Please note that this response is not to the previous post or to anyone person in general on this thread. It is just an observation. I usually don't take part in appraisal discussions (1) because I own the board and half of the people will think I am biased against them if I disagree with them, and (2) because I am not an appraiser anymore. In other words I have to watch what I say much more than you guys do so I usually stay away from it.
This is just an observation from a non-appraiser, take it for what it's worth. I am not wearing my "moderator hat" now, nor my "appraiser hat" that I retired in 1997, just someone that can't help to be amazed about one thing...and that is:
When I became an appraiser in 1984 this same type of stuff was going on. I was amazed that there were so many organizations, and that they fought among themselves. Here we are 18 years later and the same thing is still going on and the profession is no better off. There is no one voice to speak for the appraisers that has any clout. Anyone from outside the profession can plainly see that, why can't those within see it and do something about it?
There have been numerous opportunities for the organizations to get together over the years and form something on the order of the National Association of Realtors, or the CPA's or any large nationwide respected professional group. Yet when any discussions of this come up from time to time the appraisal groups have continued to have power struggles, wanting to exclude some groups, not recognize others, thus causing even more groups to be formed because they were excluded and not recognized, etc.
What the profession needs is for someone that has some status and some clout to take the lead and say "Okay, let's form a brand new appraisal organization, with a new name. It's plain to see that what we've been doing in the past hasn't worked. We need to do something that will help all appraisers and that every appraiser would want to be a part of and be proud to be a part of. Something that anyone who becomes an appraiser wouldn't think of NOT joining! Just like the other professions have.
All existing appraisal organizations will be partners in it and their members will automatically be members. The old organizations will no longer exist. We will take this new organzation to a level that the existing organizations failed to achieve by on their own, and will continue to fail to achieve in the future because of the fighting and disagreements amont the organizations.
Make the dues affordable and keep the politics out. Since it is a new organization and it has no past then no one will have problems with it to begin with because there will be no previous bad experiences. If you tried to merge the existing organizations into one of the existing organizations then there are the jealousy and power problems. Sort of like when the AFL and the NFL merged and became the NFL made up of the National and American conferences, the National Conference (the old NFL) still looked down their noses at the American (old AFL) conference. So it must be a new organization to get rid of those problems.
Maybe I am just a simple guy, but why doesn't someone do this? My first guess would be politics, those in power want the status quo, and those not in power can't do anything because they aren't in power.
Just my thoughts, I just can't see why you guys don't get together under one umbrella and the only way to do that is to get a NEW umbrella that is large enough to keep you all from drowning.
Maybe some day...
Okay, you guys can get back to your discussions now... I'm calling it a day (or week or whatever).
