AQB Initial Fair Housing Course
Mandatory completion of an initial fair housing course lasting 7 hours by January 1st 2025, as well as 4 additional hours every renewal cycle thereafter.
Recently, the Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB) has proposed new requirements for those looking to become an appraiser or renew their certification/license. These include mandatory completion of an initial fair housing course lasting seven hours by January 1st 2025, as well as four additional hours every renewal cycle thereafter if this becomes standard practice.
The following is taken right out of the new exposure draft on real property appraiser qualifications criteria.
“The core goal is to ensure every appraiser (new and existing), completes an “initial fair housing course” as soon as possible. The AQB’s aim is to accomplish this effort without waiting up to multiple years, given the reality appraisers are all in different phases of their CE cycles and QE processes.
For illustration purposes, a simplified summary of the proposed requirements, are noted here:
- Aspiring appraisers: The 8-hour* course must become part of the required QE for aspiring appraisers no later than January 1, 2025.
- Credentialed appraisers: Must complete the 7-hour* course by December 31, 2025.
- All appraisers: Must complete the 4-hour course as part of each ongoing two-year continuing education cycle starting January 1, 2026.
*The only difference between the 7-hour course and the 8-hour course is the 8-hour course includes a required one-hour exam. Therefore, the 8-hour course is the same identical content as the 7-hour course, with one extra hour added to allow for an exam to be administered.”
While it is understandable that the AQB wants all appraisers to be knowledgeable about fair housing laws and regulations, this requirement seems excessive. Their latest proposal to require 7 hours of initial fair housing coursework and an additional 4 hours every renewal cycle may be a bit much. Appraisers understand the importance of ensuring unbiased appraisals, but many don’t think such lengthy courses are necessary as they may consume a high percentage of the license renewal CE hours.
It’s also worth noting that while there was an opportunity for public comment during this period, many were unaware due to limited publicity by AQB itself; feedback could have been useful in further refining these standards before they are finalized later this year. Hopefully there will be another chance at public comment if a second draft is released in the future. Until then, let’s keep our fingers crossed that common sense prevails when it comes to these appraisal qualifications criteria!
- FHFA’s Appraisal Waivers Expansion - October 29, 2024
- Lack of Evidence, Appraiser Challenges Discrimination Claims - October 24, 2024
- NFHA’s False Narrative Undermines the Appraisal Industry - October 18, 2024
Don’t we all already know that discrimination in appraisals is both legally and ethically prohibited?
This will be a complete waste of time, since we already know we cannot apply any bias in any form. Only thing that might help is the CYA language that you should already be placing in your report which may come out of these courses. Good thing is many will be retired by the time these requirements come to fruition!
I believe the 7 hour course for credentialed Appraisers plus a 4 hour additional course shortly thereafter is a “bit” excessive. I bet there are only a handful of us with more than 3 cycles of renewal that have not taken a Fair Housing course to fill out our renewal requirement. There is NOT 7 hours PLUS another 4 hours of material in the courses I have taken multiple times over 28 years during differing renewal cycles. Typically the material gets repeated during a 3 hour course just to fill out that shorter time in courses I have taken.
I’m cool with it. The class will actually be a time saver. One less class I’ll have to tediously research only to find it’s the same old content slightly reformed with a new class title to get approval from the state orgs. These repeat classes are just money grabs from the educational community anyways. I cleared through USPAP in like three and a half hours last time around and claimed the 7 hour credit. And that’s with a broader range of information which is constantly changing with bi annual rewrites of the book. Memorizing one single regulatory piece from 50 years ago is going to be a cakewalk and I’ll claim the 4 hour credit in an hour flat every time, hold my beer. They’ll try to get creative with the classes but as long as you read the source document and remember the content, it won’t matter how they reframe the issue. This in educational understanding, is like taking into to algebra every year for the rest of your life. It stops being challenging after the first round. Do you think they’ll talk about how white people are 8% of the world populace and falling? Or how rural white Americans are the largest body of impoverished people in this country?
Nope but I appreciate the stats. Thank you!
in 37 years of appraising, i have never known to appraise or any appraiser to appraise based on race. Sales are sales, all we do is look for sales within the same area and we use them. If someone is using sales outside the area to low ball the appraisal, I have never heard of anyone doing this. Not saying it can’t exist, I just don’t understand why an appraiser would do that.
This isn’t about bias in appraisal. It’s a new way for the lenders, corporations and govt to inflate appraisals and put pressure on appraisers. Borrowers, real estate agents and lenders have always complained their values are “too low” and tried to pressure the appraiser to hit higher numbers. That’s what you’re all feeling; abuse, coercion, bribery, collusion, harassment, etc. It causes anxiety, loss of focus, fear, low self-esteem, among many other things and it’s ILLEGAL.
It’s why we have AIR, Dodd-Frank, FIRREA, interagency guidelines, etc., and the last crash in 2008.
Contrary to popular belief and the stories being told, the GSEs did NOT always waive appraisals. (Oh yeah… Value What-was-it?…. This is like appraisals and evaluations. Maybe we will soon start calling looting and stealing voluntary donations? Gifts?) ?
