Mary Cummins, Real Estate Appraiser, Animal Advocates, Los Angeles, California

Mary Cummins, Real Estate Appraiser, Animal Advocates, Los Angeles, California
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Showing posts with label certified. Show all posts
Showing posts with label certified. Show all posts

Friday, January 12, 2024

McKissock Learning Will No Longer Offer PAREA Due to Costs by Mary Cummins Real Estate Appraiser

mckissock learning, mckissock,appraisal institute, parea, real estate appraiser, mary cummins, real estate appraisal, training, certified, residential, license, hud, fha
mckissock learning, mckissock,appraisal institute, parea, real estate appraiser, mary cummins, real estate appraisal, training, certified, residential, license, hud, fha

PAREA is the Practical Applications of Real Estate Appraisal. In order to become a licensed appraiser you currently need about a year or two and 1,000-1,500 hours of training experience as a trainee with another licensed and generally certified appraiser. You also need basic classes and other requirements. Because it was so difficult to find mentors willing to train trainees for free the government allowed the PAREA training alternative to hours with a live mentor. Real Estate Appraiser education provider McKissock Learning was going to be one of the government approved companies, organizations offering PAREA training. The Appraisal Institute is another organization offering the training. 

Yesterday January 12, 2024 McKissock emailed people who were interested in the program that they would no longer be offering the PAREA program. See below email.

"Happy New Year to you and yours. We hope this letter finds you well. With a strong commitment to responsibility and transparency, we want to inform you about a significant decision regarding the McKissock PAREA (Practical Applications of Real Estate Appraisal) project.

After careful consideration and thorough evaluation of various factors, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the McKissock PAREA project. We understand that this news may be unexpected, and we want to provide you with a clear understanding of our reasoning and the steps we are taking moving forward.

One of the primary factors contributing to the cancellation is the substantial resource cost required to provide a product of the quality we envisioned. In our pursuit to deliver a premium solution, the associated costs exceeded initial estimates, resulting in a higher-end price to our customers. Regrettably, we recognize that this higher cost would inadvertently create a new barrier to entry into the appraisal profession – specifically, a financial obstacle."

The cost of the program was always a major issue and hurdle to entrance in the field. You couldn't even start the program without first paying for and taking $1,700 worth of McKissock classes. The Appraisal Institute stated the PAREA program would cost about $10,000 per a July 19, 2023 webinar. All of the training would be online. There would be no in person mentorship. 

From a monetary point of view the expensive cost of the training might be a total waste without real mentorship. This is not a trial an error occupation. You need someone training you in the beginning. You won't make any money if you don't know what you're doing. The only people who could end up making money from the training were possibly the training organization. They'd make money from government grants, nonprofit grants and class fees from paying students. It'd be like those worthless online degrees.

Another main problem is the real estate appraisal market today is at its absolute lowest point. There's very little lending work. The main cause is our current high interest rates. No one is selling if they have to buy another home. Why lose a 2.5% interest rate and triple your monthly mortgage at 7.5% or so. No one would want to refinance for the same reason. Sales volume is at its lowest in about 20 years per Ryan Lundquist's fantastic statistics. I've seen the same in Los Angeles, California.

Another even bigger issue is the use of live appraisers has been decreasing recently because of appraisal waivers, AVMs (Automated Valuation Methods) and hybrid type appraisals. Even though a live appraiser is used for part of the hybrid appraisal they aren't being paid as much as a full appraisal, i.e. $75-$165 vs $300-$500. The few full inspection appraisals done by live appraisers are very complex appraisals which only appraisers with many years experience are allowed to do. There's just not as much work today for anyone.

Previously the government said there were not enough appraisers and now there are definitely way too many. If you look at Facebook appraiser groups, everyone is hurting. Many have retired or had to get side gigs. If a fully trained and experienced appraiser of 20 years can't get work, a newbie has no chance at making enough money to survive. Even people with 20-40 years of experience are quitting due to lack of work.

You'd have to really be an idiot to shell out $1,700 for basic classes, $10,000 for PAREA, $6,000 appraisal costs first year just to make no money. Few can afford that upfront cost even if they could make the money back in a year or two. Another huge hurdle is lenders only use appraisers with three years minimum experience. No one would hire you fresh out of PAREA. 

I believe that McKissock realized there probably won't be enough people willing to pay for the classes at the moment to justify their training costs. They couldn't make enough profit off the program today. Even if the government and nonprofits offered grants to pay for the training the students probably wouldn't get any work from the program. No one would be happy. There would be a lot of online complaints.

I'm actually glad McKissock is not continuing with the program at this time for the sake of the potential new appraisers. Now is not the time to start out as an appraiser because of the market conditions. I would at a minimum wait until things rebound when rates go down. Maybe by then there will be an affordable PAREA program maybe subsidized by the government for people who can't afford it. You'd still need live experience and will have to deal with all the other issues noted above but it'd be better than what we have today. 

*FTR I've been taking classes with McKissock since they first started around 1990. Back in the day they only offered in person classes taught by the McKissock's out of a small classroom in Orange County, California. Today I take bundled classes with Calypso because they're cheaper. 


Mary Cummins of Cummins Real Estate is a certified residential licensed appraiser in Los Angeles, California. Mary Cummins is licensed by the California Bureau of Real Estate appraisers and has over 35 years of experience.


