You Are Invited!

You Are Invited

to

the Campaign Kickoff Fundraising Reception

to elect

FRANK GREGOIRE

Pinellas County Property Appraiser

Kickoff Fundraiser
Wednesday, May 28th
5:30 – 7:00 pm

Reception to be held at

THE VENUE

Tampa Bay’s newest leader in entertainment and culinary elegance
2675 Ulmerton Road, in Feather Sound

Complimentary hors d'oeuvres and cash bar will be available
Please RSVP to Frank@Vote4Frank.org by Monday, May 25
or call Frank at 727-410-7065

Election laws limit contributions to $500.00 per person or corporation

vote4frank.org

Political Advertisement paid for and approved by Frank Gregoire, Republican, for Property Appraiser

Candidate Petitions-Last Week

We're in the last drive to collect Candidate Petitions to qualify to have Frank Gregoire on the ballot for Pinellas County Property Appraiser. Rather than pay a qualifying fee of nearly $9,000.00 to the Supervisor of Elections, we are in the midst of collecting 6,200 Candidate Petitions.

Any registered voter in Pinellas County may complete a petition. It does not matter if the voter is registered as a Democrat, Republican or with no party affiliation. This is merely to make sure the voters have a choice in the upcoming election.

To get a copy of the petition, just go to the campaign website

http://www.vote4frank.org/

click on the link to the Candidate Petition or use this link

http://www.vote4frank.org/images/Frank-Gregoire-Petition.pdf

Complete the petition with your name, birth date, residence address, signature and date. Drop it in the mail to the address on the petition. Please mail to arrive not later than MAY 16, 2008.

Here's a short clip to describe why this is necessary. THANKS for your help.

Petition Signatures!

Yesterday, April 19th, two different locations were worked to obtain Candidate Petitions. At 9:00 A.M., we visited Puyear Park in northeast St. Petersburg to watch the opening of the first public outdoor Jai Alai court in North America. The afternoon was spent along the seawall in Vinoy Park talking with voters enjoying the Mainsail Art Festival.

Among the voters at Puyear Park signing the petition to get Frank Gregoire on the ballet was St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker.

We're working at another location today in an effort to get closer to the goal of 6,200 signed Candidate Petitions before the qualification deadline. You can help by surfing over to http://www.vote4frank.org/ and downloading a pdf of the Candidate Petition. Mail to the address on the petition. Please take a minute to forward the link to your friends, family and colleagues that are registered to vote here in Pinellas County. Encourage them to download the Candidate Petition and forward the link to their friends. If you forward to 20 people in your address book, we are that much closer to the goal.

Your help is essential to elect a Certified Appraiser to the office of Pinellas County Property Appraiser and restore competency, credibility and integrity to the office.

Gregoire Elected to Honorary AARO Membership

The Board of Directors of the Association of Appraiser Regulatory Officials (AARO) unanimously elected Frank Gregoire to Honorary Membership during their meeting in San Francisco Monday, April 14, 2008.

According the AARO President, Bob Keith, Administrator of the Oregon Appraiser Certification & Licensure Board, "Frank, you have faithfully served AARO for many years and have made a significant and important contribution towards the accomplishment of our mission. On behalf of the Board of Directors and the entire Association I say thank you and congratulation on this honor, which you richly deserve."

The mission of the Association of Appraiser Regulatory Officials is to improve the administration and enforcement of real estate appraisal laws in member jurisdictions.

Island of Disenchantment

Update to add link to (UN)real estate blog post:

(UN)real estate

Feel free to comment on the (UN)real estate blog. I particularly like the third post.

Foreclosures leave Clearwater's Island Estates residents disenchanted

By James Thorner
Times Staff Writer
Published Friday, April 4, 2008 5:11 PM

In a cobalt blue Bentley that he bragged once belonged to boxer Mike Tyson, Marty Donovan looked the part of a superstar real estate agent.

And he was. The Chicago native racked up dozens of home sales between 2004 and 2007, most in a single neighborhood, Clearwater's Island Estates. His $40-million in annual sales placed him at the top of heap.

Full Story Here

St. Petersburg appraiser Frank Gregoire, until recently chairman of the Florida Real Estate Appraisal Board, said the sales bear the hallmarks of a common scam.

Buyers find a compliant appraiser to justify a higher loan amount from the bank, pay the seller a lesser amount, stop making house payments and walk away with the extra cash.

More sophisticated operators make payments for several months before they quit the property, Gregoire said. That way it looks like they were honest buyers but simply fell on financial hard times.

"Some thief sticks up a bank and gets $10,000 and the FBI will pursue him like he's the scourge of the earth," Gregoire said. "Other guys use real estate to take a bank for hundreds of thousands or tens of millions of dollars. I wish they were pursued with the same zeal.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Not mentioned in the article are my comments about the effect of fraudulent, cash back transactions on assessed values. Neither did Thorner address my contention that the Pinellas County Property Appraiser's office must use more diligence in verifying transactions and rate the fraudulent transfers as UNQUALIFIED.

