VA approval?

[Leon Stewart]

Leggett,

Contact the VA office in your region. One of your lender clients can probably tell you where that is. The VA has an application process and basically, around here anyway, they won't put an appraiser on the panel unless the volume of VA appraisals is more than the existing panel can handle. It's a fairly easy process if they need someone, it's just that they usually don't need anyone else.

The VA is still assigning appraisers to cases from the panel. I am surprised they haven't gone Realtor-select (same as lender select).

Sometimes it takes a lot of persistence to get on the panel.

Good luck,

Ron in AR

Part of what you say is true, but the VA has always been ruled by politics. They add people based on who you know, and it's been like that as far as I can remember. They will even allow retiree's to name their own replacement, which is usually a relative, but the reason you never hear of any vacancies is that there never are any. You can fill out an application, but if you don have any contacts on the inside that indicates that they can get you on you are spinning your wheels. I've known some people to go through their Congressperson to get on. I tried to get on several times about 25 or 30 years, but haven't tried in recent years. But in general you have to know someone on the inside that has information that they are in need of some additional appraiser, and they can move your application to the top.

leart3

 

[Richard Carlsen]

Just got back from a VA meeting in Detroit on Wednesday. Detroit's appraisal oversight is moving to Cleveland. VA uses .pdf and will be going to total electronic files in the very near future. Detroit office will try to get some fees raised before they totally move to Cleveland. Fees still include $25 travel fee if subject is +10 miles from your office. Michigan fees are $300 for a URAR.

VA will continue to assign the appraiser to the file. Lender has no say in the selection.

Best bit of info was the sharing of how one appraiser got a slow pay client to pay. When the appraiser got the VA assignment, he proceeded to do it in the normal way. Upon completion, he e-mailed his copy to the VA and since the client was not e-commerce ready, he sent the report (and this is the good part) UPS Collect! VA said that was fine with them. If the lender refused to pay, they would delay the vets closing and risk loosing their ability to do VA's. I though that was a great story. They did not recommend this but said it was put out for informational purposes.

 

[Charlotte Dixon]

Leart3 saysart of what you say is true, but the VA has always been ruled by politics. They add people based on who you know, and it's been like that as far as I can remember. They will even allow retiree's to name their own replacement, which is usually a relative, but the reason you never hear of any vacancies is that there never are any.


Couldn't disagree with you more, Leart3! None of that played a part in my selection, just pure persistence! In fact I know of 3 appraisers in Delaware who have just been assigned to the Panel. They were "nobodys" like me! Any appraisers reading this should not be discouraged from applying to their V.A. Regional Office.

 

[Mike Garrett RAA]

Our fee for a URAR residential report in this region is $350 but we don't get milage unless it exceeds 60 miles round trip.

Just received a letter from our regional office stating that they will now handling 9 states instead of 4. The staff remains the same. So youse guys in Alaska, Washington, Idaho, New Mexico, and Utah will now be part of Region VI.

Had to laugh, they have cut the number of telephone lines down to two, one regular and one toll free (as if we could get thru now!) They now have one (1) person for each state.