Mary Cummins, Mary K. Cummins, Mary Katherine Cummins, Mary, Cummins, #marycummins #animaladvocates #losangeles #california #wildlife #wildliferehabilitation #wildliferehabilitator #realestate #realestateappraiser #realestateappraisal #lawsuit real estate, appraiser, appraisal, instructor, teacher, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Brentwood, Bel Air, California, licensed, permitted, certified, single family, condo, condominium, pud, hud, fannie mae, freddie mac, fha, uspap, certified, residential, certified resident, apartment building, multi-family, commercial, industrial, expert witness, civil, criminal, orea, dre, brea insurance, bonded, experienced, bilingual, spanish, english, form, 1004, 2055, 1073, land, raw, acreage, vacant, insurance, cost, income approach, market analysis, comparative, theory, appraisal theory, cost approach, sales, matched pairs, plot, plat, map, diagram, photo, photographs, photography, rear, front, street, subject, comparable, sold, listed, active, pending, expired, cancelled, listing, mls, multiple listing service, claw, themls, historical appraisal, facebook, linkedin

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Tuesday, December 28, 2021

Number Licensed Real Estate Appraisers in California per BREA by year by Mary Cummins

Mary Cummins, Real Estate Appraiser, California, BREA, OREA, license, licensee, certified, residential, general, trainee, Los Angeles, number, increase, decrease, year


Mary Cummins, Real Estate Appraiser, California, BREA, OREA, license, licensee, certified, residential, general, trainee, Los Angeles, number, increase, decrease, year

UPDATE: 02152024 As of November 6, 2023 there are 8,796 appraisers in California down from a 20,000 peak in 2007. 

More stats:

59% are aged 50-69
65% are male




https://www.brea.ca.gov/pdf/23-493_BREA_Fall_Winter_Newsletter_web.pdf

Numbers for last 22 years or so are below:

2002 10943

2003 12167

2005 18854

2007 20100

2009 15625

2014 11868

2015 11189

2016 10852

2017 10742

2018 10562

2019 10056

2020 9630

2021 9461

2022 9374

2023 9012

2024 8796

08/01/23 As of June 15, 2023 there are 9,012 appraises in California down from 20,000 peak in 2007. https://www.brea.ca.gov/pdf/BREA_Spring_Summer_Newsletter2023.pdf



12/31/22 From the fall/winter newsletter. "As of October 1, 2022, there are 9,374 active appraisers. Eight percent are trainee level, 10% are residential level, 53% are certified residential level, and 29% are certified general level." Basically only 82% can appraise for federally backed bank loans. Number is down again. 



05/06/2022 Number of licensed appraisers as of March 16, 2022 is 9,613. "Eight percent are trainee level, 10% are residential level, 53% are certified residential level, and 29% are certified general level." This is based on the newsletter below which I received 05/06/2022. 

What's concerning is the number of certified residential is 4,988. You must have a Certified Residential appraiser for loan purposes if the loans are backed, insured by the federal government. You can also be a certified general but CR is the minimum needed. Number of trainees doesn't matter that much because business is way down now because of increasing interest rates. I doubt most get their final licenses because there won't be any work. You also need a minimum of two to three years of experience to get work. I wrote about this in a previous article about the problems with the trainee model.

https://brea.ca.gov/pdf/Newsletter%202022%20spring-summer.pdf

ORIGINAL: Above is a chart of the active licensed real estate appraisers in California per the California Bureau of Real Estate Appraisers. The numbers are also in a table below. This includes Trainee, Residential, Certified Residential and Certified General. The numbers aren't taken from the exact same time every year because that is how they reported it via their website. Most were November of each year. The numbers came from the Spring or Winter Newsletter reports. The specific dates and numbers are listed below. 

In Spring 2009 the head of BREA (then called OREA) Bob Clark  stated "With the unprecedented appreciation in real estate values, OREA experienced a dramatic increase in licensing activity, going from approximately 18,800 licensees in 2005 to over 20,100 licensees by the beginning of 2007. With the decline in the real estate market, the pendulum has swung in the opposite direction, with a current license population of approximately 17,300." 

There were 17,300 in the Spring (maybe March 2009) and 15,625 by November 30, 2009. Today we have less than 50% of the number appraisers we had in 2007 right before the peak then crash. We have about 10,000 fewer Appraisers. This doesn't mean we don't have enough appraisers. 

The peak before the Great Recession was about 2007. Homes had appreciated greatly and rates were low so everyone was buying, selling and refinancing. This caused a huge demand for real estate appraisers, agents and mortgage brokers. There is always a large influx during these times. It is expected to lose licensees as the market slows because there is less business. Appraiser licenses renew every two years today. It makes sense that licensees would not renew their license when it expires after the slowdown. For this reason there could be up to a two year lag between the slow down and loss of licensees. Some got their license to appraise as a side gig. Licensees doesn't mean they are working appraisers or full time working appraisers. 

Below is a chart of the U.S. National Home Price Index. You can see the 2007 peak and subsequent Great Recession. You can also see our current crazy market. 

Mary Cummins, Real Estate Appraiser, California, BREA, OREA, license, licensee, certified, residential, general, trainee, Los Angeles, number, increase, decrease, year
US National Home Price Index, BREA, Mary Cummins, Real Estate Appraiser


One would expect an increase in the number of appraisers when the market heats up like it has done within the last few years. Oddly enough there is no increase in the number of licensed real estate appraisers. I believe one of the reasons there hasn't been an increase is because of the current Trainee Appraiser Program. Today a new real estate appraiser must work at as Trainee for a licensed, experienced Appraiser for a certain number of hours. That is difficult to almost impossible because licensed Appraisers generally don't want to mentor trainees. Nothing to gain, everything to lose. I wrote an article that outlines the problems HERE with possible solutions. 

