Interesting comment Retired

Kent, its not a ‘done deal’ yet. My understanding is the fourth exposure draft proposes elimination of degree requirement completely at license level. My belief is that they are now considering elimination at the residential certified level but not at the general certified level. Same arguments that applied at all other levels still apply and GC level.

With all the parsing of language to circumvent Dodd Frank; we have FIRREA/USPAP that depends on appraisers rather than misleading forms, form designers that embed false verbiage in spurious report that appraisers reports using those forms will be complaint; general certified appraisers who also are in the business of selling regression software or regression courses  are no longer content to merely say RA is just another tool in the box. They now suggest or infer strongly that anything other than RA is unreliable. Legislators that pass protective measures with no enforcement mechanisms.

We don’t have a dearth of degrees. We have too much influence from liars, cheats and thieves. Some (not all)  who have degrees and have only learned to be better liars, cheats and thieves.

AMCs were certainly for the repeal of the requirement but in all fairness the repeal was necessary to correct a poor decision they made. They move at the speed of the Titanic when it comes to turning around. They made the “genius” decision when the appraisal market was red hot and everyone wanted in, yet implemented it just as Cuomo & Company (HVCC) wiped out the appraisal business.

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity…..

Checks and balances my friend, checks and balances.  The appraisers position is much more important than many realize.  In the market heat over several years I brushed off a few dozen hopeful cold trainee solicitations.  I can’t untrain an advocate.  I can only mentor non advocacy within a person with an already open and fair mind.  No college could keep up with the changing curriculum which is government bureaucracy in real estate. You just have to keep up as you go. 5000+ training hours and no degree, that sounds better.

Rob, I suspect you are right in your area, but have you ever considered that training appraisers is also one of the best sources of higher paying fee appraisals you can get? Almost all of my business is now referral work. Usually from someone I either trained, or developed a friendly competitor relationship with.

I have more than 30 years real estate experience. I’m sure there are those with even more experience, but it is not my trainees. I have always wanted them to be the best appraisers they can be. Quality over quantity. Anticipate the logical questions your reporting of facts raises, and then attempt to answer those within the report (within reason). One of the things they learn are their own license level limitations and what happens when appraisers are tempted to exceed those limits. Trying to teach another forces me to stay sharp and advance my own education.

…and Corelogic, though I suspect most of this originates inside TAF itself.

The original FIRREA and TAF/AQB appraiser requirements were fine. They reflected the will of the Congress.

Everything since then has largely reflected with will and desire of TAF to continue to be able to offer its leaders high paid jobs after they leave government employment. They have gone very, very far astray from what they were charged to do.

“For the People.” Sure.

Yes!!!

Every area is different Rob. I work one county (San Diego) where there is 3.3 million people and just over 950+/- appraisers (ALL WITHIN 30 MILES OF ME). If you go out a few hundred miles (a stretch) and include Southern CA I would bet I’m perhaps 1 of 5,000 (?). In theory, if I work to the extreme North or South of the county, perhaps 500+ appraisers are locationally closer than me. Although my state has 10,592 active licensees (01/16/2018 / BREA Licensing Stats), perhaps the icing on the cake is that we are losing by my count +/- one appraiser per day. At that rate, in 29 years the last appraiser will be gone.

Vast majority of appraisers (like 95%) are over 55. In 15 years I’m not sure what will happen.