How long the comps we can go back?

[J Grant]

What a bunch of horsesht. Your fees were higher and your business interests were stronger *before* they advanced the academic requirements to include a 4yr degree.

And the reason people keep coming here asking technical questions about appraising is directly related to the levels of their previous exposure to those questions in their day-to-day, not to their intellectual ability to learn and retain the material once elaborated in longhand.

Your own technical competency is more directly related to your participation in these discussions and the time/effort you have personally put into them. Not to your academic education. I've watched your own talking points improve over the years - it was your exposure that changed, not your education level. And good on you for making the effort. You have weighed and considered and in some cases adopted what other people have put forth. Sometimes after losing the argument with them. But don't kid yourself: it wasn't some intro to religious history or English Lit course you took when you were 20 which enabled your technical progression; it was your more recent exercise of your own thinking that did it. If you weren't here then you wouldn't have done it on your own.

The same applies to me and to most of the other participants here. I operate on a completely derivative manner based on what I've seen from others. I don't break any new ground or advance any original thinking . DW is an original thinker and an actual thought leader. Santora is/was an original thinker. Terrell is an original thinker. I am not that. I just know how to write a paragraph. And how to snark when people are being stubborn. The most common reason I tell someone they're being dumb about something (after the 6th or 7th exchange on the same thing) is because I think they're leading with their emotions and backing their reasoning in to fit their already-formed judgements. Not because I think they're too uneducated or too dumb to use their reasoning skills. Because I don't think anyone here is actually too dumb to analyze and consider the info prior to jumping to their conclusions. "Won't do it" is an entirely separate - and far more egregious - condition than "can't do it".

I've accrued thousands of hours of face time with thousands of appraisers over an extended time frame and I can PROMISE you that almost no licensees are too dumb to learn how to perform to specs. That some of them haven't only speaks to what has passed as acceptable at the lender level. As has been identified and passed down to them by their respective supervisors.

"Forget everything you learned in your appraisal 101/102 course, I'm going to show you how it's done in the real world". ​

That's the real problem we've been fighting in the competency issue. IMO

Even if we disagree at times (on appraisals or other matters ) You have a brain and can grasp difficult or simple concepts and apply what you have learned etc. I may not be as smart as you ( I honestly don;t think I am, though I have some other talents!) however, my bg has allowed me to grasp the concepts and learn from mistakes or doing the work .

 

[Mark K]

You have your opinion wrt a degree for appraisal, I have mine. I highly doubt that most of the most clueless asking for help graduated college - they managed to get licensed, but their estions show a complete lack of being able to apply/grasp the principles and the slightest bit of complexity renders them coming up with the most bizarre work around. I assume they have memorized enough to pass the test.

I've turned in 4 reports to the state over the years. 2 were MAI and 1 had a PhD in Education on his resume. Don't know about the other one.

A college degree is no guarantee that someone has critical thinking/analysis ability necessary to appraise competently. None.

 

[J Grant]

I've turned in 4 reports to the state over the years. 2 were MAI and 1 had a PhD in Education on his resume. Don't know about the other one.

A college degree is no guarantee that someone has critical thinking/analysis ability necessary to appraise competently. None.

I agree - it is not a guarantee = though idk that an MAI needs college to get the designation.

I am speaking in general terms for most people - certainly, not all and I also said a number of noncollege grads are or can be excellent appraisers. But there is a reason most professions that are professions and not trades require college. One can see how degraded the res side became after they dropped the college degree requirement having only kept it a few years, not long enough to have an impact.

An AMC wants the cheapest possible, and that goes against the idea of more educated people, sorry to say, and the AMC interests prevailed.

 

[J Grant]

I've turned in 4 reports to the state over the years. 2 were MAI and 1 had a PhD in Education on his resume. Don't know about the other one.

A college degree is no guarantee that someone has critical thinking/analysis ability necessary to appraise competently. None.

You just state that with no proof, as if saying it makes it true.