The market is expected to continue to appreciate though not at the crazy rate of 2020 and 2021. Some lenders, mortgage brokers such as Better.com have already eliminated some lending agents. One of the reasons it will slow is because the Fed has stated they will increase interest rates in 2022 maybe even more than once. Another reason is lack of inventory and many being priced out of the market. While some Appraisers were busy and had lag times within last six to 12 months things have already slowed and not just because of the holiday time of year. We may not need more appraisers.

The Government stated they are working to understand the Appraiser issue. By the time the issue is resolved there won't be a need for as many because of the market. Things have already slowed and will slow further. Maybe we just don't need as many appraisers as we did in the past. Today some lenders use appraisal waivers and AVMs. This could end up being a non issue. 

Some lenders, AMCs, others are stating there aren't enough appraisers. This isn't true. There may not be enough appraisers today willing to do desktop appraisals for $65-$130. Most appraisers don't want to do desktops because of the liability issue. The law and form states we must agree that we have enough verified data to complete the assignment. If you don't do the inspection, drive the comps, you don't have enough data. What if there's a major defect in the property, area, comp photos are photoshopped... Then the appraiser is on the hook for any loss. It won't matter that you relied on the inspection by John Doe and comp photos on MLS. You're still liable. Why accept the same liability for 1/5 to 1/3 the payment? 

Below is a cartoon about the issue. It's an older cartoon but it rings true today. 

appraiser shortage, not enough appraisers,cartoon, lie, false, mary cummins, real estate appraiser

AMCs, Lenders, others want to make it super easy for new appraisers so they can recruit newbies to underpay. Some AMCs, Lenders are offering trainee hours in house. That looks like influence to me. Some want certain people to be able to easily get appraisal licenses for other reasons. There is an agenda. 

While I feel the trainee system needs adjusting, we shouldn't get rid of it. We also shouldn't get rid of all education and experience requirements as some have been stating like Maxine Waters. That opens up the government, financial institutions and banks to huge levels of fraud. That would never pass Congress, thank god.

Chart number of licensed real estate appraisers in California by year. Licensing was first mandatory in 1994 because of legislation. I've been appraising since 1984 as a real estate agent though no license was needed at the time. 

Year

# Licensed Appraisers

2002

10943

2003

12167

2004

 

2005

18854

2006

 

2007

20100

2008

 

2009

15625

2010

 

2011

 

2012

 

2013

 

2014

11868

2015

11189

2016

10852

2017

10742

2018

10562

2019

10056

2020

9630

2021

9461

2022 9413

Below is where I got the data so you can see the actual dates. The 2007 data came from the quote above. As of December 1, 2021, there are now 9,388.

Mary Cummins, Real Estate Appraiser, California, BREA, OREA, license, licensee, certified, residential, general, trainee, Los Angeles, number, increase, decrease, year

Mary Cummins, Real Estate Appraiser, California, BREA, OREA, license, licensee, certified, residential, general, trainee, Los Angeles, number, increase, decrease, year

Mary Cummins, Real Estate Appraiser, California, BREA, OREA, license, licensee, certified, residential, general, trainee, Los Angeles, number, increase, decrease, year











Mary Cummins of Cummins Real Estate is a certified residential licensed appraiser in Los Angeles, California. Mary Cummins is licensed by the California Bureau of Real Estate appraisers and has over 35 years of experience.


Mary Cummins, Mary K. Cummins, Mary Katherine Cummins, Mary, Cummins, #marycummins #animaladvocates #losangeles #california #wildlife #wildliferehabilitation #wildliferehabilitator #realestate #realestateappraiser #realestateappraisal #lawsuit real estate, appraiser, appraisal, instructor, teacher, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Brentwood, Bel Air, California, licensed, permitted, certified, single family, condo, condominium, pud, hud, fannie mae, freddie mac, fha, uspap, certified, residential, certified resident, apartment building, multi-family, commercial, industrial, expert witness, civil, criminal, orea, dre, brea insurance, bonded, experienced, bilingual, spanish, english, form, 1004, 2055, 1073, land, raw, acreage, vacant, insurance, cost, income approach, market analysis, comparative, theory, appraisal theory, cost approach, sales, matched pairs, plot, plat, map, diagram, photo, photographs, photography, rear, front, street, subject, comparable, sold, listed, active, pending, expired, cancelled, listing, mls, multiple listing service, claw, themls, historical appraisal, facebook, linkedin

Sunday, August 8, 2021

We were one of the first real estate websites on the internet in 1998. Mary Cummins real estate appraiser Los Angeles, California

Mary Cummins real estate appraiser appraisal Los Angeles California first internet website, real estate

We had one of the first real estate websites on the Internet in 1998. It was the first to feature a real estate dictionary of common real estate words. We've been online 23 years so far and been in business since 1983. 38 years! 

Realtor.com has been online since late 1995 so we're not the first real estate website ever. We went online July 1998. Maybe we're the first real estate dictionary in 1998. 

Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game and the USDA. Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.