Appraiser Evaluates Whether 303 Homes Are Overpriced

By SHANNON BEHNKEN, The Tampa Tribune
Published: March 8, 2008

TAMPA - South St. Petersburg homeowners living in neighborhoods with homes sold at inflated prices may no longer have to pay higher property taxes because of those transactions.

The Pinellas County Property Appraiser's Office is combing through each of 303 sales, first detailed in a Tampa Tribune investigation, and will likely disqualify them as comparable sales used to determine the value of nearby homes, said Ron Anderson, deputy for appraisals

Full Story Here

The decision not to use those sales could have a significant impact on the low-income neighborhood, said Frank Gregoire, a private appraiser.

"It's about time," said Gregoire, who is running for the office of Pinellas County property appraiser. "But the damage has already been done since homeowners won't get their money back."

The real estate boom spurred numerous deals with unusual financing and inflated sales prices, and neighborhoods throughout the Tampa Bay area have been affected, Gregoire said. County property appraisers need to do a better job at weeding out these peculiar deals, he said.

"Recorded documents don't always illustrate what went on during a sale, as we've learned here."

Property appraiser candidates debate issues

Property appraiser candidates debate issues
By BOB MACPHERSON

Article published on Tuesday, March 4, 2008
NORTH REDINGTON BEACH – Pam Dubov, Ben Friedlander and Frank Gregoire participated in a debate before the Barrier Islands Governmental Council Feb. 27. All three are running in the Aug. 26 primary election for a chance to be on the ballot in November in the race for Pinellas County Property Appraiser.

BIG-C Vice President and Indian Shores’ Mayor Jim Lawrence served as moderator.

Each candidate gave a short presentation, highlighting their qualifications. Lawrence then posed a series of questions that each candidate responded to.

FULL ARTICLE

Announcement

Veteran Appraiser Announces Candidacy for Pinellas County Property Appraiser

ST. PETERSBURG - Frank Gregoire (R-St. Petersburg) has officially announced his candidacy for the office of Pinellas County Property Appraiser.

A resident of Pinellas County since 1957, and a United States Army Veteran, Frank is a licensed real estate broker, a state-certified appraiser and real estate appraisal instructor. For the past 30 years, Frank has actively worked as an independent fee appraiser in Pinellas County, involved in assignments from Tierra Verde to Tarpon Springs. His clients include property owners, mortgage lenders, attorneys, relocation companies and private mortgage insurers. Since 1986, Frank has been president of Gregoire & Gregoire, Inc., a real estate appraisal firm specializing in expert witness services and the valuation and analysis of property in Pinellas County.

Appointed by Governor Jeb Bush to the Florida Real Estate Appraisal Board, the State Regulatory Agency for Real Estate Appraisers, he served as a member of the board from February 18, 2000 until February 5, 2008. Members of the Florida Real Estate Appraisal Board elected him Chairman in 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2007.

The National Association of REALTORS® has awarded Gregoire the RAA (Residential Accredited Appraiser) designation. He is also a member of the National Association of Independent Fee Appraisers and has been awarded the IFA (Independent Fee Appraiser) designation.

A frequent guest speaker for conferences and professional associations on appraisal-related subjects, Gregoire is recognized as a source for mortgage and valuation fraud prevention, and market and appraisal information by nationally syndicated columnists and news sites, including NPR, CNN and MSNBC.
According to Gregoire: "Property owners in Pinellas County expect and deserve competency, credibility and integrity in their elected Property Appraiser. My professional record and over 30 years of experience clearly suggests that I will meet those expectations once elected. As property appraiser, I will also be an advocate for much needed reforms to assessment laws and practices, including proper application of "highest and best use" standards and changing the "presumption of correctness" currently enjoyed by elected property appraisers to a more taxpayer-friendly standard. Most importantly, under my leadership, the Pinellas County Property Appraiser's Office will be a model for openness, ethics, integrity and world-class customer service".

Barron, Baker & Posternock

Barron, Baker & Posternock

Link to an article published by the Tampa Tribune

Yours truly interviewed by Shannon Behnken of the Tampa Tribune

Full Series at link below.

Real Estate Investigation

NAR Apppraisal Committee Position On HR 1295

During their November Conference in San Francisco, the NAR Appraisal Committee made recommendations to the Realtors® Board of Directors related to HR 1295, The Responsible Lending Act

Here are the recommendations approved by the Appraisal Committee and the NAR Board of Directors:



NAR’s Comments on the Appraisal Portion (Title IV) of H.R. 1295, The Responsible Lending Act

1. Encourage those interested in the real estate transaction from improperly influencing the appraisal. This section of the Act would allow those involved in the real estate transaction to ask the appraiser to (1) consider additional, appropriate property information, (2) provide further detail, substantiation, or explanation for the value conclusion and (3) correct errors in the appraisal report.

NAR would support because it acknowledges at the federal level the need for appraisal independence. Appraisers should have an avenue to report undue pressure and the idea of ordering an appraisal by someone not affected by the outcome is an appropriate step.


2. Improve the federal oversight of state appraisal programs by requiring the Appraisal Subcommittee of the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council to annually report its activities to Congress. The Appraisal Subcommittee would have to provide more disclosure by holding open meetings.

