Originally posted by Bob Postier@Mar 17 2005, 05:39 PM
On a national level annual meetings and symposium should be organized. Guest speakers from government agencies, Fannie Mae, and other national organizations should be included. Information regarding the risk and failure of the real estate market due to "lender select" programs and AVM's are high on my list. CE credits should be included.
In my humble opinion, strong emphasis must be placed on lobbying government officials. Strong emphasis must be placed on talking points, sample letters, and research, as well as information including names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, necessary to conduct a national barrage of appraiser lobbying.
Bob,
The Appraisal Institute offered just such a program in Washington, D.C. December 13 - 14, 2004. It was open to all, regardless of professional affiliation, or lack thereof.
Included among the speakers and panel members were representatives from the Veterans Administration, HUD, U.S. Senate Staff Members, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Appraisal Standards Board, Appraiser Qualificaitons Board, Appraisal Subcommittee, the Federal Reserve, the Office of the Comptroller of Currency, Federal Highway Administration and more.
Other organizations represented among speakers and panel members were from the American Bankers Association, the Association of Appraiser Regulatory Officials, the Environmental Protection Agency, the American Society of Appraisers, the National Association of REALTORS, Federal Trade Commission, the Internal Revenue Service and the like.
Although I am not a member of the Appraisal Institute, they even invited me to participate as a speaker on one of their panels. It was a mix of the Executive Director of the ASC, two administrators of State Appraisal Boards, a representative of the Appraisal Institute Education Department, an MAI Certified in nearly a dozen states, the Chair of the Appraiser Qualifications Board and one State Appraisal Board member. Although not all of us saw eye to eye, we got along famously and provided valuable information for all in attendance.
FWIW, I am a firm believer in Professional Associations. In my experience, at least in Florida and in Washington, D.C., much of the turf wars and sniping at each other is a thing of the past. There is a great deal of cooperation among the Appraisal Institute, the American Society of Appraisers, the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers and the National Association of REALTORS Appraisal Committee. Cooperation has taken the form of joint comment letters to government agencies on rules proposals, coordination of Congressional testimony and regular consultation. Here in Florida, the AI, ASA, NAIFA, NAMA, ASFMRA and Florida Association of REALTORS are working together to develop amendments to our State Appraiser Certification Law. In 2003, one Chapter of the AI took the lead and had their lobbyist shepherd another cooperatively developed bill through the State Legislature. It was a good bill, passed both the House and Senate unanimously and would have never happened without the cooperation among all the Professional Associations. In your state, it may be different and your mileage may vary.
Each organization is made up of individuals and plenty of personalities. Some grate on others. You run into a$$holes in every walk of life. Some of them happen to be appraisers, some of them happen to be regulators, some of them happen to work in the Federal Government. In my mind, it's much more productive to concentrate on what we have in common rather than dwell on the differences and whine about the a$$holes. Some of those folks really know how to get things done. Plenty of those folks ARE interested in cooperation and ARE, in fact, walking that walk.
As Lee says, just what is the advantage of no affiliation?
OK <soapbox mode - off>