Google+ Mary Cummins, Mary K. Cummins, Mary Katherine Cummins, Mary Cummins-Cobb, Mary, Cummins, Cobb, wildlife, wild, animal, rescue, wildlife rehabilitation, wildlife rehabilitator, fish, game, los angeles, california, united states, squirrel, raccoon, fox, skunk, opossum, coyote, bobcat, manual, instructor, speaker, humane, nuisance, control, pest, trap, exclude, deter, green, non-profit, nonprofit, non, profit, ill, injured, orphaned, exhibit, exhibitor, usda, united states department of agriculture, hsus, humane society, peta, ndart, humane academy, humane officer, animal legal defense fund, animal cruelty, investigation, peace officer, animal, cruelty, abuse, neglect #marycummins #animaladvocates #losangeles #california #wildlife #wildliferehabilitation #wildliferehabilitator #realestate #realestateappraiser #realestateappraisal #lawsuit

Thursday, June 10, 2021

Difficulties becoming a real estate appraiser trainee in California by Mary Cummins, Real Estate Appraiser, Los Angeles, California


New real estate appraisers trying to get their 1,000 to 1,500 hours of experience are having major problems finding licensed real estate appraisers willing to train them. One ex trainee (who is now an appraiser for BetterMortgage*) said it's probably because of racism, fear of losing business to trainees or appraisers are just assholes. It's none of those things. You could be Jesus Christ himself and still no appraiser would want to train you. I will explain the problem with the trainee program and why appraisers don't want trainees. Then I'll offer some solutions. 

It takes a lot of time, money and headaches to have a trainee when there is no benefit whatsoever to the appraiser. Nothing to gain and everything to lose. The trainee has to sign the report (in addition to the appraiser) and/or be a part of the entire appraisal process in order to get credit hours. The trainee also has to have access to the work file or actually possess the work  file (photos of interiors of homes, loan documents with SSN's, passport/drivers license numbers and sometimes even copies, birth dates, place of birth, full names, addresses, banking information, list of all clients, all emails, all past appraisals of the appraiser...) This causes your E&O insurance to go up by 50%. (Basic coverage $1,000,000 $680/yr, $340/yr more for a trainee). It also opens you up to more legal liability and concerns about cyber security. 

I just heard a story about a trainee who sued a mentor for big workers compensation and other damages. The mentor was driving the car and stopped at a light when they were rear ended through no fault of the mentor driver. The trainee sued the mentor and not the driver that ran into them! Why would anyone sign up for that when there is nothing to gain with a trainee? All one person shops would have to purchase a ton more insurance.

The appraisals will take a lot longer to complete with a trainee. This means the appraiser makes less money while they are training the person. 

The client doesn't want another person in their private home taking photos of their possessions, their security system, safes, valuables, location of master bedroom, location of children's rooms, entrances or being around their family. Google "home inspector" and "Elmo doll." The certified appraiser passes many advanced background checks to have their licenses, be on appraisal panels and work for clients. The trainee doesn't have the same background checks. 

The appraiser has to have the trainee in the car and office training them. Most appraisers work out of their home. There goes the appraiser's privacy and schedule. Can't pick up the kids between comp photos with a trainee in the car.

The appraiser has to pay extra for appraisal software with a trainee because they have to sign the report. That could be at least $1,000 per year for software if they sign the report. The appraiser also has to pay more for MLS access and other online comparable sources. That could be $600 per year. Even car insurance goes up with a trainee in the car. It all adds up. 

The trainee can never do an inspection or sign an appraisal by themselves. No AMC or bank would ever allow that. The client paid top dollar and hired a licensed, certified experienced appraiser and not a trainee. The work assignments clearly state that only the appraiser in the order can do the appraisal. The lender, mortgage broker can't sell the loan if a trainee was involved in the appraisal. No one would buy the loan then the lender can't make more loans and make money. 

Having a trainee costs the appraiser money. "As of January 1, 2015 Trainees and supervisors must now take a four-hour course on the responsibilities and requirements of each role. The course must be completed by trainees before receiving their Trainee (AT) credential and by supervisors prior to beginning supervision." The class costs $100.  

When the trainee submits their log to become a full appraiser they will be audited by BREA. The mentor will also be audited. They audit the trainee's hours log and ask for some of the appraisals completed by the trainee and mentor. 

While I'm sure an appraiser would first train a trainee on a fake appraisal assignment the trainee must do their actual hours on real appraisals for real government backed loans. They can't get hours on practice or fake appraisals. The licensed appraiser must work with them side by side on the entire appraisal process and report. 

Some trainees falsely think they will eventually be doing free work for the appraiser. They think they'll do appraisals totally on their own eventually and the appraiser will make more money so they're an asset. That can never happen per the law or clients' orders. Appraisers don't get anything from trainees. They cost them money.

While they are talking about making changes reducing requirements, classes, experience hours, there probably won't be a great need for new appraisers as the rush will be over. Another thing to consider is when a trainee completes all their hours and get their final license, they still won't get any lender work until they have three years of experience. It takes experience to get experience so the new appraiser is stuck again. The government would have to force lenders to use newbie appraisers and I'm sure they'd push back on that. You really do need experience.

I have a couple of suggestions. The only trainees I've seen find a mentor are relatives of real estate appraisers or very good friends. Jim Park of the Appraisal SubCommittee stated this is why most appraisers have been white males and continue to be white males. I agree. That said currently you should find a relative or very good friend who would be willing to help you out. If you just call up an appraiser from a Google search whom you don't know, don't expect a call back. If you were the appraiser, would you want a trainee after what you just read? No.

My other suggestion is to petition the government to allow trainees after so many hours to do the property inspection, take the comp pics and write up the reports by themselves. Obviously the licensed appraiser still has to review and sign it as the supervisory appraiser. That would help appraisers save time and maybe eventually make more money or not lose money. Lenders would have to be forced to accept a government mandate if they are government backed loans. Nothing the government can do with other types of loans.

