DO SOMETHING! - repost

[Tim Hicks (Texas)]

Pamela, I took your advice in January and called the TALCB and volunteered to do 2-3 free field reviews in my area each and every month. They said "no thanks, we are 15-18 months behind on reviewing complaints and your offer is generous, but it does not fall under our system and bylaws". But, you are right, I can can find some other way to help. I realize I do a lot of the whining on this forum, but it just feels so cleansing and refreshing to hear there are others out there that feel my pain.


My new ending:

"You must resist the dark side of the force, not stronger, only easier" Yoda

 

[Bob Ipock]

Tim,

At least you made the effort. Trying to change anything, be it a group, board, a profession or an individual is a tough project. You may fail fifty times in trying to get something done and then on try # 51....you are successful.

Whine all you want my friend...you have EARNED the right to whine by trying to improve our system. If we had 20,000 appraisers making calls, writing letters and making a real effort to identify probems and offering realistic solutions.....we could make some progress. The harvest is great and the workers are few.

Thanks!

Bob

 

[kim grant]

You know what Pamela, I re-read a post I made back in April on this subject............geez, seems like YEARS ago. I still feel that is reality but I wanted to add this.............Although I do not attend any meetings with the state I do talk to the state all the time. I don't take review work because I cannot get my clients to stop blacking out the name of the original appraiser. The state is not going to have anyone but their own appraisers on staff reviewing, believe me. I was talking to a state investigator the other day (he was an independant in my area a long, long time ago, started only a year before me) and he asked me why I am not doing review and I told him...............the lenders won't reveal the name of the appraiser and if I see something that is obviously fraudulent what do I do with it? He says 'good answer" but what do you do with it???? Most of the complaints are from the disgruntled homeower, as far as I can see, there is no realistic way for a working appraiser to "turn in" other appraisers.

A family member worked for an appraisal firm outside of my business for a while. She quit on my advise. The things she told me they were doing were horrifying. Let me just say these things without revealing much:

1. If you have ACI, call them and password protect your account. Anyone can d/l the signature form, sign anyones name put a cc# in and get a signature disk for ACI software, they don't even check that the cc# matches the person ordering, however, you do need an acct. to order the disk. Password protection of your ACI acct. protects you from forgery. Ultimately, anyone can order the software ( they only need your company phone number) and produce a forgery for your signature and produce their own appraisal report on ACI. I confronted ACI on this breach of security some time ago and they offered to password protect my acct. Works well, I have never been able to license, order or get tech support without giving them my password.


2. In the top bar of the report, replace your company name with:

LENDER: ......... this prevents the altering of the report by printing certain pages and editing other to match (2nd page of ACI files cannot be edited due to signatures but first page can in PDF format and changing the Lender name follows to all pages of the report, lender name is not on the 2nd page of the form traditionally).

3. Locked PDF's can be altered easily by clever techs.

I do not send PDF's, only ACI files, they are more secure. Lenders can d/l the ACI viewer from the aciweb site to view and print.

I have had these breaches demonstrated to me on my own computer, scary stuff.

Notified my clients of these possiblities and of course, they are not as concerned as I am. Amazing but this is why the loan officers and mortgage lenders should be as equally regulated as the appraisers. :lol:

 

[John Sales]

People get sued for turning others even if the reports are crap(its happened before). Its not fair it's just the way it is. Everone knows who does it clean and who beefs it up. They hate callin Mr. Beefy but when it comes down to the commision thier just not willing to chance not making the number or worse REPAIRS.

The lenders will need to do it internally but they wana make the loan too. BLAHHHHH

 

[Juliette Brima]

I recieved a request for a property that has a sales contract on it. In the sales contract it said "seller is to do a carry back of $25,000". This, of course, creates a false market and this realtor is well known for these types of deals. Is there any agency to report this type of transaction. Business is already hard enough without this garbage. When you report something like this is your name signed to the complaint? Let me know.

 

[John Sales]

Ok on the flip side now that things are getting a little tighter I'm seeing lenders really wanting a real deal. Now don't get me wrong I've had to pull out the battle gear and simply tell real estate AGENTS that is is fraud and cheating people is wrong. They always come back with well Mr. Beefy can do it but the lenders are not letting em. Wow are the agents mad..........its about time. Agents can get the funk on better than anybody in this business.

An old timer told me once do the right thing and it will cost you money but when they want Real appraisers you be one of the only ones standing. I'm seeing an increase in work and some of the Beefy boyz are being turned in by the lenders due to their funky work catching up to em.......

Imagine that Mr. Beefy signed his life away for chump change and left a paper trail doing it...........lol the regulators got their work cut out for em


For those who do thier job and dont' FUNK my hats off to ya things will turn our way in the end..... Yes the good guy finishes last but we will be here in the end