Occupational Licensing Hurts Just About Everyone, Says White House

chompers · Aug 1, 2015

cmhbob said:
Or even better: states start working together to standardize some licensing areas, so that people who move a lot don't have to start from scratch every time they move to a new state. Or "Ok, you just got your NY license for whatever about a year ago. We have a few things that are different, so we've got a single class that covers that. It's free, and we give it every other weekend at these locations. Take that class, pay a reduced fee, take the test, and you're set."

Most states will let you "transfer" over your license without too much of a fuss or without retesting. It's the states that have more stringent rules that usually require more red tape, but they tend to be the states that need more regulation, like California, Texas, New York.

I also would like to see licensing that applies across all states, but I don't know how feasible that is. The US is pretty diverse. As an example, in California architects have to be concerned about building to withstand earthquakes, but in Florida they're concerned about hurricanes. And the various states use different building codes.

Lyv · Aug 1, 2015

Last I heard, Uber claims disability laws don't apply to them, and they may be right. They apply to licensed taxi drivers. I have heard that you can request vans or accessible vehicles through Uber, but if their company position is not to follow laws regarding disabled passengers, I won't use them. If Uber and other similar services put taxis out of business, getting around would be even harder for me than it is. I get it that most people won't ever have to worry about that. Before laws that made public spaces and businesses accommodate us, they mostly wouldn't. But, yeah, government overreach whatevs...

Just adding that in my experience, reciprocity state by state with my RN license was good. I didn't check out every state, though, just the ones in states my husband and I considered moving to.

King Neptune · Aug 1, 2015

chompers said:
Most states will let you "transfer" over your license without too much of a fuss or without retesting. It's the states that have more stringent rules that usually require more red tape, but they tend to be the states that need more regulation, like California, Texas, New York.

I also would like to see licensing that applies across all states, but I don't know how feasible that is. The US is pretty diverse. As an example, in California architects have to be concerned about building to withstand earthquakes, but in Florida they're concerned about hurricanes. And the various states use different building codes.

Every state has a separate building code, but all (or nearly all) are based on the U.S. Building Code, which is based on the International Building Code.

shadowwalker · Aug 1, 2015

King Neptune said:
It had everything to do with licensing.

I guess I'm confused on what pricing you're referring to, then. I assumed, apparently wrongly, that you meant housing prices. Not sure what other prices are involved.

King Neptune said:
Realtors have nothing to do with appraisals.

They do have various finance agencies that they work with, however. If a particular finance agency hires crappy appraisers, smart realtors will not go with that institution.

Licensing realtors makes sure they know the laws of real estate and contracts, know something about finance options, and the basics of home construction/inspection. Without that, it would be like dealing with FSBO's (For Sale By Owner) who generally have no idea how to price their home, what covenants even are, let alone which exist for their property, how to write a real estate contract, etc etc.

King Neptune · Aug 3, 2015

shadowwalker said:
I guess I'm confused on what pricing you're referring to, then. I assumed, apparently wrongly, that you meant housing prices. Not sure what other prices are involved.

The pricing of appraisals. How much banks will pay appraisers (appraisal management companies now) for a appraisal.

They do have various finance agencies that they work with, however. If a particular finance agency hires crappy appraisers, smart realtors will not go with that institution.

Realtors (members of the National Association of Realtors) are licensed as realestate salespersons or real estate brokers. They arragne the showing and acceptance of bids for pieces of real estate. They do not arrange the financing of real estate, and they have nothing to do with which bank may mortgage a piece of real estate.

Licensing realtors makes sure they know the laws of real estate and contracts, know something about finance options, and the basics of home construction/inspection. Without that, it would be like dealing with FSBO's (For Sale By Owner) who generally have no idea how to price their home, what covenants even are, let alone which exist for their property, how to write a real estate contract, etc etc.

It would be nice if real estate brokers and salespeople knew such things, but the licensing is very shallow, and some parts of it are based on mistaken information. But it is better than nothing, and before there was licensing of real estate brokers and salespersons that business was largely a way to scam innocent buyers.

shadowwalker · Aug 3, 2015

King Neptune said:
The pricing of appraisals. How much banks will pay appraisers (appraisal management companies now) for a appraisal.

And that has to do with realtor licensing how?

