Did the supervising appraiser personally inspect the propert

[Mike Ferrara]

I have been told 2 different answers to this question. "Do supervising appraisers have to personally inspect property with the trainee?"
If so...then why is ther a box to check on the URAR form that he/she did not personally inspect property?

 

[Rick Hess]

I don't have my USPAP to prove it, but to my recollection from my just completed classes, no one HAS to inspect the property. However, if they don't, I'm not sure I'd want them appraising for me. Besides, they're setting themselves and their apprentice up for big trouble if the apprentice missed something and they didn't inspect.

In a nutshell, no, they don't have to, but to my way of thinking, less than smart not to.

Brick

 

[George Hatch]

The answer to your question is "it depends".

Physical inspections are not required by USPAP. USPAP does require that appraisers certify whether they did or did not personally inspect the property. The signature line for supervising appraiser on the appraisal forms is there to denote who did and who did not inspect that property for that assignment. USPAP does not specifically address the obligations of supervising appraisers and trainees, since that is actually a licensing issue regulated by the state. Depending on your state, the supervising appraiser is usually required to physically inspect the property until such time as the trainee has attained sufficient competence to perform unsupervised inspections on that type of proeprty.

If the main appraiser (the one signing on the left) is competent to make an unsupervised inspection, the supervising appraiser need not personally inspect. This from both a regulatory perspective and also in keeping with the Competency Rule in USPAP.

That said, many lenders will not accept an appraisal unless their approved appraiser personally inspected. Since they usually won't put a trainee appraiser on their accept lists, this means that the supervising appraiser is supposed to personally inspect for each appraisal they submit to that lender. Unfortunately, there are some people who regard this as a needless technicality. I've heard some appraisers, including some of the big fee shop operators, justify falsly signing off as personally inspecting or even single signing appraisals (no mention of the trainee or subordinate) under the theory that their employee/fee appraisers are extensions of themselves. For the record, appraisers have lost their licenses for that kind of activity. Don't do it and don't associate with anyone who does. It's not worth it.


George Hatch

 

[Dan/Fla]

Don't do it and don't associate with anyone who does. It's not worth it.

Fully agree with George's entire post

 

[Dean House]

I think it also depends on what state you live in. In Tennessee, the trainee has to complete 500 hours of appraisals, then they may inspect a property on their own.

 

[Jim Robinson]

Doesn't matter if the registered appraiser is competant or legally permitted by State. Even with these requirements, lenders still put a stipulation on the appraisal that a higher than registered appraiser has to sign off with physical inspection of property. I have years of electrical experience behind me, and I bet I'm more competant than 8 out of 10 appraisers to perform a physical inspection. Still doesn't matter until the "licensed" level is achieved through the State.

I wish I could find a spreadsheet of lender requirements. It's killing my productivity to call the lender to find out if someone needs to hold my hand or not. Then, try to schedule an appointment out of the busy supervisor! The worst part is that my supervisor gets an even bigger cut if required to go on an inspection.

Jim

 

[Dee Dee]

Jim,
I think you need to find a better supervisor.
I've never heard of a registered appraiser being able to to sign off on their own, although I would agree that some of them are more competant than their mentors.

 

[Jim Robinson]

I know that I will not get a appraisal pushed through without a supervisor signature. However, I've done quite a few appraisals with the supervisor signature and the "did not" inspect box marked. So, I'm still deciding what to do.

 

[Dee Dee]

Jim,
I'm afraid you have no choice but to work under a supervisor, but do yourself a favor and keep your eyes open for a better one. In spite of your ability to inspect a home, there is much more to learn about being an appraiser. Heck, that's the easy part. You need someone who can spend some serious time with you, who is willing to teach strong standards and ethics as well as the ins and outs of dealing with clients and the unusual issues which always arise.
Unfortunately you're paying your dues...we all have to go through it to some degree. Yes, it's frustrating. The pressure to make a living, combined with a poor mentor, is what produces the very worst appraisers in the industry. Sadly, most of them don't even realize how many bad habits they pick up or how negligent they are because they have no other source of experience to compare it to.