Find an organization or person willing to give money to an appraiser to train trainees. Some appraisers might be willing to train people if they were paid. Otherwise you're basically asking an appraiser to give you free education on their dime. Trade schools charge money as do universities with hands on work experience. Pay an appraiser to be the mentor for a class of say ten appraisers. Income from the appraiser's actual assignments would be secondary to income from mentoring. 

If POC want more representation in the appraisal field, they should form appraisal organizations for POC and do that. Offer grants for education, licensing fees for new appraisers. Recruit members who will agree to train and mentor trainees. I actually wanted to do this for Latino and Black people. When I did my research and figured out the time, cost and headaches involved (At least $3,000 not including lost income from the time involved) I changed my mind. If I were wealthy or semi-retired, I would start such an organization. I just don't have the time or money today. 

If you want to verify any of this information, take a look at some online real estate appraiser forums and Facebook groups. You'll see no one wants trainees and why. The only ones I see are relatives of appraisers. FWIW I am not looking for a trainee. 

*Jillian White is the "Chief Appraiser" for BetterMortgage. She is the appraiser behind the article about real estate appraisers not wanting to be mentors because they are racist, jealous, lazy, hate women... Jillian admitted she lied and pretended to be a man to get an interview to be a trainee. "As a Black woman, White is a rarity in the appraisal industry. She shared her experience of having to change her name to "Jay" on her resume just to land a job interview to be an appraiser trainee-a requirement to be licensed in the field. "When I showed up for a job interview, things changed. All of his enthusiasm was gone and instead of conducting an interview, he just kept telling me 'You're overqualified,' and 'I don't know why you want to become an appraiser.' The interview was very short because he never even invited me to sit," she said." The person was probably not happy that she lied about who she was. If someone lies about something as obvious as that, you know they lie about everything. No one wants a liar working for, with them. You could never trust the person ever.

It should be noted that now that Jillian White is an appraiser herself she is not mentoring anyone. Hypocrite? She is also promoting the unproven idea that white appraisers intentionally low-ball all black homeowners' appraisals because they are all racist. The company she works for BetterMortgage promotes the same unproven idea in order to attract minority clients to make money. They specifically state this in marketing material. BetterMortgage's CEO Vishal Garg (Forbes article about his fraud, failure and bankruptcy) has a history of stating they will do the best job for the lowest rate then they go bankrupt and rip off investors. There are a few other mortgage companies who are using the same racism scare to get business including New American Dream funding.

UPDATE: Jillian White stated September 2021 that BetterMortgage does not allow trainees to work on their appraisals. Jillian agreed to work for a company that doesn't allow trainees and doesn't help trainees. Who is she to complain about appraisers not trainees? She has no trainees. She also stated while she still has her license in New York she no longer works as an appraiser. It appears she does diversity PR and media for BetterMortgage. She promotes the idea that all appraisers and all people who buy real estate are racists. The only sane thing she said at the recent meeting is that appraisers should not get away from the sales comparison method of appraising because then values become more opinion than based on facts. That is true. 

From a May 2021 forum transcript run by a non government non profit group in which Jillian White spoke. She claims this incident "informed" all real estate decisions in her career. As a real estate appraiser, agent she knows better.

"I like to start with a story. This is a story about Gwen and Dennis Skinner who live in Long Island. This is a picture of the exterior of their home over on the left, and a picture of the interior of their home during the holidays on the right hand side. And the thing to know about their house is they purchased it in 1998, and in 2003, they decided that they wanted to move. And so at that point in time, the average marketing time for that particular area was roughly 30 days. And what was unique to that area was that all the houses are exactly the same. Same floor plan, for I think, you know hundreds of them.
And so it would stand to reason that their house when they put it on the market would sell
within the normal marketing time. However, the home sat on the market for 30 days, then
60 days, and then 90 days, 120 days, and it finally sold at around the 140-day mark.
So there are a few things to know about the property. The main one being that it was right
next to a six-lane highway, so when you're in the backyard, you can actually hear noise
from the highway and so that certainly could have contributed to the extended days on
market. Also there are a couple of price decreases as well, which suggests that perhaps it was
overpriced but there was an tidbit the information that leads me to question that was around
the highway or overpriced. And that's because the real estate agent for Gwen and Dennis said hey, I think I know why the property isn't selling. If you make these changes, I think you'll have success in getting a buyer. And so they took that agent's advice and shortly thereafter, they were able to accept an
offer on the property, and close the sale. So you're probably wondering what is it that the real estate agent said to it? What was his tidbit of advice, and it was to remove this picture from the wall. So this is a picture of me during my college graduation, and the reason why my photograph was hanging on the wall of Gwen and Dennis Skinner is because they are my aunt and uncle. They have quite a few nieces and nephews. They are very proud of all of us and our pictures are prominently displayed all throughout their home. However, their agent told them that they believed the reason why the property wasn't
moving and wasn't selling is because prospective homeowners didn't feel comfortable
buying a home after a Black family and they were advised to start packing early.
And once they showed the house that was empty, miraculously, they got an accepted offer.
So we don't know for certain exactly what happened in this case, the extended days on the
market of my aunt and uncle's property. However, it certainly informed all future real estate
decisions that I made throughout my career."

