Blog - Appraisal Today

GSEs New Info on Completing UAD 3.6

By Ann O'Rourke on July 3, 2026 / Leave a comment

Newz: GSEs New Info on Completing UAD 3.6,

2026 Appraiser Survey: State of the Profession

July 3, 2026

What’s in This Newsletter (In Order, Scroll Down)

LIA AD: Buyer Wants Lower Price to Negotiate
2026 Appraiser Survey: State of the Profession By Isaac Peck, Publisher, WorkingRe
Abandoned 1822 Federal-Style Estate That Was Relocated and Then Carefully Rebuilt Hits the Market for $1.6 Million
Can (Should) AI Replace Your Office Staff? By Dustin Harris
MY AD: UAD 3.6 and the “ Tablet “ Question
Fannie/Freddie Job Aids for Completing URARs Using UAD 3.6
FHA Updates for QC requirements for Appraisal Field Reviews
Mortgage applications increased 0.04 percent from one week earlier

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2026 Appraiser Survey: State of the Profession

By Isaac Peck, Publisher, WorkingRe

Excerpts: Nearly one-third of all practicing appraisers plan to leave the profession within three years. Add the next cohort and roughly half intend to exit within the next five years.

Those are the headline numbers from Working RE‘s 2026 State of the Profession Survey, completed by approximately 1,800 appraisers nationwide in early 2026.

Before the retirement cliff narrative takes hold, consider this: Working RE ran a nearly identical question in its 2016 Future of Appraising Survey. At that time, 33 percent of respondents planned to retire within five years, and more than half within 10 years. Today, a decade later, most of them are still appraising.

The pattern goes back further still. In a 2009 Working RE survey (18 years ago), conducted at the bottom of the financial crisis with over 6,200 respondents, over 53 percent of appraisers said they did not expect to be appraising full-time five years from then. While the profession did see some attrition over the next five years due to the incredibly slow market that followed the 2008 real estate crash, the fallout was nowhere close to 50 percent of the profession, or even 25 percent.

Appraisers consistently overpredict their own demise.

Different This Time?

Working RE spoke with Jim Park, President of the Collateral Risk Network (CRN) and the former Executive Director of the Appraisal Subcommittee, to get his read on the survey findings. Park says the 2026 numbers reflect a genuine inflection point, not a repeat of the false alarms that preceded them.

“This time it’s different,” Park says. “We’ve reached a point where a number of things are happening at the same time. The average age of an appraiser has to be in the range of 60 to 65. That’s retirement age. On top of that, depending on who you talk to, 10 to 25 percent of appraisers could cease doing mortgage work because of UAD 3.6 alone. How many will ultimately adapt to the new form? How many will come back after sitting it out? We’ll see. But I’m more concerned about the lack of new people getting into the business than I am about the people who might leave.”

UAD 3.6: The Readiness Gap

The November 2, 2026 mandatory compliance deadline for UAD 3.6 is roughly four months away. While Working RE‘s survey ended March 15 (three months prior to this publication), even if we account for a rapid ramp up, the data suggests that the profession is not ready.

The Takeaway

Taken together, the 2026 survey describes a profession that is older and more experienced than it has ever been. Appraisers remain skeptical of hybrid products, are divided on credentialing, and approaching one of the most significant form changes in decades largely untrained. The retirement numbers are alarming on their face but unconvincing as a cliff narrative. Working RE‘s own historical data makes that case directly.

What the 2026 data cannot tell us is whether UAD 3.6 will finally push appraisers into retirement in a way that past challenges failed to do.

To read more, Click Here

My comments: Very interesting. Worth reading. Many topics with graphs and other data. The only recent appraiser survey I have seen.

Read more!! →

Posted in: Appraiser Survey, Freddie, GSEs, UAD 3.6

AQB Exposure Draft Removes College Degree Requirement

By Ann O'Rourke on June 25, 2026 / Leave a comment

Newz: Appraisal Stress Test, AQB Exposure Draft Removes College Degree Requirement

June 26, 2026

What’s in This Newsletter (In Order, Scroll Down)

LIA AD: State Board Complaint Frustrations
The Appraisal Profession Is Being Stress-Tested. That’s Not the Same as Being Replaced By Jessica Sturm
All About the Brownstone: How the Iconic Design Went From Humble Row House Roots to Million-Dollar Metropolis Luxury
MY AD: UAD 3.6 Software Evaluation Checklist By Doug Smith
Include E&O in Appraisal Reports? Just Say No By Isaac Peck
AQB second exposure draft removes college degree requirement
MBA STATS: Mortgage applications increased 1.0 percent from one week earlier
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The Appraisal Profession Is Being Stress-Tested.