King Neptune said:
Realtors (members of the National Association of Realtors) are licensed as realestate salespersons or real estate brokers. They arragne the showing and acceptance of bids for pieces of real estate. They do not arrange the financing of real estate, and they have nothing to do with which bank may mortgage a piece of real estate.

If you think realtors don't work with banks and finance agencies to make sure their buyers can actually buy the house, you don't know much about realtors. They know exactly who to suggest to buyers, especially those who may need working with, and if they find a business where the appraisals are consistently off, they'll steer buyers away.

King Neptune said:
It would be nice if real estate brokers and salespeople knew such things, but the licensing is very shallow, and some parts of it are based on mistaken information. But it is better than nothing, and before there was licensing of real estate brokers and salespersons that business was largely a way to scam innocent buyers.

I will have to concede that licensing requirements depend largely on the state. Having worked in Minnesota, and having relatives who are brokers in California, I can guarantee the licensing in both is stiff. And again, the realtors that don't know their stuff don't last long.

ColoradoGuy · Aug 3, 2015

In medicine it's not really the state licensing regulations that are a pain; I have them for several states and the main issue is that it takes time to get one while they check to see if your training and experience are valid. People have been known to fake these things.

The real pain comes with the various payers, mostly private insurance companies, which can demand whatever they want before credentialing you to take care of their clients. The paperwork for those is tedious, time consuming, redundant, and often silly. Also expensive. In contrast, credentialing for the government programs -- Medicaid, Medicare, and the military (Tricare) -- is quite straightforward and uncomplicated. So if we had, for example, single payer (I can dream), licensing/credentialing would be vastly simpler. Of course it would also eliminate thousands of jobs for the credentialing people that now infest every healthcare entity.

King Neptune · Aug 3, 2015

shadowwalker said:
And that has to do with realtor licensing how?

Nothing, it relates to the licensing of appraisers.

If you think realtors don't work with banks and finance agencies to make sure their buyers can actually buy the house, you don't know much about realtors. They know exactly who to suggest to buyers, especially those who may need working with, and if they find a business where the appraisals are consistently off, they'll steer buyers away.

I have been a Realtor. I am acquainted with what they do.

I will have to concede that licensing requirements depend largely on the state. Having worked in Minnesota, and having relatives who are brokers in California, I can guarantee the licensing in both is stiff. And again, the realtors that don't know their stuff don't last long.

Some people think the licensing of real estate brokers and salespersons in Massachusetts is also difficult. I think that it is a bad joke, but many people do fail the test. The people who write the tests are not well informed in the laws. Pearson administers the tests in Minnesota, California, and Massachusetts and in most other states, so I doubt that the testing is rigorous in any state.

And remember that Realtors are members of the National Association of Realtors; that is different from being a licensed real estate broker or real estate salesperson.

shadowwalker · Aug 3, 2015

King Neptune said:
I have been a Realtor. I am acquainted with what they do.

Same here. Guess they just do things differently in Massachusetts.

King Neptune · Aug 4, 2015

shadowwalker said:
Same here. Guess they just do things differently in Massachusetts.

And I think you have been mistaking licensing with membership in an organization that provides services. Licensed Agents are not necessarily Realtors.

shadowwalker · Aug 4, 2015

King Neptune said:
And I think you have been mistaking licensing with membership in an organization that provides services. Licensed Agents are not necessarily Realtors.

I understand fully that Realtors and realtors are not necessarily the same thing. At any rate, we simply differ in our opinions of licensing in this area.

King Neptune · Aug 4, 2015

shadowwalker said:
I understand fully that Realtors and realtors are not necessarily the same thing. At any rate, we simply differ in our opinions of licensing in this area.

Realtor always has a capital, and it only refers to members of the NAR (National Association of Realtors); it is an error to use that as a synonym for real estate agent.

I don't know whether we really disagree about te licensing of real estate agents, because I posted about the licensing of real estate appraisers.

Occupational Licensing Hurts Just About Everyone, Says White House

chompers

Lyv

I meant to do that.

King Neptune

shadowwalker

empty-nester!

King Neptune

shadowwalker

empty-nester!

ColoradoGuy

I've seen worse.

King Neptune

shadowwalker

empty-nester!

King Neptune

shadowwalker

empty-nester!

King Neptune