If waivers “always were so prevalent” why did the GAO put out a study about the 2018/2019 dilemma of them being done in rural areas only and the risk? There was one test case in Tennessee I think, not sure, where there weren’t enough qualified appraisers to complete an assignment in what they considered a reasonable amount of time so the state petitioned for an appraisal waiver. That was 4 years ago. The GAO (Government Accountability Office) thought more studies were needed before pulling the trigger on using any future waivers at all. They determined it was too high of a risk.
The waivers were a loophole anyway in FIRREA for emergency use that is now being exploited for personal financial gain at the loss of the American people. The GSEs and lenders will make money now from lots of unknown levels of risk loans, while the American people will bail out bank after bank after bank from their reckless actions and irresponsible behavior. A lot of the lenders will end up unemployed as well except the executives, and the others will be shocked when they’re filed away with everyone else like cattle. (AMCs are feeling this right now, except the special ones that have managed to reverse the HVCC, and Dodd Frank and take back control over everything. That’s anti-trust issues as well, but no one cares about real convicts and law breakers! Only the made up scapegoats called the appraisers!)
Formerly (pre-bias lying Make-up period by the government), a l party would send an appraisal to a regulator and complain,” it’s value is too low.”
First, this is not allowed since 2008.
Second, the regulators didn’t investigate value, they investigated USPAP violations and credibility of assignment results.
When the complainants and regulators started focusing on the value in the complaint it was illogical, while doing so they began violating federal and state lending laws making them culpable for violating appraiser pressure and independence laws. (We’ll get there and sue them for defamation, slander, and harm eventually! You reap what you sow.)
Just because a lie is told again and again, doesn’t make it true. The lie being repeated over and over again is that appraisers are systemically racist and bias, and discriminate specifically against people who are not born with white skin. The INTENT of the type of lies is to affect people where they’re uncomfortable and feel afraid to say anything or do anything about the blatant erroneous and unsubstantiated lies and once again, denigrate the real estate appraiser through slander and defamation. Using fear is an easy way to demand and get compliance from everyone who believes their jobs are at risk should they not jump on the bandwagon. Many dictators use this method to get people to follow them and comply when the people know better.
Since they know they’re the govt and have the power, they tell the lies again and again so they are soon heard so often they’re believed to be true. That’s because it’s all anyone hears, reads or sees.
Right now if you’re a person born with black skin only, you can complain your value is too low, and it just MUST be the case! (Right?… No! Of course not right!) The mantra is it HAS to be racism or discrimination… unless of course it’s discovered the appraiser who completed the assignment is black skinned as well… then it’s not. Then it’s okay and the appraiser was just doing their job? (Wtf?) In any other case your guilty and have no chances of ever proving yourself innocent.
This is the definition of, “bias, racism and discrimination “ against anyone and everyone else who is not born with black skin. It’s unconstitutional, and violates our civil rights in the same ways black skinned people have been mistreated, and were terribly persecuted for a long time. It’s wrong. There’s nothing right or okay about it. This is supposed to be a country where you’re innocent until proven guilty and where only the truly qualified people in a specific profession, such as “social justice and diversity”, with earned degrees, can instruct others about what this means and how we may be able to determine if anyone is struggling with bias, racism and discrimination while completing appraisal assignments.
In the real world, Aside from the lenders being proven guilty of redlining and discrimination against minorities, low income people and black-skinned people, (just last week another one!) and, while all this BS is going on with appraisers, lending institutions have been fined, settled cases, and found guilty nationwide for just these violations , and not one single appraiser…
Do you notice that the only ones in the news are the appraiser and not the guilty ones with their hands in the coffers greedily wanting and trying to make as many loans, bonuses, and commissions as possible with those loans, before the card house falls. Btw, the #1 monetary contributors to both the Democratic and Republican political parties are from the financial sector. We were all sold out by our “Representatives “ a long time ago for power and money.
Be wary of those around you who look and act like sheep. Deception and fraud are all around you.
Have a great day! ??
I can see a reason now why an appraiser would fraudulently inflate an appraisal based on the race of people with a financial interest in the property, but no reason they would “low ball.” Everything to lose and nothing to gain.
Message from Sec. Fudge:
“…because we know that having the [appraisal] industry be a check on itself has not worked… the FHFA released publicly aggregated data sets on appraisal records. That data has allowed researchers to confirm what many in the community have long known, appraisal bias is real and it has been persistent…”
What data is she talking about? Can anyone provide a link to the report/data?
Sounds like a vote of no confidence in Dave Bunton.
However, big pharma is capable of being it’s own watch dog. The pharmasuetical industry even allows clear conflict of interests, where those profiting from expanded cdc schedules, are allowed to add items to the schedule. Phizer is the most criminally charged corporation in history.
Remember boys and girls, you can only be racist if you are an appraiser. Who’s still buying this?
Appraiser bias is nothing more than a figment of the imagination of the left wing Communist Party.