Appraisal Institute Last-minute Shakeup

[RCA]

On the Facebook AI group, I remember Jennifer Marshall being so excited about Craig Steinley becoming CEO. She also made it rather difficult for me to get into the group with a new account for some reason - and then when she finally did, my critical posts would magically disappear beneath the rubble. And the Facebook AI group's posts are pretty boring "Ra, ra, ra AI" posts, so I am not active there.

NOTE: A change in policy?

(From Shane Lovelace Facebook AI Group

"Important Community Update
Dear Members,
As an administrator of this group, I'd like to address an issue regarding how our group has been managed. It has come to my attention that there were no established rules to guide our moderation practices. Consequently, this lack of clarity has possibly led to members being unfairly banned.
Effective immediately, all members who were banned will be reinstated, provided they are active members of the Appraisal Institute. It’s important that we uphold fairness and transparency in every action we take.
To prevent future misunderstandings and to ensure our group operates efficiently and fairly, I have outlined a set of clear rules:

1. • Professional Conduct: All members must be active designated members of the Appraisal Institute and maintain high professional standards at all times.
   • Compliance with Antitrust Laws: Avoid any discussions that could lead to violations of antitrust laws, such as pricing strategies or market allocations.
   • Confidentiality and Privacy: Do not share confidential or sensitive information that could breach professional or legal obligations.
   • No Unsolicited Advertising or Self-Promotion: Only post advertisements or promote services with explicit admin approval.
   • Respect Intellectual Property: Ensure you have the right to share any materials and credit original sources appropriately.
   • Constructive Feedback Only: Focus on constructive criticism and avoid personal attacks or disparaging comments.
   • Limit Specific Business Details: Discuss business experiences broadly without sharing competitive or sensitive specifics.
   • No Politics or Religion: Steer clear of discussions about politics and religion to maintain focus and harmony.
   • Admin Rights and Enforcement: Admins reserve the right to remove posts or members not adhering to these rules.
   • Immediate Ban Policy: Immediate bans for violations such as antitrust breaches, unprofessional behavior, confidentiality breaches, unsolicited promotions, intellectual property infringement, and discussions on banned topics.

We are reinstating any members who were previously banned, as it was unfair to do so without these clear guidelines in place. If you are a top contributor and interested in moderating, please DM me to discuss this opportunity further.
Thank you for your cooperation and commitment to keeping our professional community thriving."

And what happened I wonder to JM?

 

[djd09]

Appraisal Institute Announces Full-Cost TAF PAREA Scholarships to Support Aspiring Certified Residential Appraisers​

Scholarship covers 100 percent of program costs for approved Practical Applications of Real Estate Appraisal (PAREA) programs including Certified Residential

CHICAGO, IL, UNITED STATES, August 28, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Appraisal Institute today announced that applications are now open for The Appraisal Foundation (TAF) PAREA Scholarships, which provide full financial support for individuals pursuing either the Certified Residential or Licensed Residential appraiser classification. With 42 Licensed Residential scholarships already awarded in 2025, this expansion marks a major step forward in helping more candidates enter and advance in the profession.

Funded by TAF, the scholarships cover 100 percent of program costs for AQB-approved Practical Applications of Real Estate Appraisal (PAREA) programs, including the Appraisal Institute’s Licensed Residential and Certified Residential PAREA programs. This initiative ensures that qualified candidates can achieve their appraisal goals without financial barriers.

Applicants must first complete the appropriate Readiness Checklist to confirm eligibility and then submit the official scholarship application. All applications for both the Certified Residential and Licensed Residential scholarships are due September 12, 2025. Scholarship recipients will be announced and funded later in September, with enrollment in PAREA programs expected to begin as soon as October 2025.

“This scholarship is an important step in expanding access to the appraisal profession,” said Paula Konikoff, JD, MAI, AI-GRS, President of the Appraisal Institute. “By removing financial barriers and supporting aspiring appraisers, we are strengthening the future of the profession and ensuring that qualified candidates have the opportunity to advance their careers through PAREA.”

Scholarship Details

• Who it supports: Individuals pursuing either the Licensed Residential or Certified Residential appraiser classification
• Coverage: 100% of AQB-approved PAREA program costs
• Application Deadline: September 12, 2025
• Eligibility: Completion of the appropriate Readiness Checklist required
• Awards Announced & Funded: September 2025
• Program Enrollment: Beginning as soon as October 2025

Get started by completing a Readiness Checklist here.

Note: To enroll in the Certified Residential PAREA program, you must already have a valid Licensed Residential (LR) credential, or successful completion of a PAREA program for Licensed Residential (LR). If you do not meet these criteria, please consider the Licensed Residential AI PAREA program.
Bill Garber

https://www.fourstateshomepage.com/business/press-releases/ein-presswire/843243162/appraisal-institute-announces-full-cost-taf-parea-scholarships-to-support-aspiring-certified-residential-appraisers/

hey AI quit doing the profession favors...

 

[chad hampton]

Where is the scholarship money coming from? How does TAF make any money other than uspsp books? are they using our fees to pay for new people to become certified? Funny, they didn’t bail me out when I was going through the process.

 

[djd09]

Trends

Home Values Drop in 3 More Major Cities as Downturn Spreads​

Home values are now falling on an annual basis in three more major metros in the South and West, bringing the total to seven, as regional weakness in the housing market deepens.

San Diego, Miami, and Phoenix all registered annual declines in sales prices for single-family homes in June, according to data from the S&P Cotality Case-Shiller Index released Tuesday.