NAR would support because it further codifies what the Appraisal Subcommittee is doing. The provision would require more detailed information and provides for a more open process.


3. Improve Appraisal Subcommittee’s oversight of state activity by allowing them to issue binding rules and regulations over state appraisal regulators. The rulemaking authority is intended to provide the interagency panel with a full range of supervisory sanctioning powers over state appraisal regulators.

NAR would oppose because the Appraisal Subcommittee is not a federal department/agency sanctioned by Congress with federal rulemaking authority. Federal laws may be enacted that state agencies must follow, but the state agency should remain independent of direct federal oversight.

Also, many of the “deficiencies” discovered by the Appraisal Subcommittee tend to deal with the state failing to implement some requirement of the Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB) of the Appraisal Foundation [AQB Certified Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) Instructors, AQB Approved Distance Learning Criteria, AQB Mandated Continuing Education (CE), no15-Hour National USPAP Course for CE, etc.] rather than some glaring deficiency relating to the failure to discipline underperforming appraisers. For example, in some cases, when an appraiser CE course is found to be outside of what the AQB demands, expensive audits of licensees are conducted and staff time is consumed contacting errant licensees and arranging for additional education. NAR believes that the Appraisal Subcommittee unknowingly contributes to the inability of many states to enforce the law by making staff devote more time to less serious matters.

NAR supports exploring the idea of using the Appraisal Subcommittee’s surplus funds to help states comply with their responsibilities under Title XI of the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 (FIRREA). On page 18 of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) report entitled REGULATORY PROGRAMS – Opportunities to Enhance Oversight of the Real Estate Appraisal Industry (GAO-03-404) it states that “State appraiser agencies reported that they often lack funding to revise their regulations with every USPAP update and to cover the increasing cost of administering the licensing and certification processes.”

The funding problem experienced by the states would be exacerbated with the addition of another layer of rules, regulations and mandates. Supplementing their budgets to meet existing Title XI of FIRREA obligations would have a better effect.

NOTE: If Congress proceeds to amend Title XI of FIRREA to give the Appraisal Subcommittee rulemaking authority then NAR believes that the range of rules and sanctions must be clearly defined and limited. In our view, it is unreasonable to give the Appraisal Subcommittee free reign with no limits.


4. Require lenders to get a physical inspection for a property on which any "higher-cost" loan is made. Also you would have to get a second appraisal on a home whose value has risen within the last 6 months.
.
NAR would support because this provision recognizes the value of an appraisal especially in regards to loans requiring higher fees. NAR also supports adding the following amendment to this section:

“Lenders will be required to inform a borrower of the methods used to value a property to determine the amount of the mortgage loan. Also, since lenders often obtain multiple estimates or opinions of the value of the collateral, the consumer will be provided a copy of all the value estimates or opinions of value obtained.”

NAR believes that it is important that borrowers be educated so they have the knowledge to make informed decisions. The consumer will benefit by understanding the various valuation products and their methodologies along with disclosing all the estimates or opinions of value. This will promote responsible property ownership and thoughtful decision making.


5. Allow special consideration to be given to appraisers who have obtained special designations or training from professional appraisal organizations that are “sponsoring organizations of the Appraisal Foundation.”

NAR would support only if affiliate sponsors with their accompanying designations are included as “sponsoring organizations of the Appraisal Foundation.”

NAR believes that the public would be better served by a system that encourages appraisers to excel through appropriate professional development.


6. Authorize a state certifying or licensing agency to accept courses and seminars approved by the Appraiser Qualification Board’s Course Approval Program for educational training requirements.

NAR would support if the following change to the existing language in the bill is made:

“(h) Approved Education - A state certifying or licensing agency shall may accept, but is not limited to courses and seminars approved by the Appraiser Qualification Board’s Course Approval Program”

Also, NAR recommends examining the idea of developing a national appraisal education course accreditation organization which may not necessarily be the AQB. The organization should be subject to specific standards and appropriate federal oversight.

There is no argument with encouraging states to recognize the efforts of other groups and organizations with respect to course approvals but a federal mandate is not the proper way to proceed. NAR believes that the state’s right to choose must be preserved. NAR believes that AQB approved courses should be approved on a state by state basis just like any other class. The approval authority should remain with the State Appraisal Boards and the states should retain the right to impose their own requirements which may be more stringent. Also, other providers should not be precluded from offering courses.

The AQB has a history of adopting arbitrary requirements which have the appearance of conflicts of interest. For example, the National USPAP Course (or an equivalent) is a requirement to become a certified appraiser and the National USPAP Update Course (or an equivalent) is a biennial continuing education requirement to maintain certification. Each of these courses must be instructed by an AQB Certified Instructor. AQB courses require a license fee to be paid to the AQB. The sole means for instructors to become AQB certified is through an AQB Instructor Certification Course taught by Appraisal Standards Board (ASB) members of the Appraisal Foundation.

The AQB is the sole determinant of course equivalency and AQB Instructor qualifications. There is no oversight of either of these programs and no means of appealing any decision or determination made by the AQB. Education providers and course developers must have a means of appealing approval decisions and should not have to compete with the approving entity. In addition, the approving entity must be subject to the appropriate oversight.