AMC asking for UAD 3.6 fees, what's everyone thinking?

[ZZGAMAZZ]

I have been using Total Mobile app for 20 years. So I am very familiar with how it works, and have been through all their improvements. It comes as part of the Total program. I have worked through the Total for Mobile with the 3.6 (used my own house), and I find it to be very very helpful. Especially after taking the class it will be highly desirable. There are so many new drop down menus and the program is so dynamic I just don’t see doing paper and pencil will be very easy. It will be very tedious at the desktop. Doing it in the field will make work at the desktop much easier.
Here’s just a few ways it will make it easier.
1. The Total Mobile will make taking pictures and having them placed in the report easier. Example when you sketch the house and put in say “bedroom” you can tap on the bedroom label. Up pops an ability to take a picture. Then when you sync it the picture will automatically sync to the area in the form where it needs to be placed. You don’t have to hunt for pictures or add pictures from an SD card, etc.. This is true also for when you take picture of say a deficiency or an amenity. Unlike the 2.6 where you have photo pages for interior photos, now the photos have to go on the pages where you describe the interior. Photos are scattered all throughout the form. This is what makes the 3.6 different than the 2.6.
2. The Mobile App is set up so that you don’t forget necessary items. And it takes you through the form in an organized way. So for example if you say the property has an ADU in the mobile app, then the ADU information necessary for the form pops up. (If it doesn’t have an ADU it doesn’t pop up.) Then you can take pictures of it, and it then syncs to the place in the form for the ADU. But what I like is that if you forget a necessary item there is a red exclamation point that comes up. Then you go back and rectify it. No guessing. No assuming.
3. Also I often just dictate with my voice when I see something I want to make a note of. It works great. Then when I get to syncing the information everything will be where it is supposed to be. In the 3.6 there is more places for narrative. Not having to type that again at the desktop will be far easier and take less time.

I printed out all the possible parts of the 3.6 dynamic form. It printed out something like 40 pages!

I’m not saying you can’t do paper and pencil, but that will be incredibly tedious. The Mobile app just takes away all that tedious stuff at the desktop. It may take a bit more time in the field. But it will be less of a headache in the office.

My suggestion is that you just try it. It takes a bit of time to get used to it. Much like laser measurers take awhile to become good at. By the way I do not use an IPAD unless I know it is going to be a big house. Most houses I can use my IPHONE. My IPHONE has a better camera.

Also if you get an IPHONE I would make sure you get one that will allow for scanning the floor for sketching. That will be the next big thing. I recommend getting IPHONE Pro Max.

Great helpful info. Thanks. Can you also clarify the comments that some software providers will be cloud based but others won't..

 

[Airstream]

Great helpful info. Thanks. Can you also clarify the comments that some software providers will be cloud based but others won't..

Total has the ability to save the report to the desktop. It saves it as a zip file because the dynamic form is so large. I know Total has a cloud backup. When I worked full time I used it, but I don’t use it now because it isn’t cost effective. I just have a hard drive backup.

Also with Total Mobile when you are done you upload your notes to the cloud, and then download them at the desktop. That is a very important feature. I always try to upload things right away when I’m done. But the notes from Mobile will automatically go into your digital work-file tied to that report.

I have heard that ACI may be more cloud based. I have a couple appraiser friends that use ACI and are frustrated because they haven’t had much to look at. But I really don’t know what Cloud based means. I am going to stay with Total, because I am so familiar with how they do things. If I wasn’t retired I may look at other programs. But honestly I am not even sure I will continue after this year. Some of it will depend upon the kind of extra fees one gets for doing a report. I sure as heck will not work for the same amount with the 3.6.

Honestly, there are probably others in the forum that have tried other programs and can speak to this issue.

 

[ZZGAMAZZ]

Total has the ability to save the report to the desktop. It saves it as a zip file because the dynamic form is so large. I know Total has a cloud backup. When I worked full time I used it, but I don’t use it now because it isn’t cost effective. I just have a hard drive backup.

Also with Total Mobile when you are done you upload your notes to the cloud, and then download them at the desktop. That is a very important feature. I always try to upload things right away when I’m done. But the notes from Mobile will automatically go into your digital work-file tied to that report.

I have heard that ACI may be more cloud based. I have a couple appraiser friends that use ACI and are frustrated because they haven’t had much to look at. But I really don’t know what Cloud based means. I am going to stay with Total, because I am so familiar with how they do things. If I wasn’t retired I may look at other programs. But honestly I am not even sure I will continue after this year. Some of it will depend upon the kind of extra fees one gets for doing a report. I sure as heck will not work for the same amount with the 3.6.

Honestly, there are probably others in the forum that have tried other programs and can speak to this issue.

Thanks very much. I'm considering SFREP that seems to be on point, and also offers a 6 month free trial membership [as hard as it is to imagine that to be true....]

