My New Blog

I had a discussion in my office this morning about how hard it is to network and link my profile and blog with my friends and associates that are mortgage professionals and Realtors. Several associates want to connect with me via Linked-In and other social media avenues. I have already said "yes" to a few of them, but then I discovered that what I have to say about the current housing and real estate situation does not bode well in their efforts to paint a happy face on the current state of affairs in our industry. All one has to do is read my last few blogs and then contrast that to what is being said on most mortgage/realtor websites and you can see my quandary.

To be an unbiased appraiser has become harder and harder nowadays. The government has singled out my industry to harsh, not-well-thought-out regulation that has become fraught with unintended consequences. The governments well intentioned (?) attempts to make our profession more independent has actually led to many appraisers being led around by the nose by large Appraisal Management Companies that, surprise, are owned by the Big Banks. Not only do these appraisal management companies tell you how long to complete an assignment, regardless of the complexity, they also tell you how much you will be paid. The funny thing is, they don't tell you WHEN you will be paid. I for one will not work for most Appraisal Management Companies (AMC) because of their negative impact on the mortgage industry and the increased costs to the end user, the borrower.