WA Appraisers Stung by Fee Hikes and Veto
In Washington, where evergreen forests meet bustling real estate markets, appraisers are caught in a bureaucratic drama that’s anything but charming. Robert Mossuto Jr., owner of B.N. Appraisals, Inc., with over two decades of experience appraising residential real estate, recently took to LinkedIn to expose a saga of skyrocketing fees, mismanaged funds, and a gubernatorial veto that’s left the state’s nearly 3,000 credentialed appraisers reeling. This tale is as wild as a Seattle storm, blending financial frustration with a sharp wit that captures the absurdity of it all.
Back in 2022, the Washington State Department of Licensing (DOL) decided to streamline operations by consolidating over 40 professions, including appraisers, under one administrative umbrella, promising efficiency and cost savings. The catch? The appraiser section was fully funded by appraisers’ fees. When it was dismantled, appraisers wondered what would happen to their money. Spoiler: it didn’t go toward appraiser appreciation parties. Instead, the DOL’s Professions Division went on a spending spree, snapping up new equipment, handing out raises, and upgrading online security like they were staging a tech startup’s launch party.
Then came the plot twist. The Appraisal Subcommittee (ASC) informed the DOL they had failed to pay the $40 annual fee per appraiser, for what Mossuto calls a “looooong time.” The result? A $400,000 deficit. To cover this blunder, the DOL proposed fee increases that could make your calculator weep: exam fees doubling from $370 to $740, renewal fees jumping from $530 to $980, and inactive license reinstatement fees soaring from $110 to $1,200 — a 990.9% hike. These aren’t adjustments; they’re financial ambushes.
Hope flickered in 2025 when a proviso bill passed both houses of the Washington State Legislature, aiming to cap fee increases at a reasonable 10% and refund overcharges. For Washington’s appraisers, this legislation promised a much-needed reprieve, offering a glimmer of fairness in a system that seemed to have turned against them. But Governor Bob Ferguson (D) had other plans. With a stroke of his veto pen, he struck down the bill, citing the need for professions to self-fund through fees amid “significant fiscal challenges and funding cuts from the federal government.” Mossuto wasn’t convinced, noting that Ferguson had overlooked the DOL’s mismanagement — siphoning $400,000 of appraiser funds for unrelated expenses while failing to meet ASC payment obligations. With a sharp dose of sarcasm, he summed it up: “Thanks, Bob!”
For appraisers like Mossuto, whose 22 years of military service and leadership roles in the Appraisers’ Coalition of Washington (ACOW) underscore his expertise, this feels personal. These fee hikes don’t just hit wallets; they threaten the affordability of appraisal services. The ACOW has appealed Ferguson’s veto, fighting for accountability in a system that seems to have forgotten who’s footing the bill. This isn’t just about fees. It’s about ensuring profession-specific funds aren’t treated like a bureaucratic slush fund.
As the appeal unfolds, Washington’s appraisers are rallying, supporting the ACOW’s appeal of the veto and amplifying their call for accountability. Mossuto’s LinkedIn post, equal parts wit and outrage, has sparked a conversation about fairness in a state where appraisers are as essential as strong coffee. The outcome remains uncertain, but one thing is clear: these professionals aren’t backing down. With the ACOW leading the charge, they’re pushing for a system that values their contributions without punishing their pockets. Here’s to Washington’s appraisers — standing strong and weathering the storm with resilience that rivals Seattle’s ever-changing skies.
Sources: Robert Mossuto Jr.’s LinkedIn post; Appraisers’ Coalition of Washington (acow-wa.org)
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That sucks, but for the record renewal fees in CA cost $1,030 (Certified) which is more than your $980. Although we would call that a normal Friday here, such costs are in part why we went from 17,280 active (3,152 trainees) appraisers as of March 2009 to to 7,768 active (358 trainees) appraisers today.
Seek the truth.
We’ve had way higher fees than that in CA for more than a decade
Glen Kangas Did you miss the part where the state of WA misappropriated their fees and did not pay? Then turned around and tried to increase their fees making the appraisers pay again ? CA fees are not relevant in this. Ever wonder why the population of CA is decreasing ?
Unfortunately Jeff, states misappropriate money all of the time (sad) and its those who live in them who have to pay the consequences. Just yesterday in the New York Post, it was noted that CA got nearly 7 billion from feds for high-speed rail but never laid any track.
Government issues, local, state, federal always turn into our problems.
Seek the truth.
Jeff Whaley yes, I saw that, yet ours are still way higher
That a CA thing then … Have your legislators stolen your fees to put the money elsewhere and then tried to double charge you to make it AFTER you pointed it out?
This is an amazing story of state govt incompetence and how important the state level professional organizations are !! The people at ACOW have been all over this and it is through their efforts that there is even a discussion going forward. Get out there and check out your local appraisal organizations !
Incompetence? Seriously? Seems to me that they’re extremely competent thieves.
And this is why I’m no longer certified in WA. Too many things like this that made me realize I wasn’t moving back, so why even keep the cert. I wonder how many more they will lose 🤔
Glad I got out of this BS industry. Wasn’t worth the liability the AMC were paying appraisers. AMC had no liability. Such BS.
Your tax dollars, hard at work. / Please tell us the specific reason the ASC had not compelled the payment for so long, or was unaware of the missing dues, let the problem get this bad in the first place, then has any recourse to levy a late payment requirement? Shouldn’t they be forced to write this off instead? Alternatively, doesn’t this count as some form of theft or embezzlement by the state persons and groups managing the funds? How can the ASC sanction this and even accept money in this manner, when they know full well the state embezzled the funds appraisers already paid? As usual, extortion of the appraiser is the status quo rather than the exception.
Little sympathy from a California Certified Appraiser that’s had to pay $1,030 every two years for renewal for several cycles.
I would prefer your $980 fee everyday and twice on Sundays.
Government, in ALL it’s forms and from every side and from every political party, continue to screw hard working Americans.
Government and all the people we keep electing…..ARE THE PROBLEM.
Don’t let your license expire of go inactive and big deal pay the extra renewal fee and it costs you less than one appraisal. Is it right or fair, no. But certainly not worth the uproar.
Just another version of “appraisers make too much money and everything is their fault” …