NAR Appraisal section

[Mike Garrett RAA]

Been dead here too. I still get all my mailings from NAR and they include my name and designations but I haven't paid any dues or designation fee for several years.

 

[Michigander]

MICHIGAN -- Michigan Council of Real Estate Appraisers
Membership: 2600
Michigan Association of REALTORS®
P. O. Box 40725
Lansing, MI 48901-7925

Contacts:
Staff: Carrie R. Wolanin
517.334.5551
517.334.5568 Fax
E-Mail: cwolanin@mirealtors.com

In MI, anyone who is an appraiser and a member of NAR is automatically listed (unless they didn't tag themselves as an appraiser with NAR). This is actually quite active and working on educational programs as well as a fraud task force.

 

[Hal Mann]

I think the best thing the Appraisal Institute ever did was to get itself away from NAR. What a terrible conflict of interest! No way could I ever recommend any appraiser be part of that organization.

Code of ethics? What a joke - it's just about as meaningful as the Appraisal Institute's code of ethics...

 

[Mike Garrett RAA]

Hal...

Your thinking was similar to that of those members who broke away back in the 80s. It was a difficult decision and has been met with mixed results. Personally, I see no conflict at all. Way back to the beginning of professional appraisal organizations, many appraisers received their initial training and licensing as real estate agents. Who better to understand property values than someone trained in selling them?

Today, many of us still hold dual licensing. I have had a broker's license since the late 60s and have been appraising and subsequently licensed since 1980. So long as the role is clearly defined there is no conflict.

Lastly, one of the purposes of both organizations is lobbying at both the state and national level. NAR has far more clout than the Appraisal Institute. Clout comes from numbers as well as money, something NAR has lots of.

Many of the appraisers I know have dropped their designations and membership in The Appraisal Institute, especially those who specialize in residential properties. My brother and ex-brother-in-law still retain the SRA but are finding it very costly due to the diminishing number of members. I think if you are a commercial appraiser with an MAI designation you should maintain it.

Lastly, NAR and the Appraisal Institute take the Code of Ethics very seriously, unfortunately, some people who hold themselves out as both appraisers and REALTORS­® don't. Far more problems arise from non-designated appraisers than those who have worked hard to earn those designations. Since licensing, anyone who has a pulse and about $1200 can become an appraiser.

 

[Francois K. Gregoire]

NAR Appraisal - Appraisal Section

Here is the link you seek.....

http://www.realtor.org/rodesign.nsf/pages/AppraisalCtr?OpenDocument

If you are interested in NAR Appraisal Related News, establish an account with the REALTOR.ORG site and sign up for weekly news. You are able to specify the subject areas; include appraisal.

 

[Ms. Janet]

Today, many of us still hold dual licensing. I have had a broker's license since the late 60s and have been appraising and subsequently licensed since 1980. So long as the role is clearly defined there is no conflict.

Lastly, one of the purposes of both organizations is lobbying at both the state and national level. NAR has far more clout than the Appraisal Institute. Clout comes from numbers as well as money, something NAR has lots of.

in january, i attended the FAR appraisal council meeting and was quite impressed.................they are open to all kinds of suggestions regarding the appraisal industry and very interested in bettering relations among realtors and appraisers. i have been working on ways to increase the appraiser participation in fl and think appraisers in every state are missing the boat if they don't take advantage of the benefits of NAR.

 

[Hal Mann]

Hal...

Your thinking was similar to that of those members who broke away back in the 80s. It was a difficult decision and has been met with mixed results. Personally, I see no conflict at all. Way back to the beginning of professional appraisal organizations, many appraisers received their initial training and licensing as real estate agents. Who better to understand property values than someone trained in selling them?
My thinking isn't similar to that from the 80's, it is the same. I was there and celebrated the separation. I agree that those selling properties will generally better understand property values than nearly anyone else. It's the disinterested third party part that is so difficult for realtors/brokers. It's that fundamental conflict between someone working for a commission and someone acting as a disinterested third party that is the problem. And I don't mean a case of someone trying to both (broker & appraise) on the same deal; I mean as a matter of perspective in general.

