Alamode/corelogic/smartexchange - You Have A Right To Be Paranoid

[CompCheck]

Thanks CompsCheck and all the other posters here. As I told CompsCheck in a private message, we make it a rule not to get engaged publicly here. We think this should be a place for appraisers to have discussion and debate without others trying to influence things.

Hopefully this post clears things up.

Signing off….

Dustin Moore
Operating Officer
a la mode

A nice explanation of everything that Dustin knows from his Alamode window seat. But the dots Dustin did not connect are the very obvious ones. Who cares about smartexchange.. Its the data! The use of our data outside of smartexchange for profit as well as lessoning the amount of future work by the creation of better AVMs off of our data. That is what CoreLogic is doing.. Dustin - you are now CoreLogic. Biggers is gone. You work for a company working feverishly to eliminate our trade. Please stop glossing over the elephant in the room and keeping this just about smartexchange and our peers. Connect the dots with all destinations and uses of our data. The obvious issues you did not address...

1) That the service agreement I posted IS INDEED valid and with 1 click you give CoreLogic the rights to all of the work you've ever done.

2) CoreLogic makes YOU responsible if anything in any report you ever created was created by anyone other than you. A phrase, A photo, Anything. In fact, with one click you bear all legal responsibility for any and all lawsuit that arises from the sharing with your data anywhere in the world CoreLogic wants to share it. This goes way beyond Smartexchange.

3) Smartexchange is the gateway to get you to give your data away for free to be used for more damaging to your livelihood purposes elsewhere. They are hooking you with a little convenience. Charging you for your own data. And then using that data to take your next pay check whenever your data can be used to keep from generating an appraisal order. That is what is going on at the moment. CoreLogic wants to be the winner at that game. And they've now cornered every angle in which the data can be obtained.

The appraiser's data is the gold standard and we are giving it away. Biggers sold us out very badly. If I can help at least 1 appraiser to see this I guess that's all I can do.

 

[Terrel L. Shields]

suspect it will be a long wait.

Hmmm, I guess I was wrong. That's a good thing perhaps. Dustin posting makes it clear we have been monitored for a long time, and your complaints are recognized, if not acted upon. Clearly action comes if they see subscribers fall out. And as @Marion Rhodes pointed out, no reason to believe them unique among vendors. The large print giveth and the fine print taketh away.

There certainly is a case for a data base, created from appraisers files, shared in a fair manner, be it subscriptions or what. But should be limited to homes appraisers actually have appraised and photographed, and otherwise not data mined by Zillow, et al. Using comps from reports is only a second hand use of data that is already second hand MLS- redundant in the case of CoreLogic. But to serve the appraiser much good it would, could, should be a cooperative effort between vendors and appraisers...not Fannie, Freddie, et al.

 

[CompCheck]

Hmmm, I guess I was wrong. That's a good thing perhaps. Dustin posting makes it clear we have been monitored for a long time, and your complaints are recognized, if not acted upon. Clearly action comes if they see subscribers fall out. And as @Marion Rhodes pointed out, no reason to believe them unique among vendors. The large print giveth and the fine print taketh away.

There certainly is a case for a data base, created from appraisers files, shared in a fair manner, be it subscriptions or what. But should be limited to homes appraisers actually have appraised and photographed, and otherwise not data mined by Zillow, et al. Using comps from reports is only a second hand use of data that is already second hand MLS- redundant in the case of CoreLogic. But to serve the appraiser much good it would, could, should be a cooperative effort between vendors and appraisers...not Fannie, Freddie, et al.

Agreed. But with Alamode going CoreLogic you can kiss that idea goodbye forever in this instance. We will have to look elsewhere. There is no putting this genie back in the bottle. Appraisers are unfortunately unsuspecting enough that enough will opt in and that's all they need. In fact... they already have what they need. But we who see should make a stand and create alternates.

 

[Carnivore]

Dustin pretty brave coming into the Octagon. I applaud him for his PR Work.

One point he made doesn't fly with me. I don't find typing in Comps to be that big of a time waster. Why do I say that, well even if it does self populate HELLO I still have to take the time to verify that auto-fill is accurate. You are aware there are still some shifty appraisers still out there. I know some of you call Realtors to clarify data entry on MLS Printouts. I know many of you call Realtors to explain a concession that seems odd. Etc. You get my point.

Why I wont participate covers several reasons. One reason; I don't work a lot. 60 Reports a Year or less sometime. Another reason is in the hype they claim it doesn't violate an USPAP confidentiality. I don't think anyone can say that across the board for ALL appraisals. One Client of mine is so strict that I can only state I have provided a service on the USPAP addendum in another assignment of that property. If someone ask or pushes me all I can do is give them a name and number. I am prohibited in saying anything to anyone anything about the property. I have to safeguard those files.