Those cities joined a growing club of cities for falling prices that includes Dallas, Denver, San Francisco, and Tampa, where home values had already turned negative as of May.

https://www.realtor.com/news/trends/home-prices-falling-case-shiller-index-june-2025/

no worry east cleveland is safe from the waiver fraud

 

[djd09]

Baltimore Real Estate Faces "Black Swan" Event, Hard Money Lenders Warn​

"The problems in Baltimore seem to revolve around appraisals that were improperly inflated..."

... you know the appraisals had to be inflated ... since the loans are in default

 

[Dale Floyd]

Where is the scholarship money coming from? How does TAF make any money other than uspsp books? are they using our fees to pay for new people to become certified? Funny, they didn’t bail me out when I was going through the process.

A very good explanation is needed for your questions.

 

[djd09]

Mortgage fraud claims become ammunition against Trump’s foes

President Trump has found a new weapon of choice in his retribution campaign against his foes: mortgage fraud claims.

At least three prominent Trump adversaries have been targeted with Justice Department probes into their personal real estate dealings

... how simple it was for people to get by with mortgage fraud

 

[Non Sequitur]

More people are speaking up, will the insta-toot listen when an MAI has problems (and FWIW my experience with the exams was nearly identical):

I originally doubted the Appraisal Institute education scandal as I had concluded the organization was the gold standard for education providers offering appraisal courses. I’ve used at least five or six different platforms for QE/CE hours, and thought this was the most thorough and informative course provider out there. I’m a good test taker, and classes come easy for me as I’ve never had an issue failing an appraisal exam (humble brag), but I always came away feeling like I learned more or was more challenged with the Appraisal Institute’s courses.

However, my apprentice I’m supervising, who had several mandatory assignments, (written and mathematical problems to solve), just failed an upper level AI exam for a 35-hour online class. So, I told him to call AI and ask for some additional info on what he missed, ask if maybe they could share some more feedback other than their generic list of chapters to review, or if the instructor could give home some guidance.

It turns out, the instructor never reviewed any of the work submitted or graded these “mandatory” assignments. The students in these courses can turn in completed assignments, proceed through the course, and schedule the final exam under the assumption that all their work submitted had been correct since they never receive any negative feedback. What is the purpose of the instructor if they aren’t going to look at their students’ work and instruct them on topics that they need to learn? Why make students waste hours of their time putting in thought and effort to complete assignments if they aren’t even going to have another set of eyes look at them?

This is a pretty frustrating situation and further highlights another level of inefficiency at this highly regarded organization. And to say nothing of the time and cost of scheduling an exam retake…

And the comments:

Q: .....did you bring this up with Chicago and what was that response? that will really present a good picture.

A: .....this post was from the aftermath of the phone call to AI. They stated that the instructor isn’t required to review or grade the work in the course and apologized they didn’t look at it. They offered to re-open the course for the student to review the chapters and reach out to the instructor. He can then retake the exam, for an additional fee of course.

 

[Non Sequitur]

At what point does this mess collapse under its own weight?

Appraisal Institute's Lead Professional Designation Reviewer Hasn't Held A License In 7 Years

The agency's only full-time staff member reviewing candidates' work for industry designations like the MAI hasn't had a valid appraiser's license since 2018.

www.bisnow.com

"The Appraisal Institute markets its professional designations as symbols of elite expertise. But a new complaint claims the key person in charge of approving them hasn’t held a valid appraisal license since 2018.

The revelation is part of a complaint filed Aug. 22 against the Chicago-based nonprofit at the Illinois Department of Human Rights and first obtained by Bisnow. It is the second formal complaint filed against the agency alleging that deficiencies in its testing and review processes undermine its credibility."

"Jennifer Marshall, a former part-time experience screener, alleges in the latest complaint that her contract wasn’t renewed after she pointed out that AI’s sole full-time experience screener’s appraisal license had lapsed in 2018.

Then a senior experience screener — and now the head of the program — Gilbert Valdez hasn’t had an active appraisal license since 2018, records from the California Bureau of Real Estate Appraisers show. Marshall alleges that she told AI executives that it was exposing itself to legal liability by having an unlicensed appraiser verifying the quality of work submitted as part of designation screenings."

"We’re confident our experience review process is fair and operates with integrity,” Bill Garber, AI director of communications and marketing, said in an emailed response to a detailed list of questions, declining to comment further."


"Valdez now leads the department that manages and sets the rules for the more than a dozen experience screeners who work on a contract basis. He reviews roughly half the designation applications, while the rest go to one of the contractors, a source familiar with the day-to-day operations of the program said.

All contract experience screeners are required to have an active appraisal license as well as the designation they are screening an applicant for, the person said."

"“I expressed concern that the Appraisal Institute, as the premier appraisal organization, was acting inconsistently with the standards its members are required to follow when completing appraisals and reviews, creating additional liability and reputational risk,” she wrote in the complaint.

In April, she applied to run for a regional leadership position but said a contingent of AI members violated agency bylaws to ensure she didn’t get the position. Marshall, who holds two designations from AI, said the agency also never notified her that her contract had been terminated, instead learning of it through a text message exchange in July.

Instead, the leadership role went to Florida-based appraiser Reginald Carter after the selection process was “manipulated to ensure a male candidate’s success,” according to the complaint. The incident formed the basis for a sex discrimination allegation filed in Marshall’s complaint, along with a retaliation claim."

 

[chad hampton]

AI and all their friends support non appraisers performing appraisal services, why not have non appraisers screening too? This is the system the snake oil folks have been pushing for years now.