Several of you have criticized my friend, Rusty Lingerfelt for his attitude and frankness. Rusty, always signed his name and frequently quoted his source and backed up what he said by the way he interpreted the books he quoted. Now my point; if you are going to criticize a fellow appraiser, don't be a chicken little and use some anonymous name. Stand up so we can see who has the courage of their convictions.

Several of the recent post are mostly there for criticising and not for benefit. The one that prompted this is a comment regarding Katrina and her employer. I frequently have breakfast with one of their trainers. I would submit that there quality is well above the standard. Don't show your ignorance, get the fact, then comment.

M.E.

Look at the picnic pictures if you want to know what I look like and my full name.

Since John Bryant is a very busy man and he is providing this forum for serious appraisal questions and answers, I suggest maybe 2 or 3 people that John knows personally acting as monitors for this site with the ability to delete BS postings or comments.

My 2 cents.

Maybe the solution would be to have a registration process (Name, Address, Phone, License #), 1 per License #, and a screen name could be chosen. No doubt that this would create alot more work for John though, but I think its worth it.

When I first started, I used "DJ" because thats what everyone that knows me calls me. Would this be more acceptable to go back to that, or is Devil's Advocate still ok since I stay consistent with it?

Yes Rusty used his name, but he was an established CG. Some appraisers are somewhat new and posting your real name could cause more problems than a newer appraiser needs as this time (ie Reviewers). I do realize that there is one very new appraiser that post her real name and is pretty candid about her experiences, but she is also extreamly mature and quite comfortable with her capabilities, knowledge and this industry. Not all new appraisers are at that stage in life. Just my opinion.

My problem with it, is that there are reviewers on this forum, and as we are dealing with human nature, some will not be able to be objective if they come across an appraisal done by someone that may have pissed them off on this forum.

Every thread has a URL.   I and am on this board constantly am automatically notified of any incoming email (which includes and email for any new post).

Copy the URL and email it to me.   All of my posts have my email address next to it.

I will review the post for frivolous criticism.

One of the recent posts that was taken as criticism stated "hire an appraiser".   The originator of the thread was greatly insulted.   I thought it was good advice.   Perhaps it could have been said better but nevertheless, good advice.

I will watch more closely for insults without a reason.

John

How very orwellian this forum is starting to feel.

Isn't it ironic that in a thread pertaining to the unwillingness of people to use their name the majority of those responding are unwilling to identify themselves.

I do have a question though, who is easier to believe, the man who answers a question and is willing to let you know who he is... or the person that is continually posting about nothing -- and doing it under the cover of an alias?

You could be right, but it was the owner of this forum who sought to protect the identity of appraisers and allowed people to post under a fake name.

Now if you want to change the rules to people posting under their real names then so be it. The rules of this forum are that you can use your cyber name and that you can post a reply to any subject no matter what level your license.

So, once more we are down to either you don't like the post or you do. Its not mean or nasty its just an opinion. Thats why we can pick our firends, pick our nose and you can even pick what you read on this or any forum but your can not make someone say things you like.

Now Randy you have a nice day.

I waqnt to preface this by stating that I learn alot from Rusty's info, and this is in no way directed at him.

However, I, personally, would prefer someone not to post anything if they can't help the original poster with his or her problem.

For example- a novice artists draws a picture and wants some input and feedback. Telling that person they shouldn't even try to draw or they are a terrrible artist is NOT HELPFUL. Pointing them in the direction of help, such as an art class someone is familiar with and thinks could benefit the novice artists, is helpful to not just the original poster, but all the novice artists who may need the same direction. And its easier than trying (and often failing) to come up with some sarcastic snippy remark.

That is not to say I don't enjoy the truly funny remarks some post. Thats 1/3 of why I'm hear. I'm hear for knowledge, a laugh, and to reaffirm that I really don't have it bad when I read some of you other appraisers problems.

Sorry for the long post. I'm relatively new, and love this forum because it is a great learning tool that seems to be used by appraisers who are knowledgable and moral.

Thanks to everyone who puts forth the effort to help any appraiser in need.

Appraiser, At my age I am proud to have a day and I do all I can to make each of them as nice as possible.

You folks have way to much time on your hands...who cares - if you don't like something - ignore it...

Bill, get a life.

So Reviewer, you are saying you could be objective if you were reviewing one of my appraisals and I was rude and disagreed with your opinions?

M.E.,

Where is the thread you are speaking about?

Anna

What difference does it make as long as u post with the same alias day in and day out? If you post with the same name consistently, it is equivalent to a "screen name" which is a unique identifier. The same as a name. The only problem I have is people that post under different names or who post with the thread topic as their name and bla bla bla. Everyone on this site might not know exactly who I am, but that I am very young and registered. If I we were to put our full names on here, it would be impossible for someone to be objective if they came across one of our reports. If you liked me you would find yourself being lenient towards certain things. If you hated me, you would find yourself nit picking at everything in the report. Like I said, if everyone had the same screen names and you could only have one name per license # & email, it would slow down on all of the "Anon" and "????" "?" screen names we see.