In my opinion, a college degree, for most, results in better critical thinking analysis. However, how many degreed people pursue res appraising, especially now, is there no controlled group study I am aware of. The fact that state gen still requires it says something, but ironically, the $ amount of property value a res appraiser does in a year can far exceed that of many commercial appraisers.s.

MAI might be less ethical rather than not competent? I reviewed several reports back in the day from SRA's and one MAI. - One of the SRA guys and the MAI, in my opinion inflated the values with slick tricks and lots of narrative - it was not incompetence but a choice they made and despite all the slick exhibits their comp choices were cherry-picked lousy and they passed over better more similar comps and also had some wonky adjustments.

I can't even begin to describe the other SRA report. I really felt bad disagreeing with his vale because he put a tremendous amount of work in and IMO was not trying to inflate. ut teh report was so weird - as if he had to show off every appraisal exotic method out there - using 12-year-old comps (while skipping some better recent ones, ) with pages of historical narrative about the area going back to the first settlers.

I also reviewed hundreds of reports by regular appraisers that were just plain old bad- not smart bad, just bad - back when I Did a good number of field reviews -

 

[George Hatch]

I've turned in 4 reports to the state over the years. 2 were MAI and 1 had a PhD in Education on his resume. Don't know about the other one.

A college degree is no guarantee that someone has critical thinking/analysis ability necessary to appraise competently. None.

My theory is that the main reason an analysis turns out so poorly that you're send it in to the state is because the appraiser chose not to work to their competency. For whatever reason, they didn't do what they were capable of doing. More commonly the result of deliberately telling untruths or skimping so much on the research that the alternatives were within easy reach to anyone who bothered to look. That isn't an example of uneducated or unqualified.

Since we're talking about appraisers popping in here to ask for a tip or some help, I suspect what some of them are really asking for is a hack. An EASY button to use in order to avoid following the instructions of a stip or to avoid having to work the problem out in longhand via putting more research into it. It seems like MANY times one of the regulars here will provide a good answer right up front only for the poster to continue to shop for an easier alternative or simply resist the suggestion because they've never been forced to actually work that problem before. We've had some repeat offenders on that score. Again, more closely resembles "don't want to" than "can't understand".

A long time ago I posted examples examples on the forum of narrative templates for clarifying SOW issues in an appraisal report like intended user and intended use and extent of research and such. I posted them so people could appropriate all or part for their own reports. After all, I've appropriated plenty of verbiage and ideas and such from other appraisers over the years, so I have a debt to repay.

Anyways, I offered it up as freeware, so to speak. And some appraisers did adopt or appropriate or use as prompts for their own write-ups as they saw fit. All good. But one thing which became apparent is that I'd see some reports with the entire boilerplate being used without any editing or fitting to the situation at hand. Say one thing and do another. THAT mindless fire-n-forget wasn't what I had intended. I want appraisers to fit their writing to the assignment, not use a suggestion as a one-size-fits-all default without thinking about any of these issues. That's why I stopped posting stuff like that. I suspect there are a lot of people who don't tend to respect solutions that they never had to put any thought into in order to use.

 

[J Grant]

My theory is that the main reason an analysis turns out so poorly that you're send it in to the state is because the appraiser chose not to work to their competency. For whatever reason, they didn't do what they were capable of doing. More commonly the result of deliberately telling untruths or skimping so much on the research that the alternatives were within easy reach to anyone who bothered to look. That isn't an example of uneducated or unqualified.

Since we're talking about appraisers popping in here to ask for a tip or some help, I suspect what some of them are really asking for is a hack. An EASY button to use in order to avoid following the instructions of a stip or to avoid having to work the problem out in longhand via putting more research into it. It seems like MANY times one of the regulars here will provide a good answer right up front only for the poster to continue to shop for an easier alternative or simply resist the suggestion because they've never been forced to actually work that problem before. We've had some repeat offenders on that score. Again, more closely resembles "don't want to" than "can't understand".

Whether its they don't want to get educated or are looking instead for the easy fix ( or a mix of both IMO), either of it stinks -and end result is incompetent or close to it -consider they are teh people who bother to ask a question! And nearly all of them reference an AMC order they are working on.