The fact that the property was located next to a busy six lane highway, was overpriced chasing the market down and needed to be decluttered/staged is what actually affected the ability to sell the property. If you don't price a home within 5% of market value, it will sit and be worth less every day as people wonder what's wrong with it. All real estate agents tell ALL people to remove personal photos and most personal items from the home when you offer it for sale. Buyers want to imagine themselves in your home so give them a clean slate. Properties within 500' of a major highway have dangerous levels of air and noise pollution besides being a loud, messy nuisance. Soot from cars end up on the inside of your home daily if you open the windows. Jillian was also an agent besides an appraiser and knows all of this yet still states these things. I have also been a broker, appraiser. 

Requirements for a real estate appraiser trainee in California to get their hours to become a licensed appraiser from brea.ca.gov. 

A trainee needs 1000 to 1500 hours over six to 12 months of actual appraisal experience. They must be real appraisals on real government backed loan transactions. They can't be practice appraisals. Each appraisal takes me about three hours with inspection though large, complex properties take more time. If traffic is bad, it could take a while to drive and photograph the comparable properties. 1500/3 is 500 appraisals if the trainee does all the work with the appraiser. That would be 37 40 hour weeks theoretically. It would most likely happen over a year or so.

"Earning Acceptable Experience as a Trainee Appraiser

General

To earn acceptable hours of experience, a Trainee Appraiser must work under the direct technical supervision of a Certified Residential or Certified General licensed appraiser in good standing who meets the Supervisory Appraiser criteria outlined previously in this handbook. The Supervisory Appraiser must be licensed at the appropriate level for the type of property being appraised. In addition, a Trainee Appraiser may work for more than one Supervisory Appraiser. For hours to be included on the Log of Appraisal Experience (REA 3004 sample log here), the Trainee Appraiser must either:

Sign the appraisal report as the appraiser; or
Be identified by name and Bureau license number with the extent of the real property appraisal assistance clearly and conspicuously described in the report.
In addition, work experience and the appraisal report must fully conform to both the requirements of USPAP and Title 10, Chapter 6.5, California Code of Regulations (commencing with Section 3500).

Trainee Appraiser's Duties

Trainees must:

Maintain custody of the work file, or make appropriate work file retention, access and retrieval arrangements with the party having custody of the work file in accordance with the Record Keeping Rule of USPAP. Since the Bureau will examine work samples when a Trainee wishes to upgrade his or her license, all appraisals included on the log must be available for review by the Bureau regardless of USPAP minimum retention requirements; and
Maintain an appraisal log. A separate Log of Appraisal Experience (REA 3004) must be maintained for each Supervisory Appraiser.

Supervisory Appraiser's Duties

The Supervisory Appraiser must do all of the following:

Personally inspect the property with the Trainee Appraiser until the Supervisory Appraiser determines the Trainee Appraiser is competent to make unsupervised inspections, in accordance with the Competency Rule of USPAP for the type of property being appraised.
Review the Trainee Appraiser's appraisal report.
Accept responsibility for the appraisal report by signing and certifying that the report is in compliance with USPAP.
Review and initial each page of the Trainee Appraiser's Log of Appraisal Experience (REA 3004) to verify that the work was completed under his/her supervision.
Sign the certification of the Log of Appraisal Experience (REA 3004) current as of the date the certification was signed.
Maintain records of the appraisals in accordance with USPAP.
Include the Trainee Appraiser's name and Bureau license number (if licensed) and identification of assistance in appraisal report."


03/282022 Just received the below email from BREA. 

"From the California Bureau of Real Estate Appraisers

The Bureau of Real Estate Appraisers (BREA) continues to see a significant increase in Supervisors failing to adhere to the stated scope of work and certifications in appraisal reports with respect to property inspections.  Specifically, Supervisors signing form-type reports, such as the Uniform Residential Appraisal Report (URAR), on the left-hand side certifying they completed a complete visual inspection of the interior and exterior areas of the subject property when the trainee was the only one who inspected the subject property.

Therefore, BREA is advising all Supervising Appraisers, Trainee Appraisers, and unlicensed trainee appraisers to do the following:

Ensure your appraisal complies with the scope of work stated in the report, and
Read and understand the certifications you are attesting to when signing an appraisal report. 

Even though state regulation and the Appraiser Qualification Board (AQB) minimum criteria permit competent trainees to make unsupervised inspections of the subject property when they are competent to do so, the agreed-upon scope of work and/or pre-printed certifications may not. The supervisor must be aware of and follow the assignment’s agreed-upon scope of work and report certifications before allowing their trainee to inspect without them. Failure to do so delays licensure of the trainee and may result in BREA action against the supervisor and/or trainee.

This email has been approved for distribution by BREA executive staff."

Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the

Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game and the USDA. Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.


Google+ Mary Cummins, Mary K. Cummins, Mary Katherine Cummins, Mary Cummins-Cobb, Mary, Cummins, Cobb, wildlife, wild, animal, rescue, wildlife rehabilitation, wildlife rehabilitator, fish, game, los angeles, california, united states, squirrel, raccoon, fox, skunk, opossum, coyote, bobcat, manual, instructor, speaker, humane, nuisance, control, pest, trap, exclude, deter, green, non-profit, nonprofit, non, profit, ill, injured, orphaned, exhibit, exhibitor, usda, united states department of agriculture, hsus, humane society, peta, ndart, humane academy, humane officer, animal legal defense fund, animal cruelty, investigation, peace officer, animal, cruelty, abuse, neglect #marycummins #animaladvocates #losangeles #california #wildlife #wildliferehabilitation #wildliferehabilitator #realestate #realestateappraiser #realestateappraisal #lawsuit

Friday, August 2, 2019

The Squares of Los Angeles: La Fayette, Wellington, Oxford Square real estate developments by Mary Cummins

La Fayette Square, Los Angeles, Mary Cummins, real estate appraiser, California, licensed, certified, historical homes, oxford square, wellington square, victoria park, windsor square, real estate appraisal
La Fayette Square, Los Angeles, Mary Cummins, real estate appraiser, California, licensed, certified, historical homes, oxford square, wellington square, victoria park, windsor square, real estate appraisal

Los Angeles has many older historical neighborhoods. Some of the less well known are the "Squares" specifically La Fayette Square, Wellington Square, Oxford Square and Windsor Square. Below is some information about some of the Squares and some photos I've taken of some of the homes. 