One of the purposes of both organizations is lobbying at both the state and national level. NAR has far more clout than the Appraisal Institute. Clout comes from numbers as well as money, something NAR has lots of.
NAR certainly does have more clout than the Institute. The biggest problem for the Institute back when it was a part of NAR was that NAR would not permit the Institute to lobby independently on issues of concern to appraisers. Furthermore, issues the NAR lobbied for were sometimes not in appraisers' best interest. Not many appraisers really appreciated their dues going to lobby for issues they oppose.

Many of the appraisers I know have dropped their designations and membership in The Appraisal Institute, especially those who specialize in residential properties. My brother and ex-brother-in-law still retain the SRA but are finding it very costly due to the diminishing number of members. I think if you are a commercial appraiser with an MAI designation you should maintain it.
Again, I agree Mike. With the advent of licensing, the Institute has unfortunately become somewhat irrelevant for many, especially residential appraisers. I understand they are trying to improve in their support for the residential side.

Lastly, NAR and the Appraisal Institute take the Code of Ethics very seriously, unfortunately, some people who hold themselves out as both appraisers and REALTORS*® don't. Far more problems arise from non-designated appraisers than those who have worked hard to earn those designations. Since licensing, anyone who has a pulse and about $1200 can become an appraiser.
I certainly agree that licensing has not only not improved things in the appraisal industry, it has been terrible. Also terrible for the Institute (and other reputable professional appraisal associations) as it has made all license holders equal - at least in the eyeS of many clients. I would agree also that far more problems arise from non-designated appraisers, but that doesn't seem to be as true with brokers vs realtors. One would think that realtors would be more interested in protecting their designations. I don't think every realtor is sleazy or lazy just as I don't think every appraiser is sleazy and/or lazy. Nonetheless, so many of both are. Ugh!

--------------------------------------

 

[Francois K. Gregoire]

One of the purposes of both organizations is lobbying at both the state and national level. NAR has far more clout than the Appraisal Institute. Clout comes from numbers as well as money, something NAR has lots of.
NAR certainly does have more clout than the Institute. The biggest problem for the Institute back when it was a part of NAR was that NAR would not permit the Institute to lobby independently on issues of concern to appraisers. Furthermore, issues the NAR lobbied for were sometimes not in appraisers' best interest. Not many appraisers really appreciated their dues going to lobby for issues they oppose.

Hal,

The above was indeed one of the reasons the Appraisal Institute voted to disaffiliate with the National Association of REALTORS®, but not the only one. If memory serves, disaffiliation was one of the conditions of the merger agreement between the AIREA and the SREA; no disaffiliation=no merger.

The Appraisal Institute and the NAR did quite a bit of work towards reaffiliation a few years back. One of the conditions was a modification to the NAR bylaws to correct the situation you described. That amendment to the bylaws passed the NAR Board of Directors and Delegate Body. Here is the way it reads now:

Section 2. The National Association shall have the following rights and responsibilities:

(A) Primary responsibility to administer, coordinate, report on and deal with both legislative and executive branches of agencies of federal, state or local governments, including independent regulatory agencies and including, but not limited to, the duty to maintain a Washington office for the purpose of reporting to the membership of the National Association and the Institutes, Societies and Councils all matters concerning the activities or proposed activities of the executive and legislative branches and agencies of the Federal government that relate to real estate. The Committee structure shall provide the opportunity for the Institutes, Societies and Councils to have input into the decision-making process;

While the National Association has primary responsibility for the various matters enumerated above, it shall encourage the Institutes, Societies and Councils to assume a participatory role with respect to each of such activities.

The Institutes, Societies and Councils shall be permitted to engage in such activities with respect to issues in which the National Association is not involved or is inactive, so long as no positions are taken which conflict with positions of the National Association and provided further that the National Association shall have prior notice of all such activities undertaken by any Institute, Society or Council.

In the event that an Institute, Society or Council adopts a policy on any legislative or regulatory matter that is in conflict with the policy of the National Association , both organizations shall make every reasonable attempt to resolve their differences. If, after all reasonable attempts to resolve such differences have been exhausted and the organizations are unable to resolve the conflict in policy positions, each organization shall be free to take whatever actions it deems necessary to advocate its policy.