 

[Airstream]

Thanks very much. I'm considering SFREP that seems to be on point, and also offers a 6 month free trial membership [as hard as it is to imagine that to be true....]

I also think they have a mobile app to use with it. Not sure how it is set up though. If I wasn’t a Total user I would have gone with SFREP. But they don’t allow for digital work files. I don’t use paper any longer. A free trial is also good. Try it. Don’t like it. Move on. I did encourage some of my appraiser friends not to wait until the last minute on this. Commit to something, learn it, because it will take some time to figure this out.

 

[Zoe]

I have been using Total Mobile app for 20 years. So I am very familiar with how it works, and have been through all their improvements. It comes as part of the Total program. I have worked through the Total for Mobile with the 3.6 (used my own house), and I find it to be very very helpful. Especially after taking the class it will be highly desirable. There are so many new drop down menus and the program is so dynamic I just don’t see doing paper and pencil will be very easy. It will be very tedious at the desktop. Doing it in the field will make work at the desktop much easier.
Here’s just a few ways it will make it easier.
1. The Total Mobile will make taking pictures and having them placed in the report easier. Example when you sketch the house and put in say “bedroom” you can tap on the bedroom label. Up pops an ability to take a picture. Then when you sync it the picture will automatically sync to the area in the form where it needs to be placed. You don’t have to hunt for pictures or add pictures from an SD card, etc.. This is true also for when you take picture of say a deficiency or an amenity. Unlike the 2.6 where you have photo pages for interior photos, now the photos have to go on the pages where you describe the interior. Photos are scattered all throughout the form. This is what makes the 3.6 different than the 2.6.
2. The Mobile App is set up so that you don’t forget necessary items. And it takes you through the form in an organized way. So for example if you say the property has an ADU in the mobile app, then the ADU information necessary for the form pops up. (If it doesn’t have an ADU it doesn’t pop up.) Then you can take pictures of it, and it then syncs to the place in the form for the ADU. But what I like is that if you forget a necessary item there is a red exclamation point that comes up. Then you go back and rectify it. No guessing. No assuming.
3. Also I often just dictate with my voice when I see something I want to make a note of. It works great. Then when I get to syncing the information everything will be where it is supposed to be. In the 3.6 there is more places for narrative. Not having to type that again at the desktop will be far easier and take less time.

I printed out all the possible parts of the 3.6 dynamic form. It printed out something like 40 pages!

I’m not saying you can’t do paper and pencil, but that will be incredibly tedious. The Mobile app just takes away all that tedious stuff at the desktop. It may take a bit more time in the field. But it will be less of a headache in the office.

My suggestion is that you just try it. It takes a bit of time to get used to it. Much like laser measurers take awhile to become good at. By the way I do not use an IPAD unless I know it is going to be a big house. Most houses I can use my IPHONE. My IPHONE has a better camera.

Also if you get an IPHONE I would make sure you get one that will allow for scanning the floor for sketching. That will be the next big thing. I recommend getting IPHONE Pro Max.

When you say Iphone will make it easier on sketching, does the iphone do ANSI compliant sketch?

I haven't done the free Total classes yet. I know they are online, but I just haven't done them yet.
Okay, let's go back. Assume I have the bucket list in the field. When I get back to the office and am going through the form, I can still insert pictures from my desktop can't I?

I am sure Total is pushing mobile because they make more money on mobile don't they? What do you pay a year for your Total software?

I am on basic plan with silver support. I am sure you pay more than me. Are you a one person shop or work with a group that shares expenses?

 

[Tom D]

Asking for my new fees. Should that be 1 or 2 shovels of dirt on my grave. They want to know how much more to charge the lender for their own 'newly minted' profit, not to give you any more.

 

[Non Sequitur]

Posted to a FB group this morning. It supports what I have posted several times: The GSEs will use any 3.6 bottleneck as an excuse to expand waivers and PDCs. Or you can believe the GSE guys who claim there's no plans for the bottleneck.

 

[Airstream]

Posted to a FB group this morning. It supports what I have posted several times: The GSEs will use any 3.6 bottleneck as an excuse to expand waivers and PDCs. Or you can believe the GSE guys who claim there's no plans for the bottleneck.

View attachment 109597

It doesn't surprise me. There aren't enough appraisers because they cut our fees to the point we couldn't make a living and it wasn't worth training new people. I can remember when the HVCC came into affect my fees were cut 30 to 40% over night. Imagine another profession or business that could survive that kind of hit to their revenue. They only have to blame themselves. And many appraisers have quit now because they continue to pay low fees and there isn't as much work. So appraisers have moved to different professions. Then they wanted the qualifications for an appraiser so high after the crash, that with the fees so low, who the heck would do this job? These disingenuous claptrap GSE's make me sick.

 

[chad hampton]

It’s all by design.

 

[Zoe]

To be frank, I am way faster on a desktop than anybody on an ipad. Try me. I can see my desktop. My fingers move quicker. I don't even work on a laptop unless I have to.