That’s Not the Same as Being Replaced

A frank conversation about UAD 3.6, waiver expansion, and where the real opportunity lies.

By Written by : Jessica Sturm, EVP of Property Services at Opteon.

Excerpts:

What UAD 3.6 Actually Changes (And What It Doesn’t)

UAD 3.6 changes the infrastructure around how appraisal judgment is captured, structured, and delivered. It does not change what a great appraiser does and the value they bring. Your ability to walk a property and know, as a trained professional, that the finished basement wasn’t permitted, that the kitchen renovation was done on the cheap or that the comparable three streets over sold under pressure. None of that local, industry expertise lives in a data schema.

What the new standard demands is that the mechanics around that judgment are handled cleanly and consistently. Field data capture, structured commentary, condition ratings, quality flags, all in a format that downstream systems can use. That’s not a threat to expertise. We see this as a long-overdue investment in the infrastructure that supports our industry.

What the Stress Test Is Really Asking

Every industry stress test asks the same question: who is built for what comes next?

UAD 3.6 is asking whether the profession can operate with greater rigor and efficiency. Waiver expansion is asking whether appraisers can own the complex, high stakes, advisory end of the market with real authority. The mature appraiser pipeline is asking whether the profession can retain experience and retrain while bringing in and developing new people. These are hard questions, but the profession has more tools, more data, and more support to answer them than at any point in its history.

Accounting faced the same reckoning. When tax software arrived and then matured, the prediction was that it would hollow out the profession. Routine compliance work did automate and what happened next was the opposite of collapse.

To read more, Click Here

My comments: Interesting analysis. I think the new reports are much better than the old forms for reviewers and borrowers. If I was doing GSE appraisals I would look forward to doing them.

Read more!! →

Posted in: appraisal business, AQB, E&O, liability, UAD 3.6

Tags: appraisal business, Appraisal Qualifications Board, E&O, UAD 3.6

UAD 3.6: The Appendices

By Ann O'Rourke on June 19, 2026 / Leave a comment

Newz: UAD 3.6: The Appendices, Will Florida Governor Eliminate Property Taxes?

June 19, 2026

What’s in This Newsletter (In Order, Scroll Down)

LIA AD: Expanding Intended Users? Not So Fast
UAD 3.6 Answer Headquarters: The Appendices
Private Island for Sale: 25-Acre Historic Maine Estate Lists for $3.85 Million
Buying a private island & prices are now higher than last year
By Ryan Lundquist
MY AD: Doug Smith’s tips on selecting UAD 3.6 software
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Unveils His Plan To Virtually Eliminate Property Taxes
A record 242 U.S. cities now have starter homes that cost $1M
MBA STATS: Mortgage applications decreased 3.8 percent from one week earlier

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UAD 3.6 Answer Headquarters: The Appendices

Excerpts: Start Here: The Appendices as Your Foundation

When Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac rolled out UAD 3.6, they published an entire documentation ecosystem to go with it. That ecosystem includes a full suite of appendices (A-1 through G-1), each serving a specific purpose. Some are highly technical and aimed at software developers and data delivery. But for appraisers doing the day-to-day work of completing reports, three appendices are essential core references: F-1, C-1, and D-1.

Here’s how each one functions:

Appendix F-1: The Field-by-Field Reference Guide

If there’s a single document that deserves the title of “master manual” for the dynamic URAR, it’s Appendix F-1. This is your comprehensive field guide. It details every possible field in the report, specifies when each field is required (and when it’s conditional), defines what answers are acceptable, and explains how data must be formatted.

Appendix C-1: Your Visual Roadmap

If F-1 is the user manual, C-1 is the map. Appendix C-1 is a visual layout of the dynamic URAR that shows every possible field and label that could appear in a report, giving you a complete picture of the report’s full scope before you ever open an assignment.

Appendix D-1: Context and Practical Examples

While F-1 and C-1 handle the mechanics of the report, Appendix D-1 adds interpretive depth. This appendix provides sample scenarios that show how specific data elements fit into the overall appraisal and are particularly useful when you’re dealing with edge cases or less common property situations.

Layer In the Selling and Servicing Guides

The appendices answer the “how” of UAD 3.6. For the “why”—the policy context and secondary market expectations behind those requirements—you need to work with the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Selling and Servicing Guides.

