Meet the VA Team at Valuation Expo

The Veterans Administration Home Loan Guaranty Program is the only provision of the original GI Bill that is still in force. In 1989 the Veterans Administration was renamed the Department of Veterans Affairs, also known as the VA. The Buzz staff was fortunate enough to speak with Gerry Kifer, Supervisory Appraiser of the VA.

Buzz: Gerry,  you have joined us at every single Valuation Expo as both a speaker and exhibitor. Are you coming back again this year?

Kifer: I wouldn’t miss it. This year we are especially eager to meet with appraisers at our booth in Baltimore, July 11-13 since we are on an aggressive campaign to recruit appraisers to our panel. There is nothing better than personally meeting appraisers in the flesh! We will have applications “on the ready”.

Buzz: Before we discuss the VA appraisal program, can you tell our readers a little bit about yourself and how you began in the industry? I understand you started out in Northern Ohio.

Kifer: Yes, I started as an appraiser with a small independent family firm in 1972 in North Central Ohio. I worked as an independent and then became a Chief Appraiser for a lender there in Ohio. I joined the VA in 1984 as a staff appraiser, rising eventually to the position of Assistant Chief for the State of Ohio before transferring to VA Central Office in 1990. I have been the Chief Appraiser for VA in Washington since 2002 with the exception of a brief tour in 2010/11 as Director of Single Family Valuation for FHA. I returned to VA as Chief Appraiser in 2011 to present.

Buzz: On a personal note, are you a Veteran and did that impact your decision to work for the VA?

Kifer: Yes, I am a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps. Originally, that did not really have much influence on my decision to work for the VA, but after coming to work for the VA it became more and more a part of my staying with the VA. Today, as I look back, it has been a very satisfying career to have been able to serve so many of my fellow Veterans.

Buzz: Do you have to be a Veteran to be a VA Appraiser?

Kifer: Absolutely not! VA has traditionally looked for the most experienced and best qualified appraisers to provide appraisal service to our Veteran clientele. In our selection process, when reviewing applications to be a member of the VA panel, we look for the appraisers showing a past history of quality and integrity as we feel that will best serve the interests of Veterans.

Buzz: What has prompted the current initiative to expand the VA panel? Do you anticipate the volume of business for VA loans to increase?

Kifer: In the past year or so, as the national recovery has expanded, VA’s volume of business has already grown to the point where we have set record numbers in the appraisal process. We expect that trend to continue. We are also concerned that our panel of appraisers is an aging workforce, reflecting what we see as the national trend. Many of our present appraisers are already of retirement age, with many telling us that they have left other appraisal business to concentrate on VA work only out of a sense of service to our nation’s Veterans. So the combination of expanded work volume and an inevitable increase in retirements is making us look both short-term, to volume, and longer-term, to having a stable panel for the future.

Buzz: How long does it typically take to complete the approval process to qualify for the VA Appraiser Panel?

Kifer: We have been recruiting for several months, but still have a need for many more appraisers. Once applications are received, the office tries to send an acknowledgment that we are in receipt of the application within five business days. Then applications are sorted by geographic territory and reviewed based on where our most critical need for appraisers exists. The applications are graded and sorted to determine the most qualified in those areas. The process can take weeks or even months as we seek to find best qualified, etc. All of this is in addition to many other work responsibilities, but we are making this a high priority all across the country.

Buzz: What are some benefits for appraisers who are considering VA work?

Kifer: There are many benefits to being on VA’s panel not the least of which is the appointment itself, which many consumers of appraisals consider to be a credential in itself, since they know VA’s vetting process. We are constantly asked for our list of appraisers. Another very significant benefit is that VA assigns work on a rotational basis, so that VA appraisers receive an ongoing piece of the action without having to go out to solicit the work from lenders. It also allows an appraiser to have their work seen by a wide range of customers without having to take the time to do that outreach work. VA tends to always have business in good times or not so VA can be a very good, what I call, bread and butter account. There are many other benefits and I could go on and on, but I encourage appraisers to consider VA and find out more about us.

Buzz: Gerry, we truly appreciate you joining us at Valuation Expo (in Baltimore on July 11-13) as a consistent, positive voice. We have heard from appraisers who have connected with you at past events who have found the experience professionally and personally rewarding. Thank you for helping us help appraisers- Learn, Network and Prosper. It is a real message that truly works thanks to your continued support.

Kifer: I have attended for many years and VA considers this to be one of if not the premiere appraisal event of the year! Besides myself, there will be VA staff to discuss the application process in more detail, where we need appraisers most, and many more of those benefits of being a VA fee appraiser.

Buzz: Is there anything else of interest about the VA Appraiser Panel you would like to touch on?

Kifer: There are so many aspects of the VA program that I could go on and on, but one thing that VA appraisers tell us is important to them is that with VA you are paid a full fee, there is no fee splitting with an AMC, and VA continually measures the market to help ensure that VA fees are reasonable, usual and customary. VA appraisers often tell the story for us of just how good it feels to provide service to those who have served!

Buzz: Thank you again for taking the time out and chatting with us today. We appreciate the information you have to share. Those who wish to speak to someone directly regarding the VA Appraiser Panel can visit them in person at Valuation Expo in Baltimore, MD July 11-13^th with a Trade Show pass or Full Conference pass.

For details on attending Valuation Expo go to www.valuationexpo.com or contact Libby Durbin at libby@allterragroup.com or 443-669-3950.

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