La Fayette Square

LaFayette Square is a historic semi-gated neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Although founded in 1913 by real estate developer George Lafayette Crenshaw, it is named after the French Marquis de Lafayette, who fought alongside Colonists in the American Revolution. Lying west of Crenshaw Boulevard in the Mid-City area, it was designated by the city as a Los Angeles Historic Preservation Overlay Zone in 2000 for its significant residential architecture and history.

Properties in the tract, which was described as "part of the Nadeau Rancho vineyard," between "Washington and Sixteenth streets . . . immediately west of Crenshaw Boulevard" went on sale in 1913

According to the Los Angeles Conservancy, "LaFayette Square was the last and greatest of banker George L. Crenshaw's ten residential developments in the City of Los Angeles." The tract is composed of four north-south streets with an east-west grassy divider. Unsold lots were liquidated in early 1920.

Around 1980, the Lafayette Square Association proposed closing entrances to the neighborhood by blocking the ends of the streets to create cul-de-sacs. Neighbors debated issues of crime, traffic speed and emergency vehicle access. In 1989, the Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved the plans.

In the early 1990s, wrought-iron gates were installed at the ends of Buckingham Road, Virginia Road, Wellington Road and Victoria Avenue. The only way into the neighborhood by car is at St. Charles Place. To pay for the enclosures, the homeowners were assessed $40 per year for 10 years.

La Fayette Square, Los Angeles, Mary Cummins, real estate appraiser, California, licensed, certified, historical homes, oxford square, wellington square, victoria park, windsor square, real estate appraisal
La Fayette Square, Los Angeles, Mary Cummins, real estate appraiser, California, licensed, certified, historical homes, oxford square, wellington square, victoria park, windsor square, real estate appraisal

LaFayette Square is situated about 7 miles (11 km) west of Downtown Los Angeles. It is south of Victoria Park, east of Arlington Heights and north of Wellington Square.

It consists of eight blocks, centered on St. Charles Place, and situated between Venice Boulevard on the north, Washington Boulevard on the south, Crenshaw Boulevard on the east and West Boulevard on the west. There are 236 homes in the neighborhood. The median size is 3,455 sf. Median age built is 1914-1925. Median lot size is 9,243 sf. The larger homes are built on double lots. The older homes are a higher quality than the newer homes. 

Crenshaw wanted this development to have a European flair so it was designed as an elegant residential park centered on St. Charles Place—a broad palm tree-lined avenue with a landscaped median. The houses in Lafayette Square reflect residential styles popular during the 1910s and 1920s such as Tudor Revival architecture, Italianate, Mediterranean Revival, Neo-Federalist, American Craftsman, Spanish Colonial Revival, and American Colonial Revival. Several houses, such as architect Paul Williams’ own home, were designed in the Modern style, exemplifying an important trend in Los Angeles’ architectural development.

The neighborhood was designed for wealthy families and now-historic houses regularly have 5,000 to 6,000 square feet (600 m2) floor plans, although the average home size is 3,600 square feet (330 m2). According to a Los Angeles Times real-estate section article on the neighborhood, "Most of the properties have period details: Juliet balconies, mahogany staircases and libraries, sitting rooms, stained glass windows, triple crown molding, soaring ceilings—even four-car garages."

Some photos I've taken of some of the homes. 

La Fayette Square, Los Angeles, Mary Cummins, real estate appraiser, California, licensed, certified, historical homes, oxford square, wellington square, victoria park, windsor square, real estate appraisal

La Fayette Square, Los Angeles, Mary Cummins, real estate appraiser, California, licensed, certified, historical homes, oxford square, wellington square, victoria park, windsor square, real estate appraisal

La Fayette Square, Los Angeles, Mary Cummins, real estate appraiser, California, licensed, certified, historical homes, oxford square, wellington square, victoria park, windsor square, real estate appraisal

La Fayette Square, Los Angeles, Mary Cummins, real estate appraiser, California, licensed, certified, historical homes, oxford square, wellington square, victoria park, windsor square, real estate appraisal

La Fayette Square, Los Angeles, Mary Cummins, real estate appraiser, California, licensed, certified, historical homes, oxford square, wellington square, victoria park, windsor square, real estate appraisal

La Fayette Square, Los Angeles, Mary Cummins, real estate appraiser, California, licensed, certified, historical homes, oxford square, wellington square, victoria park, windsor square, real estate appraisal

La Fayette Square, Los Angeles, Mary Cummins, real estate appraiser, California, licensed, certified, historical homes, oxford square, wellington square, victoria park, windsor square, real estate appraisal


Wellington Square

Wellington Square is a neighborhood in Mid-City Los Angeles, California at the western edge of the West Adams Historic District. Wellington Square contains four streets: Victoria Avenue, Wellington Road, Virginia Road, and Buckingham Road. These four streets contain 209 homes of various architectural styles including Spanish Colonial, Tudor and French Norman. 