To read more details in the article, Click Here

For more information, go to Fannie’s Uniform Appraisal Dataset page,

Click Here To read the documents scroll down the page

My comments: This is the best explanation of the GSE AD 3.6 documents. Read this article!! UAD 3.6 can be confusing with many documents available. This article breaks them down so you can understand what they do.

When I took my first UAD 3.6 class “Appraiser’s Guide to the New URAR” in early 2025 it was overwhelming and mostly went over F-1. Now I know what the other documents cover.

Read more!! →

Posted in: real estate market, UAD 3.6

Tags: real estate market, UAD 3.6

Recent Executive Orders Affecting Appraisers

By Ann O'Rourke on June 12, 2026 / Leave a comment

Newz: Recent Executive Orders Affecting Appraisers, When Appraisers Take the Stand

June 12, 2026

What’s in This Newsletter (In Order, Scroll Down)

LIA AD: A case of forgery
Recent Executive Orders: Threat, Opportunity, or Both for Appraisers? By Kim Perotti, AXIS AMC
$22.8 Million Aspen Home With Its Own Private Waterfall Feels Like a Real-Life Fairy Tale
MY AD: If the Standards Are Uniform, Why Isn’t Your License? By Thaddus Dawson, Jr., CG
When Appraisers Take the Stand By By David C. Wilkes, Esq., CRE, FRICS and Kevin M. Clyne, Esq., CRE
Agents, Are You Using AI to Price Your Listings? By Tom Horn
10K Appraisers. Policy and Advocacy Day, By 10K Appraisers Foundation
MBA: Mortgage applications increased 10.8 percent from one week earlier

Recent Executive Orders: Threat, Opportunity, or Both for Appraisers?

By Kim Perotti, a founding partner of AXIS AMC

Excerpts: In March 13, 2026, President Trump signed two Executive Orders that together amount to a clear message for our profession: build more houses, make credit easier, and get the valuation piece done faster and cheaper. We think it’s critically important that our industry discuss the implications.

The two orders are:

REMOVING REGULATORY BARRIERS TO AFFORDABLE HOME CONSTRUCTION

AND PROMOTING ACCESS TO MORTGAGE CREDIT

While they are not “about” appraisers, the Executive Orders will absolutely reshape the environment in which we work. Appraisers who treat these as background noise will find the ground shifting under their feet. Those who read them as a roadmap can pick their spots and come out stronger and, more importantly, help shape how they are put into practice.

REMOVING REGULATORY BARRIERS TO AFFORDABLE HOME CONSTRUCTION:

Faster, Cheaper Construction – What That Really Means for Your Desk

PROMOTING ACCESS TO MORTGAGE CREDIT: Faster, Cheaper Valuations – Where the Squeeze Shows Up – Second Order

The second order takes direct aim at how loans—and valuations—get done. The theme is unmistakable: streamline, digitize, and de-emphasize technical compliance.

For appraisers, here are the potential realities:

More alternative valuation products: Regulators are being encouraged to expand the use of AVMs, desktop, and hybrid appraisals and reduce full appraisal requirements on low-risk and small-balance loans. You should expect more hybrid and desktop requests and data-only products as well as a clearer dividing line between high-volume, low-margin work and complex, higher-risk assignments.

Pressure on fees and turn times: Agencies are being asked to set “clear appraisal timelines” and cut costs and therefore lenders will likely lean harder on speed and price whenever a waiver, AVM, or hybrid is allowed, and traditional assignment ordering will have to justify itself on risk grounds.

Changes in who can appraise and how: The order invites simplification of appraiser qualification requirements. Easier entry could mean more competitors and lenders may fill low-fee niches with less-experienced personnel or non-traditional vendors.

If your business is built primarily on simple, low-risk assignments, this is a direct competitive challenge.

Alignment of FHA and VA rules: HUD and VA are asked to align standards where risk is comparable, clarify what truly requires pre-closing repairs vs. what’s cosmetic, and expand post-closing repair flexibility.

That could change the frequency and scope of “subject to” conditions, reduce some friction and disputes around FHA/VA appraisals, and make your judgment about safety vs. cosmetic issues more visible and important.

In summation, this order calls for more technology and alternatives, more pressure on traditional appraisals, and more segmentation of valuation products by risk level.

