is that you have to buy the most expensive plan to receive any weekend support. I know it is a personal choice, but only about 25-30 percent of my business involves using forms, so I can't justify paying for the top service contract. I wish the mid-level service contract allowed for a small window of support time on the weekends. Otherwise, tech support has been very helpful the few times I have had a problem.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Find a Real Estate Appraiser - Enter Zip Code

Copyright © 2000-, AppraisersForum.com, All Rights Reserved
AppraisersForum.com is proudly hosted by the folks at
AppraiserSites.com
Back
Top