Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/18/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am in the process of purchasing a home. My lender used this company to do the appraisal on the home. The loan went from a conventional loan, to a **** loan, which required the appraiser to revisit the property to inspect certain things for **** approval, which typically there is an additioanl fee for them to revisit the property. This appraiser refused to do this, basically making my appraisal worthless, and having to pay for another appraisal from a different company. Other than the withdrawal from my bank account, that would be the only document I could provide with a dollar amount on it, and of course I have the appraisal as well.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/11/2025

  USPAP:  it is illegal to change the intended user and intended use for an appraisal after the effective date of the appraisal. As the complainer stated, I did an appraisal with the intended user being USDA.  The lender contacted me to change it to Conventional.  I reminded them that it is illegal to do that, and I can lose my license.  I reminded them that the only solution is to obtain a new appraisal.  These are not my rules, rather USPAP rules.  I also told them I would give a big discount for the new appraisal.  What they did after and how they handled it is out of my control.

  So basically, to keep this customer happy and not complain about me, I should have changed the appraisal from **** to conventional and if I lose my license in the process, who cares?  LOL.

  Mind you there is no complain about the appraisal I did.  The complain is for not doing what they are asking to do after the appraisal was done and despite what they are asking me to do is illegal.  I do not blame the person complaining as they probably do not know the rules.  I blame the lender or loan officer as mortgage professionals as they should have known the rules and laws, and regulations, and they should have explained those to the complainer.   

  Contact any other appraiser, any appraiser instructor, any underwriter, ..... and ask if an appraiser is allowed to change an appraisal from **** to conventional or not.  The answer is NO.  So yes, I refused to do what they asked me to do.  I did not refuse to do a second appraisal with a conventional purpose.  Why, they did not send me the second appraisal, is out of my control.  My guess is they said, since by law we have to get a second appraisal, might as well use a different appraiser.  Pure guess and not inside information. 

  Did I have any other options?.  No i did not.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/11/2025

   I am rejecting this response because: 

  Either there was miscommunication with the lender and Nova, or Nova is misunderstanding.  He has it backwards. When he did the appraisal, it was for a conventional loan.  It changed to **** shortly afterwards, he is stating it's the other way around.  Hence, requiring a visit back to the home to inspect items required by ****, with the understanding that there is a fee for that.  Which according to my realtor and lender, happens quite often.  And wow.  The response from this company is very unprofessional and borderline childish.  
  
  

  
  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/11/2025

  Changing from **** to conventional or from conventional to **** is the same issue.  It is still changing the intended user for an appraisal.  I am sorry I said from **** to conventional.  You are correct, From conventional to USDA.  That still presented the same issue with USPAP and the issue is, it is illegal to do that. 

  As I mentioned before, I received that request to change it and told the lender what needs to be done in order to be compliant.  I offered a discount to do that.  I never received the new order.  I assumed it did not have to be changed, or they used a different company.  I have 0 power in making lenders order appraisals or decide what they do.

  My response is childish.  My response was USPAP related, facts related, rules related.  At the end of the day, my client received an appraisal from me that the lender had no problems with.  They had no complains about the appraisal.  They wanted to change the intended user for the appraisal.  I informed them that by *****, a new appraisal has to be obtained.  I offered a discount for the new one.  I never heard back from them.  Where is the childish in all of this?   What did I do wrong here?  I am still wondering what I should have done differently.  In the complainer own words, they understand a new appraisal and inspection has to be done to change from conventional to **** and realtors told him that.  So what's the issue?  I refused to change the original appraisal from conventional to **** because that is illegal to do.  I never received a new order for **** or a go ahead to do a second appraisal and inspection for USDA. 

  I am sorry you feel frustrated; however, I had no decision making on who will do the second appraisal.  I would have loved to do your second appraisal since I did the original one.  I wasn't able to because no one made that request.  If no one made that request, how come i am being blamed for that?   

  Business Response

  Date: 03/11/2025

  When a request for an order is received, we perform the appraisal and assign an effective date which is usually the date of inspection.  If the lender wants to change the intended user or intended use, a new appraisal has to be done.  Because it's illegal to change those on the original appraisal.  The new appraisal requires a new order, a new engagement, a new go ahead to do that (THE CHANGES AND ADDITIONAL INSPECTION CANNOT BE DONE UNDER THE OLD ORDER) otherwise it's considered to be a change to the old order.  A new request and new order and new appraisal were needed.  If you do not believe me, ask any other appraiser, lender,underwriter,.....  we already established I cannot change an old appraisal from conventional to USDA.  But also, I cannot by law go back to a property and reinspect and provide a new appraisal with the new intended user without an order or engagement letter.  Doing that under the old order or engagement letter is a violation of USPAP because that old order was fulfilled,finished, closed, and cannot be changed.  I explained all of that to the lender and I offered a discount for the new order.  I never received the new order to do so.   
  Finally, like I stated before, why would I refuse to do a second appraisal on a house that I already appraised, inspected,measured,.....?  It makes no sense to refuse to that.  Furthermore, I offered a discount to do the second appraisal and it's all documented. They never engaged me or ordered me to do that.  So please explain how I was misconducting or misunderstanding But also, please keep your unprofessional and borderline childish comments to yourself.