A Clear Fork in the Road for Appraisers

Taken together, these two Executive Orders point in one direction: more volume, more complexity at the edges of the market, and more pressure to commoditize anything that looks “low risk.” Together they create a fork in the road for real estate appraisers:

If you stay in the lane of interchangeable, low-complexity assignments, you will feel the squeeze—from technology, from relaxed standards, and from new entrants.

If you lean into complexity—new construction, manufactured and modular, fringe markets, environmental and hazard issues, FHA/VA nuance—you become harder to replace, not easier.

This doesn’t mean abandoning efficiency or refusing alternative products. It means being fluent in hybrids and desktops so you can decide which work makes sense for you, positioning yourself as the expert when a lender can’t responsibly rely on an AVM or a waiver, and building documented expertise in the exact areas these orders will expand.

To read more, Click Here

My comments: Definitely worth reading. All about what this means for appraisers in detail. The best analysis for appraisers I have read about this executive order. The author is definitely an “insider” as she is Co President of AXIS, a long time AMC. When I wrote one of my first articles on AMCs, I interviewed AXIS.

Read more!! →

Posted in: AI, appraisal business, appraisal how to, appraisal regulations, lender appraisals, Uncategorized, USPAP

Creative Appraisal Definitions – Humor

By Ann O'Rourke on June 5, 2026 / Leave a comment

Newz: Creative Appraisal Definitions – Humor, FHA Modernization Minimum Property Requirements

June 5, 2026

What’s in This Newsletter (In Order, Scroll Down)

LIA AD: Subpoena Threat Over a 10-Year-Old Appraisal
Creative Appraisal Definitions Humor
Foam Dome Home With ‘Not a Single Straight Line’ Hits the Market in Florida for $249K: ‘A Genuine Original’
My ad: How to decide which UAD 3.6 software to use
USPAP’s Typical Buyer Standard in the Fair Housing Era, By Edwin Farr, MAI
FHA Seeks Public Comment Regarding Modernizing Its Single Family Housing Minimum Property Requirements
Upcoming UAD 3.6 Bootcamp in Irving, Texas
MBA: Mortgage applications decreased 2.5 percent from one week earlier

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Creative Appraisal Definitions – Humor

Excerpts:

Purpose of the Appraisal – To make a living in the appraisal business.
Functional Obsolescence – That state of many older appraisers.
The Subject – A term police use to identify the victim of a crime.

To read more, Click Here

My comments: We can all use some appraiser humor !!

For commercial and residential appraisers.

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Foam Dome Home With ‘Not a Single Straight Line’ Hits the Market in Florida for $249K: ‘A Genuine Original’

Read more!! →

Posted in: bias, FHA, UAD 3.6

Tags: bias, FHA, humor, UAD 3.6

Adapt or Step Back? How UAD 3.6 Is Forcing a Career Decision for Appraiser

By Ann O'Rourke on May 29, 2026 / Leave a comment

Newz: UAD 3.6 Adapt or Step Back,

Getting Started With AI

May 29, 2026

What’s in This Newsletter (In Order, Scroll Down)

LIA AD: Too Late for a Reconsideration of Value
Adapt or Step Back? How UAD 3.6 Is Forcing a Career Decision for Appraisers, By Rachel Mann
109-Year-Old ‘Boathouse’ That Appears To Float on Washington Canal at High Tide Hits the Market for $2.1 Million
Getting Started with AI for Appraisers
MY AD: Loose Lips Cause Claims (Loose Lips Lead to Lawsuits) By Claudia Gaglione, Esq.
Wells Fargo Settles Mortgage Discrimination Suit With $100M Fund To Help Low-Income Homebuyers
HB 355 and What Every Appraiser Should Learn from Kentucky’s Legislative Win, By Bryan S. Reynolds, MNAA
MBA: Mortgage applications decreased 8.5 percent from one week earlier

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Adapt or Step Back? How UAD 3.6 Is Forcing a Career Decision for Appraisers

By Rachel Mann

Behind the technical transition lies a more personal question: Is it worth starting over at this stage of a career?

Excerpts: A Profession Split in Real Time

While there’s plenty of buzz around UAD 3.6 itself, it’s worth taking a boots-on-the-ground look at what active appraisers are actually feeling. In a recent industry poll conducted on Facebook, the findings were telling.

Out of 233 responses from active appraisers, 36.5% reported they are actively preparing, while 36.1% are taking a “wait and see” approach. The remaining responses, which we’ll get into below, reveal the deeper undercurrents.

The clear takeaway is that the industry isn’t aligned. There’s real uncertainty in how appraisers are responding to the shift, and a large unknown hanging over the profession.