How long have you been appraising?

How long do you think?

I don't know.

Anna - Devil (aka DJ) was the one who suggested we put our experience after out posting name.   He and BK43 are the only two who have consistently done this.   Look at the name he is posting by and you will know his experience.   I've been watching pretty closely to see when he becomes DJ.75.

He must be a kid but pretty smart.   He'll do ok when he gets to DJ2 or so.   He's a good pet right now.  

I've tried but I can't get enough information on him to nail down his name.

John

Devil - can I put 35 after my name in July.   I started July 7, 1973.   Since July 7 will be the first day of my 35th year, I think I can put 35 or do I have to wait until January and round to 35 or do I have to put 34.5 in January?  

John

Sorry about the confusion, lol. Its really .17 years but I was too lazy to do the conversion earlier so I just put .5. I am 23 and my name should pop up when I send you emails John. That was me about owner occ and the 2 story foyer if you can remember. I know you get a ton of emails

Well things were tense when we decided on this so I didnt want people to say I was misleading them by saying 1 year. LOL. I was actually in your class when everyone made you mad by being late so you took the list away and wouldnt let us sign in. That was scary. LoL

I don't compare my emails with this forum.   I treat all emails as confidential and don't track people down using them.

I generally find initials, other posts, etc. to track people down.

I didn't connect you to one of Barney Fletcher's classes.   I am a part-time teacher there and don't maintain records for Barney's classes.   I do remember the time I removed the sign-in sheet.

John

Oh ok. Well, from now on if people want to know more about me, they can just ask because I am ok with it. I just dont like being interrogated by anonymous people, lol.

Ah, so that's where these numbers came from. I missed that thread.

Actually, Devil (0.17) suggested the rule but you have to know the second part to appreciate the first part.

If you use a number, you are not allowed to refer to the extent of your experience in your post.

He was tired of people saying "I've been in the business 25 years and ..."

Devil, the decimal point in your moniker is hard to see.   Maybe a leading zero would make it clearer.  

John

better?

Better

John

All this time I thought this website was screwed up by putting numbers behind names. It is a good idea for people to start doing.

Oh, no! Since I actually started appraising in November2006, I have been at it around 8 months, which would make my "experience" number .666 repeating. I don't want anyone to read anything into that

I understand why this may be a good idea for anonymous posters, but there is the not insignificant point to be made that a person who will hide his/her name is also likely to hide or misrepresent his/her experience. The numbers aren't going to carry much weight with me, especially since I have met a few Neanderthal appraisers with years of experience who do things the way they were taught back in the old cave appraising days. They can put 500 after their names and it would probably lend less credence to their opinions, not more.

Kat,
Never discount experience in this business. It seems they often tend to be less incorrect than someone with only a few years.

It would be wise to listen and then evaluate. Their method may also be correct.

B. Hinds, you are right, I did not mean to sound so judgmental. Sorry!

I wasn't really talking about "tried and true" methodology. My comment was made based on the new Georgia law that went into effect last summer and the seeming lack of interest in it. Some "old timers" did not know or understand it, and some did not even know there was new law concerning residential appraising.

Anonymity doesn't bother me too much, as long as you are consistent with your handle.

For instance, if I posted under "MAG" and did not provide my email address, then I posted something under "?" or "???" or whatever, that is cowardly to the second degree. That means I am so cowardly that I don't even want my ANONYMOUS handle "MAG" associated with the post I just made, even though no one even know who "MAG" is.

If someone is THAT ashamed of their post, then they shouldn't bother posting at all.

Henry 8, I got a chuckle from your name. My wife named her weiner dog Henry the 8th. hehe

Oh for goodness sakes. Give it a rest everyone.

John has put forth his rules and guidelines and that is what they are. If he wants to change them, then it should be up to him.

There are many reasons why someone does not want to post under his real name and I don't have a problem with that. As long as they don't abuse the rules, then so what? It is much better to work on cutting out all the negative than to worry about someone's name and if they are a coward.

We have such a low percentage of the total appraisers in the state not even to think about the country who read or post on this forum. I think it would be better to welcome more people with whatever they want to use as a screen name than to have the same people complain and drive away all the new or inexperienced.