La Fayette Square, Los Angeles, Mary Cummins, real estate appraiser, California, licensed, certified, historical homes, oxford square, wellington square, victoria park, windsor square, real estate appraisal
La Fayette Square, Los Angeles, Mary Cummins, real estate appraiser, California, licensed, certified, historical homes, oxford square, wellington square, victoria park, windsor square, real estate appraisal

The neighborhood is bordered by West Boulevard on the west, Crenshaw Boulevard on the east, Washington Boulevard on the north and the Santa Monica Freeway on the south. The neighborhood is gated at West Boulevard and 23rd Street. The neighborhoods of LaFayette Square and Victoria Park are north.

Wellington Square was subdivided in 1912 by George L. Crenshaw. Wellington Square was developed by prominent real estate developer M.J. Nolan. Nolan was a native of Syracuse, New York and settled in LA in 1886. In 1914, Nolan started to develop 90 acres of land between Adams and the new La Fayette Square. He died in 1918, and the W.I. Hollingsworth Co. continued lot sales. The boom years of the 1920s saw the peak of development of the neighborhood. Homes in the neighborhood are an architectural mixture from Craftsman and Revival styles of the 1920s and 1930s.

In 1955, construction of the Santa Monica Freeway was started. The first segment opened in 1961 and the freeway was completed in 1964. It was named by the State Highway Commission on August 14, 1957. Many homes in Wellington Square were demolished by Caltrans to build the freeway.

On October 9, 2013, The Haight-Dandridge Residence, located at 2012 S. Victoria Avenue, was added to the list of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments. The house was designed and built by businessman George Washington Haight in 1908. The two-story residence exhibits character defining features of Craftsman Style and Period Revival architecture. In 1951, the family sold the home to actress Ruby Dandridge, mother of actress Dorothy Dandridge. [5] It is Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument #1044.[6]

Oxford Square

Oxford Square is an historic neighborhood [9][10] which, according to the Oxford Square Neighborhood Association, lies between Pico Boulevard and Olympic Boulevard and includes both sides of Victoria Avenue and South Windsor Boulevard.

In 1910 the neighborhood was laid out between Wilshire Boulevard on the north and Pico Street on the south, west of the Los Angeles Country Club. It was served by the Pico Street streetcar line. The unimproved lots offered by developer Emil Firth ranged from 50 to 100 feet on the street and were 171 feet deep. The streets were 70 feet wide, with 15-foot sidewalks and parkways, which were to be planted with palm trees and flowers. Ornamental electroliers were to be placed every 300 feet. Lot prices ranged from $1,000 to $2,500.

Earlier, in 1907. the Harriman interests had begun a four-track subway line across Oxford Square, south of Wilshire Boulevard.

In 1991 the City Council approved a request by Oxford Square - Windsor Village residents to close 10th Street at Victoria Avenue in an effort to reduce crime in the communities after a recent outbreak of burglaries and robberies, as well as one homicide.

In February 2015 the neighborhood association was lobbying to form an Historic Preservation Overlay Zone (HPOZ). That would have put a temporary moratorium on the issuance of city building and demolition permits. Los Angeles City Council approved the HPOZ, adopting its preservation plan effective March 26, 2017.

Victoria Park

Victoria Park is a small neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. There are three Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments located in Victoria Park.

La Fayette Square, Los Angeles, Mary Cummins, real estate appraiser, California, licensed, certified, historical homes, oxford square, wellington square, victoria park, windsor square, real estate appraisal
La Fayette Square, Los Angeles, Mary Cummins, real estate appraiser, California, licensed, certified, historical homes, oxford square, wellington square, victoria park, windsor square, real estate appraisal

Victoria Park is bounded by Pico Boulevard on the north, the rear lot lines of Victoria Avenue on the east, Venice Boulevard on the south and West Boulevard on the west. It is bisected by Victoria Park Drive. It is 2.5 miles (4.02 km) south of Hollywood and 3.5 miles (4.83 km) west of downtown Los Angeles. Century City is five miles (8.05 km) to the west along Pico Boulevard. The West Adams Heritage Association considers Victoria Park to be part of Historic West Adams. Lafayette Square and Wellington Square are just to the south. Windsor Square and Hancock Park are to the north.

The platted but undeveloped tract was owned and offered for sale by a syndicate composed of Josias J. (Jerry) Andrews, David Barry, S.R. Barry, J.A. Bowden, E.P. Clark, H.P. Hoffman, E.G. Howard, M.P. Gilbert, Isaac Kennedy, Charles Lloyd, E.N. Mathis, J.W. Willcox, M.H. Sherman, M.O. Tremaine, B.S. Tyler, F.M. Tyler and W.E. Tyler.

Established "as a "desirable residence tract for desirable people", the subdivision was limited to "high-class homes" that would be built for no less than $4,000. It would be "lighted by handsome stone and wrought-iron electroliers, twelve to fourteen feet high, with five large electric lights on each".

The Victoria Park neighborhood design is based on the ideas of Frederick Law Olmsted, who felt that "circular shapes broke up the linear look of most urban areas". The area was intended to be upscale; for example, the streetlights were custom-designed and registered with the city as the "Victoria Park Fixture."

Many of the homes were built between 1910 and 1915 and serve as fine architectural examples of the American Arts and Crafts Movement.

Mary Cummins of Cummins Real Estate is a certified residential licensed appraiser in Los Angeles, California. Mary Cummins is licensed by the California Bureau of Real Estate appraisers and has over 35 years of experience.


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