HUD is aware of fraud and okay with it

[Craig Farr]

Good luck to you, cwd.
I agree with you fully. I belonged to AI but saw, long ago, that it isn't really interested in representing appraisers. It's just another Chicago band of brothers looking out for themselves and enjoying the social life that goes with the job. And I don't see ANY so-called appraiser organization making ANY noises about TRULY getting down in the mud and fighting for appraisers. Might get dirty, ya know!

 

[c w d]

I sure hope you aren't working on an MBA. Seriously, though.

No, I've decided I'm not the business "type". And after seeing how corrupt the real estate process is from the very start all the way up to the finished product I've decided to get into the medical field. I'm currently working on a Pharm.D degree, Doctor of Pharmacy. I can only assume that they respect morals and ethics slightly more than in the appraisal business. And I'm tired of making dirt. And instead of getting into a field where I can make pretty decent money only by becoming a slave to the job working 80+ hours a week and having to sell my soul in the process, I decided I would get into something that made a good living by default even if I wanted to work part time at some point. I'm middle aged and I'll be in my 40's by the time I finish. But, what the hell!

Good luck to you, cwd.
I agree with you fully. I belonged to AI but saw, long ago, that it isn't really interested in representing appraisers. It's just another Chicago band of brothers looking out for themselves and enjoying the social life that goes with the job. And I don't see ANY so-called appraiser organization making ANY noises about TRULY getting down in the mud and fighting for appraisers. Might get dirty, ya know!

Yep, appraisers, at least the residential appraisers, have absolutely no representation politically or professionally. We are blowing in the wind and these days the wind is blowing hard.

 

[mopickled]

If you come forward, the reality is very little (if anything) will be done, and you may pay a price. I am sorry, but this is what I have seen and experienced myself.

Here, here - been there done that.

I made a stand with RELS/Wells Fargo a few years back. Haven't seen an order since. All I tried to do was warn them about a Skippy they were employing - but of course I was seen as "disgruntled". :new_all_coholic:

Now I'm a bit more than disgruntled - I'm p'd off. :new_2gunsfiring_v1:

 

[Kevin Mc]

At the end of the day, trying to get a voice with the powers that be to get siginificant changes made in our industry may prove fruitless. So many people know better than us as to what works and doesn't. Let them have their cake. I have been taking my experience and expertise elsewhere. They don't appreciate appraisers so no use in sticking around trying to convince them the sky is falling.

 

[timd354]

Just got off the phone with HUD fraud hotline. Found out that case numbers that were submitted to me by loan officers were actually obtained with different appraisers credentials.
After indicating that it seems like loan officers are shopping for value for FHA loans, I was told that is one of the issues that helped create the mortgage mess, but that higher ups in HUD are okay with the practice. I was told to send letters to my local congressman and senators to make them aware of the situation, as no one in HUD is willing to take it on or make any changes.
HUD is well aware that they are the new subprime, and are going to milk it for what it is worth.

Sadly, this is not exactly surprising....but what do you expect from a typical government bureacracy where the head of valuation/appraisal policy is not even an appraiser, but a career bureacrat? In such organizations, the people who rise to the top are those who do not make waves and just go along with the program.

 

[c w d]

At the end of the day, trying to get a voice with the powers that be to get siginificant changes made in our industry may prove fruitless. So many people know better than us as to what works and doesn't. Let them have their cake. I have been taking my experience and expertise elsewhere. They don't appreciate appraisers so no use in sticking around trying to convince them the sky is falling.

No doubt. I've considered the situation at length before deciding to take a 6 year journey into an completely different field. My conclusions: Change for the better as an appraiser may never come. Commercial appraisers are subject to the same corruption and susceptible to the same pressures. Any change for the better, if ever is probably on someone's 10 - 20 year plan. Although, change for our profession is most likely to be for the worse, not the better.

So, here I am. A full time college student who has just officially made 2 A's and a B for his first term in 12 years and they were all science and math classes. Here's to the future!

 

[Steve Metz]

They give little incentive for residential appraisers to join the AI. Considering the widespread corruption in this business and the common knowledge that it occurs the AI and others should be filing lawsuits left and right against government agencies and GSE's who have a set of rules in place that they do little to enforce and with the extent failure to enforce the regulations and laws in effect encourages corruption. It's the same for state AB's

We really need to set up an advocacy group and start filing some lawsuites. I am also on my way out of this profession so it is up to you folks that stay with it to do it.

 

[c w d]

We really need to set up an advocacy group and start filing some lawsuites. I am also on my way out of this profession so it is up to you folks that stay with it to do it.

Steve, I'm with ya on the advocacy group. But, I'm also broke. I could maybe write your newsletters and I'm technically savvy enough to setup whatever your technology needs require.

 

[Deleted member 77547]

Good luck to you, cwd.
I agree with you fully. I belonged to AI but saw, long ago, that it isn't really interested in representing appraisers. It's just another Chicago band of brothers looking out for themselves and enjoying the social life that goes with the job. And I don't see ANY so-called appraiser organization making ANY noises about TRULY getting down in the mud and fighting for appraisers. Might get dirty, ya know!

GENERALLY SPEAKING, the main purpose of an institution is to maintain the institution as institution...members are secondary although in many cases they are the main financial support of the institution.

 

[Appraising since 1975]

I turned one into FHA that was clearly fraudulent. Two years later, I got a letter
saying the case was closed and after both a desk review and a field review, my
allegations were unsubstaniated. All they had to do was READ what I wrote when
I turned it in. THEY DON'T CARE!