Encourage through leadership rather than ridicule.
Stop the complaining.

if i were to post a question on this forum and there were to be numerous responses, i would most likely read all of them and also take into account the number after their logo. if for instance, the poster had a .666 after their logo, i would most likely discard the answer if i had two possibilities to select from.
i know some of the posters who respond like b. hinds who should have a number after his logo which most likely would be about "25". i an not really sure but he is old. if i had to go to court is would surely not take someone like ".666" with me.
now, that does not mean that just because someone has a larger number after their logo that they know what the hell they are talking about and just because someone can quote a page and paragraph from a book does not mean that they understood what they read.
the thought process should be that you read the answer posted and take a minute to analyze the answer. if someone quotes a page and paragraph, you should take the time to read said page and paragraph to see if you agree with the interpritation of the poster.
if the answer makes no sense, throw it away.
if someone replies with an answer like the 30 percent rule, rule of half or some other response, reply back as to "where did you get that rule". as learned after these responses were made, there is no 30 percent rule or rule of half.
it is like some of the responses that indicated or insinuated that the reason for the high foreclosure rate is due to bad appraisals and bad appraisers. again, a statement which has been proven to be wrong. the correct answer is that the high foreclosure rate is due to subprime adjustable mortgages for people who have poor credit scores. the amount of foreclosures will most likely increase for at least another year or more. again, not due to bad appraisals or bad appraisers. that does not mean that there are not bad appraisers or bad appraisals.

dear m.e.p
just for your information, m.e.p is not a name but a logo.
your friend rusty was not knocked because he could quote page and paragraph but because of the attitude of his posts. if you did not agree with him, his attitude was that you were stupid, plus, he wasn't always right.
quite honestly, i miss rusty because of the discussions that developed from the threads which evolved from individual comments. not saying that anyone in particular was right or wrong but we would have good discussions and at the end of these discussions, hopefully a correct answer evolved.

That is what a forum is for to find the best possible answer by burning away the myths, rules of thumb and other silly things that are just traditions. I found that more times than not when a debate ensued a pound of flesh produced a ounce of truth.

BK

Actually, my complete legal name is M.E. Phillips. This has caused a lot of consternation for some. Most of the regular posters, GAPPA Members, and others I have met in schools know me and my name. The USMC said everybody has a name so here is your name. "M" "E" PHILLIPS. For those in the old Corps my Serial #1994017. Now you know it all.

MEP

BK what happened to your understudy? You know the guy you drove around with the windows down?

B Hinds, I tried to post a reply to you and for some reason it did not "take." I didn't mean my comment to sound so dismissive, and I apologize for that. I was very surprised last summer to find that so many appraisers did not know the new Georgia law regulating our profession, and in fact did not even know that the law had changed substantially! These were "old timers," and that's when i decided that I needed to stay current for my own edification, and not simply to satisfy a CE requirement.

But, as I always point out with annoying regularity, I am NEW and KNOW NOTHING! I did, however, just complete my 50th appraisal and perhaps I will be the first person to get a license with 100 appraisals. Once the AMP sees how many worksheets I have for each cost approach their eyes will glaze over Mine do!

Maybe not. lol. I think John just posted something that you need at least 200 on ur log

Kat,

I guess most of us old guys would say, 50 appraisals is just not enough EXPERIENCE to qualify you for your license. Personally, you just have not seen enough to qualify you to do this on your own. With a license you are suppost to be able to do this by yourself. I guess that is more of the old guy in me talking. I am just speaking from experience.

You do not need 200 appraisals to qualify to sit for the license exam.   If you do not have 200 appraisals, the GREAB will review the log (instead of AMP) to make sure it is reasonable.   I have not heard of the GREAB turning any log down, but Board scrutiny is something that I would prefer to avoid.

John

B.Hinds, I was not proposing to sit for a license exam with my 50 appraisals! Lord have mercy! One thing I have found is that the more you think you know, the sooner you will come across some new problem that will humble you again

John, wouldn't it be interesting to have multiple appraisers do the same house and identify the appraisals only by number (assigned to each appraiser by a disinterested third party). Then, we could each look at all the appraisals and try to match the product with the appraiser. How fun would that be??

Katrina,

I would take that challenge or we could do the one I am presently working on.

It is on 5 acres, has a new, 3 story garage, modern style, 4 sides brick, 2 central HVAC systems, stores up to 10 or 12 vehicles, game room, bath, full wet bar with side-by-side, stainless steel refrigerator, bedroom suite, and a 42" HD plasma screen TV in the unfinished basement of the garage.

Three entrances with electric gates, full sod, sprinkler systems, Custom shaped pool, built-in hot tub, stacked stone exterior fireplace, and custom built aluminum fence, a go car tract with water truck and (Cat)small road graders (for the track) 3 car garage storage building for support equipment, and 3 Mexicans for labor needs.


The house is over 4,500 SF, full finished basement with custom console in the theater room, wet bar and numerous upgrades. Any takers?

Yes, the fee is over $1,000.

MEP

M.E., I would dearly love to see your appraisal of that when you finish. Could you redact the names/banks and allow me to view it?

I don't know; I may be ashamed of it.

MEP

I even know some AI members that aren't even aware of the new rules and these are the ones who supposedly have the most education