This is what the AMCs ( and those lenders who use the AMCs) have done to our profession. Fee shopping and fee bidding end up a reverse Darwinian selection of the worst remaining. ( in general) . And by that I mean regular order GSE work non complex orders- not a bid for high value/ complex or commercial.

I assume there are competent appariser working for an AMC - but not seeing too much of it in the queries - some here do learn and seem sharp, I hope the y can find alternate work and leave the AMC work behind.

 

[sputnam]

what is a "professional degree" that is not a PhD or Masters?

MD is one.

I think the requirement for a degree is more about reasoning and writing skills that it supposed to be about providing skills specific to appraising. That isnt' to say that an appraiser without a four year degree can't do a good job of deteriming value. Some can. However, it is true that if you write better, you will be perceived as better.

 

[Carnivore]

Mike Rowe of the show Dirty Jobs has it right. You don't need a college education nor do you need a high school diploma. People can learn how to operate heavy equipment at a fraction of the cost of the college education and make two or three times the money annually than a 2/4 yeAR college grad.

We are rapidly heading towards a cashless society. So that is a problem for many sub-contractors like a res appraiser. Private non-lender assignments for res appraisers will be forced to report that income. The banks reporting of cash deposits threshold was $1,000 now it is $600.

So suggest a res appraiser get multi-licensed. i,e. NC has a licensed home Inspector. You should also make sure you have an RE Broker license. It is all about revenue streams. The more you have the better.

 

[J Grant]

Is biology the best undergraduate major for premeds?​

There’s a misconception that students should major in biology or another science if they want to get into medical school. In fact, there’s no required or even preferred majors that medical schools are looking for. Consider majoring in whatever interests you and will keep you engaged and motivated during undergrad. Medical schools want students who are authentic with genuine interests, so it’s best to major in what you want, not what you think they want. Just make sure you fulfill the prerequisite coursework for the schools you want to apply to. You can find a breakdown of each medical school’s requirements and recommendations on the school’s website and in the Medical School Admission Requirements™ (MSAR®).

Will a nursing degree be an advantage when applying to medical school?​

It’s best not to choose nursing (or another health profession) if you don’t intend to practice that profession. Nursing requires rigorous coursework, but it differs from that of premed perquisites and will not necessarily help you best prepare for medical school. While there is overlap between the two fields of study, the courses and skills taught are not the same. However, if you start out genuinely wanting to be a nurse and change your mind after having some experiences, you can certainly explain that and be accepted to medical school. You can read about Rose or Courtney’s path from nursing to medical school in Anatomy of an Applicant.

Is there a major that will best prepare me for the MCAT® exam?​

The purpose of the MCAT® exam is to assess your problem-solving skills, critical thinking, and knowledge of the natural, behavioral, and social sciences concepts and principles that are necessary for the study of medicine. The concepts you will encounter on the exam are taught at most undergraduate institutions in introductory biology, physics, psychology, sociology, and first-semester biochemistry as well as general and organic chemistry. There isn’t one major that will prepare you better. So, regardless of what major you choose, you will need to be familiar with and have a high level of comfort with the content tested. Learn more about what subjects are tested on the MCAT exam.

Can I major in the humanities?​

Absolutely! According to data collected by the AAMC, more than half of all applicants reported undergraduate biological science majors over the past five years, while the rest reported a variety of majors including in mathematics, statistics, social sciences, health sciences, and the humanities. Humanities classes can teach students how to develop their communication skills, critical thinking, and cultural competences — all skills that are essential to becoming an effective physician.

 

[Carnivore]

MD is one.

I think the requirement for a degree is more about reasoning and writing skills that it supposed to be about providing skills specific to appraising. That isnt' to say that an appraiser without a four year degree can't do a good job of deteriming value. Some can. However, it is true that if you write better, you will be perceived as better.

For res appraisers that may help but that's not what the AMC leeches are looking for. Their checker dudes and dudettes are low paid. Most of them were lured away from fast food industry.