Dear Erin Toll

June 10th, 2008

Colorado Division of Real Estate
1560 Broadway #925
Denver, CO 80202
Attn: Erin Toll

via snail mail
to: distribution list /with attachments

Spell the Name Right

Typos, misspell, bad grammar. I make my share and then some.

Having said that - it seems to me for any State agency that issues and revokes licenses it's important to spell the names right. Right?

I spoke up on this issue with a lengthy rant in March of 2006. I said (see items #6 and #7 on the list of 11):

Is getting the name spelled right too much to ask? Is it any wonder the appraiser community in Denver has zero respect for your operation at BOREA?

I also said:

It's hard for me to respect a process when the Investigator can’t get my name right.

I encourage you to take the time to read my comments from 2 years ago. I also direct your attention to an unsolicited comment I received from Colorado Appraiser Stacy McDonald:

I also appreciate some of your statements (like the one where you find it hard to reply when people spell your name incorrectly).

The name Stacy McDonald had been misspelled (butchered) as "Robert" in this DORA form letter dated 9/21/04.

Since my rant in March 2006 - I have received approximately 30 pieces of correspondence from the Department of Real Estate. My name is spelled right about 50% of the time.

I have attached three recent letters, dated 4/22/08, 4/28/08, and 4/29/08, all signed by Patricia Erickson. I'm not picking on Patricia - these 3 letters serve as a representative example of the entire department. Example 1.1 and 1.2, Example 2.1 and 2.2, Example 3.1 and 3.2.

With a quick reading I noticed: Letter #1 dated 4/22/08 misspells the name Lyn Drake. Letter #2 dated 4/28/08 spells Lyn Drake right but gets my name wrong. Letter #3 dated 4/29/08 also spells my name wrong. Page 2 of Letter #3 says:

... the buyers, Shawn and Darlene Tieskotter

According to my research the buyers are/were Richard and Darlene Tieskotter. As far as I know, Shawn Tieskotter and Richard Tieskotter are not the same person. I could be wrong.

The letter says:

Since broker Berst usually deals in high-end properties, he had no reason to questions [sic] the terms and conditions of this transaction.

Do you blame me for wondering if this entire investigation was screwed up?

My complaint included a copy of the listing history. Did Patricia Erickson (or anyone at BOREA) look at it? Does anyone involved in this investigation have a clue? Richard Berst (listing agent) added $325,000 to the MLS asking/sold price and reported a seller concession of $zero in MLS.

I encourage everyone who reads this letter to take a careful look at the listing history. It's a one page document - it should only take 2 minutes of your time. I estimate the mortgage fraud at $500,000. How many people think this is a problem? How many think "we" have the problem under control?

The good news is Kimberly White's (the selling agent) real estate license has been permanently revoked. In my opinion, this is an important step in the right direction. The bad news is Richard Berst and every real estate agent in Colorado have a half million reasons to keep doing the same thing. The sad reality is that mortgage fraud has become "generally accepted" in the Denver/Aurora real estate community.

I sincerely hope the next important step is to make an effort to spell the names right.

Call to Action

As you may know, I wrote a series of letters in late 2005 that called attention to mortgage fraud in the Denver metro area.

Does anyone think this is not going to happen again?

The citizens of Colorado need and deserve a Department of Real Estate staffed with capable (functionally literate) people. I urge the authorities to give them the help/training/support they need. Pay a fair wage and give them the tools and support they need.

Sincerely,

Philip G Rice
11268 E Linvale Dr
Aurora, CO 80014
720-282-3376
phil.rice@mkgappraisal.com

ps - To all who have read this far, please take a minute and think creatively about something you can do. Make a positive difference. If you need help, call me at 720-282-3376 or send an email.

This letter is published on the Internet at:
http://www.mkgappraisal.com/letter2008_06.htm

-- End of Letter --

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