When To Say No!

[Dave Fitch]

When they leave you a message to call them back IMMEDIATELY, and you have never done business with them before. This happened to me two weeks ago and I still have not returned their call. No stress there!!!

 

[Lee SW IL]

We already have a value of $zzz.zzz ( from an AVM) but we need an appraiser to support the value.

 

[Pam Wyant]

When the owner estimate of value is $200,000 and the highest selling home in the area sold for $90,000.

When the homeowner says it was appraised by ..... (fill in the blank with the idiot from your area that always overinflates property) last year but we were really unhappy with the way he/she appraised the property. (They never think it was higher than it should have been now, do they?).

When the owner doesn't need a complicated appraisal to know what the property is worth, they just want the appraisal for estate portfolio purposes. And, by the way, we might sell it in a few years - there should be some good commercial lots to divide off.

When the owner says "I just had this done last week, I don't know why my spouse wants to hire another appraiser". Especially when the words "see you in court" are the homeowner's parting words.

 

[Tawfik Ahdab]

Nice list but I would drop #13. I'm of middle eastern origin (not my fault) and object to #13 as it is racist.

I'm not a victim and don't feel victimized, but I am not a creepy foreign agressor either. I and 99% of the pepole of the middle east are peace-loving family people like you. Here I am in America living the AMERICAN DREAM. You're putting down those abroad who have no real chance of a better life without nudging or invasion by the U.S.

By the way, I was all for the campaign in Iraq and wish the troops hadn't stopped there.

 

[Mike Garrett RAA]

Sorry Tawfik.... was not intended to impune anyone and was not meant as a racist comment.

Out sourcing is a fact of life. Last week I was handed off to a tech support technician in India. We definately had a "failure to communicate". Read an interesting article the other day that said microsoft can pay phone support personnel in India 25% of what they have to pay them in this country. I think AMC's are doing the same thing.

I see Iran, Iraq, and Afganistan as being a source of cheap labor for US corporations in the future as part of the "rebuilding" of those countries.

 

[Dave Fitch]

Mike,
You are exactly right as usual about the outsourcing thing. Ocwen is a large appraisal management company that has moved its customer service department to India. They do alot of foreclosure work. Recently, they received the bid for a large VA foreclosure contract (U.S. government contract). Now apparently we (the U.S.) can't even foreclose on ourselves. Check it out at www.Ocwen.com for yourself. They are almost giddy about sending their customer service department there. I guess what will be next is that China & Mexico will start making all of the U.S. governments guns, bombs, etc. because it is so much CHEAPER!!! If this hasn't already started already and U.S. firms just put their name on the item.

 

[Sean Braudrick]

I think Mike said if the call sounds like it is coming from one of those COUNTRIES, not those national origins. I often receive calls from India that are British people (outsourced sites).... you can definitely tell the call is international, even if they speak perfect English.

Of course, it would be my personal disdain for the outsourcing movement that would have me turn down the assignment...

 

[Steve Wyrick]

When they offer to triple your price. It is going to be a real problem assignment and triple may not be enough.

 

[Claude From NY]

When the faxed order has Rush!, Please Rush! and Super Rush! stamped all over it along with a ton of smiley faces.

When the appraisal assignment comes in on a Friday evening and it is due Monday morning "per your agreed upon turn time".

When the order states collect fee at door and you call the borrower to make the appointment you find that his phone service has been disconnected due to lack of payment.

 

[Lysander in Charlotte]

Mostly some good grins here. Mike, I somewhat disagree with #1 of the initial post. A high percentage of my orders are faxed from local sources with no verbal communication having occured. Ideally, I complete and e-mail the report without ever talking to the lender. Thats about as seamless as the process can get.