Well maybe Corelogic is really just looking out for us appraisers and their intentions are good. They want you to make more money in less time. Right!
Added: I did not see Terrell's thread. It helps make my point, he did it much better

https://appraisersforum.com/forums/threads/how-long-and-why-does-it-matter.221293/

 

[Tom Woolford]

I need to find out how to turn off the "Peer Data" that pops up for comps. Its annoying, and I'll never use it. Frankly, I don't trust my peers when they are cranking out 3-5 a day. No way that shizt is verified.

 

[bnmappraisal]

First off, Dustin, thank you for responding on here and I do hope you (or another person from your company) comes back to respond further
That being said ...

3 - What are we doing?
We're trying to help appraisers do their work more quickly and with less hassle. We think that typing data -- especially data that's already widely available from other sources -- is a fairly low-value effort.

I agree with Carnivore's comments regarding this ... personally (and I do more than his 60+/- a year ... no offense Carnivore) the typing part isn't THAT time consuming. Also, from what I have seen so far (and I don't actually know if I'm opted in or not since under the "Data" tab in Total it still states "Join SmartExchange") but other "peer" options for properties have popped up (they do not show any adjustments, just the info on the grid for said property) ... I haven't been impressed with some of the "peer" info. It mostly comes down to how each appraiser describes a property. I know with UAD, it's supposed to be pretty uniform but ... yea ... it's not always!

Your time is much better spent analyzing, questioning, and validating the data and drawing conclusions.

(no offense to you Dustin) This statement is THE line any mill shop ad has always had in their pamphlets/letters they send out. I'm "only" 12 years deep into this but my personal opinion ... it gets old FAST

Additionally, we know how much appraisers hate spending time on questions from reviewers when their comp characteristics don't align with another appraiser's. SmartExchange shows you how other appraisers have used the comp characteristics before, so you can either proactively explain differences or do more research to understand if other appraisers might know something that you hadn't yet uncovered.

.
I think it's more because the "peers" don't explain the comp characteristics in their reports. Personally, I hardly get questions from "reviewers" unless I haven't explained certain things in my report.

 

[miktay]

I've been with this company for nearly three decades. Longer than any other service I've ever used.
My subscription ends this month. I'm opting out for good and wont be sharing my data, or my money.
I no longer trust alamode.

 

[Meandering]

So how do we opt out of this system Dustin? (Short of cancelling my subscription to Total and switching to a new appraisal program provider) Without giving it enough thought, I regretfully opted in on a whim because I just wanted to see a comp previously used by an appraiser who works for me (while I was in the middle of completing an appraisal report). I called Alamode yesterday and told the rep that I wanted opted out, and specifically requested written confirmation that my wishes would be complied with. Since I didn't receive that confirmation, I now fear that Alamode cannot or is unwilling to opt me out of this system. I'm also afraid Alamode has already extracted data from every one of my reports already since I unwittingly opted in on a "free trial" basis.

I believe,
and you should check because it has been a long time since I took those classes,
but,
All contracts have a 3 day right of rescission, if you put the rescission in writing.

Maybe contact a legal person in your area.

.

 

[Evincere]

Dustin Moore said: ↑
“Your time is much better spent analyzing, questioning, and validating the data and drawing conclusions.”

A fanny guy (some big shot) whose name I can’t recall at the moment was intervirwed and spoke the same words so it’s hard to tell from where the corporate speak echo originates.

The absolute arrogance - again, to tell non employee, independent Contractors how their time should be spent is just stunning. I recall reading that a good percentage of Appraisers are in their 50’s, educated, experienced, many with duel degrees. They hail from all kinds of professional backgrounds - from engineers to teachers. And are going to be told how they should manage thier business?

This is not about not having to type, yada, yada, yada. It’ IS about acquiring the scrubbed data and CL is a data eating beast with a huge appetite that needs feeding.

In order to get someone to give data freely and willingly you have to come up with some darned good reasons why they should. The time saved typing sure as he’ll isn’t one of them. The other reasons are just as anemic.

“Data is King” Can anyone Guess who used to use that saying as his tag line.

 

[Doug in NC]

Dustin Moore said: ↑This is not about not having to type, yada, yada, yada. It’ IS about acquiring the scrubbed data and CL is a data eating beast with a huge appetite that needs feeding.

In order to get someone to give data freely and willingly you have to come up with some darned good reasons why they should. The time saved typing sure as he’ll isn’t one of them. The other reasons are just as anemic.

That is the truth of the matter, Corelogic/Alamode didn't have the time to think about any repercussions for appraisers they once served. They were too blinded by the $dollar signs envisioned by selling data extracted freely from appraisers. If this scheme works as they plan, they'll make $millions of new revenue from their users, all the while charging us at least $349 a year for the "privilege" to make revenue off of OUR efforts.

No doubt this is the reason Corelogic bought Alamode - they will continue to sell appraisal software as a secondary income source, but selling data is their intended primary income source.