Appraisal fees from potential/current volume customers

[c w d]

So, what would you say the average appraisal fee you're being offered or told or have to accept these days? Our office is dead. I did some research and it appears our fees are too high. Even the lawyer jobs are being haggled downward.

Please do not consider in your vote appraisals to individuals, lawyers or any other type of specialty client where fees may be higher than for volume clients. If your business only consists of specialty clients please do not participate.

I'm looking for 1004's to banks, AMC's, brokerage shops (do those still exist?), anyone whose product would potentially go to the secondary market (FNMA, freddie, etc) who does, or potentially can provide volume work.

 

[c w d]

This was meant to be a poll but, I only had 5 minutes to actually construct the poll. Apparently I went over that so no poll.....what a shotty limitation.....oh forum moderators....perhaps we could change that?

 

[Ray Miller]

350 to 450 beaver pelts and more depending on drive time and township data. But those fees are going up, up, up, by the end of the month. 350 beaver pelts got to be in my back yard so to speak.

My lawyer, privite and insurance work is around 100 more beaver pelts or a couple of fox pelts, again it depends on the scope of work.

I do lose a lot of work that is call in because of turn times and fees.

But so be it. woohoo

 

[RSW]

250-400 bunny droppings.

 

[Steer]

250 to 450 mooseburgers for me

 

[AnonApprsr]

Similar to those who have posted.

 

[Kevin Mc]

3-4.5 boxes of ziti for me.

 

[Lawrence R.]

And just to play along...

i get about 350-400 dead animal carcasses per job.

Haven't had one under 300 baby seals in a long time.

 

[Terrel L. Shields]

If your business only consists of specialty clients please do not participate.

The only "specialty" clients I have are 'special' because they don't diss my prices, vet my invoices, or pressure me in any way. My 'volume' customers are the ones who pay their bills - everyone pays the same...Discounting is for losers. Check any biz you like. Same answer. Even Sherlock Holmes remarked that his fee was on a "fixed" scale and except to omit it altogether, that it remained.

Raise your prices. Provide the best quality you can, and if a client calls and wants to shake you down, refuse. If they call back and desperately need something...make them bleed out the nose for it. My clients are not calling as frequently NOT because they are using someone cheaper but because they simply have much less work. One lender told me she has done only 2 new constructions since the first of the year. We used to average that in a 3 weeks for her alone.
One appraiser went to a banker and told him he was reducing prices and "all" appraisers were doing so. But after a couple of appraisals the banker came back to us. (one report indicated a comp was in the same "town"....rural, about 15 miles away and in a different county - but had the same post office alright.) Ya get/give what you pay/are paid for.

 

[JRS at OBX]

$350-400 DOLLARS!!! Thats right, I charge american dollars! Not dead animals, pasta, rabbit poop, etc. I get money! (money money money) woohoo