Do You Have Copies Of Your Appraisals?

[Pamela Crowley (Florida)]

As a trainee, are you getting and keeping signed complete copies - EXACTLY WHAT WAS SENT TO THE CLIENT - of all appraisals you were involved with?

I'm currently aware of a case that will likely be pending at a State Board where the trainee is now certified. This appraiser worked from home, sent the appraisals as they were completed to their supervisor, who then 'finished' them and sent them to the client. The trainee does not have a copy of the final product. This appraiser will not be able to provide to their State Board a copy of the finished product that was sent to the client. This appraiser has no clue what was really sent. The supervisor has the trainees digital signature but the trainee has no clue if it was used or what it was used on.

The implications of this scenario are HUGE. I'll add much more to this after I get some more time and some answers to the poll.

NOBODY WILL KNOW WHO ANSWERED WHICH WAY IN THIS POLL.
Please, do answer this poll and answer it honestly.

 

[CANative]

I signed Yes, I have a copy of each and every report.

Owning the company really helped in that regard.

It seems to me that a trainee should work directly out of the same office as the supervisory appraiser, in fact have a desk right next to them.

The first few months are confusing and there are so many questions, it's just not possible to work by remote control.

And after 6 or 9 months the new appraiser will come to understand the importance of keeping an exact copy - as required by the records keeping portion of the ethics rules in USPAP.

 

[Roy Spidle]

I don't have a copy of every appraisal I worked on while being a trainee. However, it is my understanding is you don't need one. What you do need is access to any file you worked on. I do have that. I can, at any time, get any report that I worked on in any form. I do have some here at the house, but the rest are in a storage facility that I have the keys to.

-me

 

[Dee Dee]

With the advent of e-mail, 'distance training' is becoming more and more common and the process of training has become a joke. In many cases the trainee is hand-fed the comps from the supervisor, the trainee does the inspection and basically just fills in the field data and photos and e-mails it to the supervisor. The supervisor then makes changes or corrections completes the report and sends it to the client. Often the trainee never sees the final report nor is given a thorough explanation of any of the research or analysis contained within it.

Since this is the only kind of job position that many can find, and because of the appeal of working from home, they're missing out on a very large part of the appraisal process, but they either don't know it or are reluctant to seek out mentors who will teach them properly.

I shudder to think how many of these trainees are happily logging hours that they will eventually send in to their state boards to become fully licensed, yet they have no idea if those reports are fraudulent or misleading because they don't have the REQUIRED copies in their posession. How could they possibly be sure? Yet their signatures are right there on the report as if they were participants. Ignorance can only be used as a defense to a point. Should one of those reports be put under scrutiny later the trainee would have to plead ignorance (egg on face), would have to admit that they didn't have final copies in their possession when they submitted their logs (more egg on face!), and quite possibly face disciplinary actions against them.

Every trainee needs to ask themselves these questions before submitting their log to their state boards:

1)If the state board asked for a sample and/or work file of every appraisal in my log, would I be able to quickly produce it for them and would my exact level of participation be explained within the report? (If your name isn't somwhere in there, then it doesn't count.)

2) Do the appraisals in my log indicate that I have experience in all aspects of the appraisal processes, or that my knowledge is limited to being my supervisor's data gopher? (If you're a data gopher, the report needs to explain what you did and not mislead as if you made pertinent decisions on adjustments, comp selection, etc.)

3) If my level of participation in the report is disclosed as being 100%, do I feel comfortable that I can explain, verify and defend every aspect of that report without my supervisor having to hold my hand or answer for me?

4) Am I 100% positive that my supervisor has not manipulated my report without my knowledge, but if ever put under investigation I have proof in my hand that I was misled and am innocent of wrong-doing? (God forbid, but this could be your only defense in a court of law, and can make the difference between whether you are perceived as a victim or a knowledgable participant.)

If any of these questions are making you uncomfortable or nervous, then you aren't ready to be fully licensed, and need to take it upon yourself to make the changes or corrections needed or further your education before proceeding toward becoming licensed.
A good, ethical supervisor should have NO PROBLEM accomodating these needs and requirements. If your supervisor is being a turd about it, then you'd better start wondering and asking why.

 

[George Hatch]

Every year we get a couple people come on this forum and describe situations where their relationship with their supervisors have failed. Now they no longer have access to their workfiles, and can't come up with copies of any of their reports, and can't even demonstrate their hours because they haven't been maintaining and updating their log of experience. Similarly, staff appraisers working for banks generally don't have ready access to anything they've ever done.

There's no legitimate reason not to keep a true copy of your report (at the least). Go buy some cardboard file boxes and print an extra paper copy for yourself, complete with signatures. Protect yourselves and your supervisor. It'll take you an extra three minutes and then you'll never have to scrounge for it or rely on someone else's goodwill and ethics.

 

[Dee Dee]

George,

Agreed!
But even though only a few trainees post about having this problem on the forum, I'd be willing to bet that most wouldn't because it's not something they want to admit to in public. They realize too late that they didn't clearly understand what their responsibilities are, and they're usually mortified when they learn the potential consequences, especially if they've concluded that their supervisor may not be the most ethical creature on the planet.

I think the results of this poll will speak volumes, so I hope that all will come forward and cast their votes.

 

[George Hatch]

DeeDee,

I'd refer to think of it more as an issue of trust. Most appraisers come into the businesswanting to do the right thing and believing what their supervisors tell them about how important their ethics are. And mostly, that trust is well founded, or at least I'd like to think so.

However, it is the exception to that rule that we hear about the most. The sweatshop guys all make the same noises up front, and the newbie has to find out for themself the hard way that the dance steps don't match the music. Subordinate appraisers at all levels need to protect their long term interests by maintaining their own copies, IMO. It's about the only way they can prove who did what in the event of a complaint.

 

[Jeff Horton]

I didn't vote since I am not a trainee but I am surprised at the responses!

I just took on a trainee last week. She is waiting on her lic. to come in but has passed the test and has been busy helping me on appraisals. I am after her to get her log in order and keep copies of each appraisal she has helped me on so she can get credit for it!

Who knows, I could have a fire or be killed tomorrow and where would she be? Where will you trainees be if your Supers office burns and he/she looses all their files?

 

[Dee Dee]

George,
I think that we're looking at a whole new phenomena in how people are trained that wasn't even around 5 years ago. The physical distance and overall detachment between the trainee and mentor has widened considerably since the advent of EDI. Even the smaller shops are being run by former sweatshop refugees, and they don't know any other way of doing things than how they were taught.

It sure would be nice if there were required courses for appraisers to be supervisors! Bet more than a few trainees would applaud a move like that.

 

[Walter Kirk]

Many moons ago when I was first starting as an appraiser I kept only a list of the appraisals that I completed. One Sunday afternoon I was driving by the appraisal company office and I saw a truck moving the furnature out. The rat that owned the company was closing, I only had time to remove my personal items from my desk. I didn't get copies of my reports and, you guessed it, I didn't get paid for my completed reports.