And it raises a question: Is the uncertainty driven by the change itself, or by the lack of clear options for what happens next?

Appraiser Voices: Real Reactions to UAD 3.6

Beyond the “actively preparing” and “wait and see” camps, smaller groups of respondents revealed the deeper anxieties at play.

About 8.2% cited concerns about the learning curve, 4.7% said they’re considering stepping back from volume, and 2.6% plan to retreat into private work only.

Another 12% fell into smaller categories ranging from software testing readiness and hardware concerns to skepticism about implementation timelines.

The overall picture is a mix of readiness, hesitation, and resistance — revealing capacity limits and decision fatigue at a critical moment: adapt or step back? The underlying question for those nearing retirement is: Is it worth the time, cost, and effort to adapt at this stage in my career?

When a Workflow Change Becomes a Career….

A sudden decline in active appraisers could carry real consequences:

Loss of experienced appraisers who currently make up the majority of the workforce
2. Disruption of long-standing client relationships, leaving lenders, AMCs, and homeowners scrambling
A thinning mentorship pipeline for new appraisers, weakening the path forward for the next generation
These changes, paired with the lack of exit planning, have broader implications. This isn’t an individual issue; it impacts industry stability and continuity.

To read more, Click Here

My comments: Worth reading the entire post for the details and interesting comments.

Read more!! →

Posted in: AI, bias, state appraiser regulators, UAD 3.6

Tags: AI, bias, state appraiser regulators, UAD 3.6

Appraisers – The Clipboard Has to Go!

By Ann O'Rourke on May 22, 2026 / Leave a comment

Newz: The Clipboard Has to Go, Systemic Failures in FHA Appraisal and Loan Review

May 22, 2026

What’s in This Newsletter (In Order, Scroll Down)

LIA AD: Am I Still on the ‘Do Not Use’ List?
Joe the Appraiser: Calling It Like It Is. The Clipboard Has to Go
Florida Megamansion That Starred in ‘Scarface’ and Was Used as President Nixon’s Winter White House Hits the Market for $237 Million
Systemic Failures in FHA Appraisal and Loan Review by Desiree Mehbod
MY AD: List of my articles about UAD 3.6
America’s Homes Are Older Than Ever—and Local Red Tape Could Make Them Harder To Fix
Survey: While Some Brokers Push Private Listing Networks, Most Soon-to-Be Sellers Want their Homes Seen By Every Buyer
MBA: Mortgage applications decreased 2.3 percent from one week earlier

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Joe the Appraiser: Calling It Like It Is.

The Clipboard Has to Go

By Joe Pravettone

Excerpts: I’m Joe. I’ve been doing this a long time. Long enough to remember when “cutting-edge technology” meant a pager, microfiche, and a Thomas Guide rattling around in the glove box. (If you know, you know.)

I’ve spent nearly 30 years in this profession — 15 years in the mortgage world doing processing, underwriting, and operations, and another 15 deep in appraisals, wearing just about every hat there is, from fee appraiser and AMC staff to QC.

Let’s start with the UAD.

If you’ve been in this business longer than five minutes, you’ve felt it. That low-grade tension humming in the background. The new Uniform Appraisal Dataset is here. The forms are changing, the workflow is changing, and a lot of appraisers are somewhere between uneasy and ready to stress-eat.

I get it. I really do.

But here’s the other reality: We’re also heading toward a volume surge. Rates are easing. Refinances are starting to creep back. And when you combine industry-wide change with rising volume, things can get messy.

So let’s be honest about something. The clipboard has to go. I know, I know, you’ve got a system. Your scratch paper has a system. Your clipboard definitely has a system. You’ve been doing it your way for years, and your way works. I’m not saying it doesn’t. But the road has curved, and it’s time to turn the wheel.

To read more, Click Here

My comments:

This article was written by a long time lender appraisal “insider”. Worth reading.

As the November 2, 2026 UAD 3.6 deadline approaches more lenders and appraisers are getting ready. But, many appraisers don’t like the changes. Those that get ready will have lots of work from AMCs, who are looking all over the country now for appraisers who will do UAD 3.6 appraisals for them. GSEs do about 50% of mortgage loans. Lenders who don’t sell their loans to GSEs will be using the forms software you have been using. I am working on an article on how to get business from them.

I remember the “old days” of microfiche, Thomas Brothers Maps. When I first started appraising 50 years ago, I remember filling up my car by peeling off the back of polaroid photos. I still have old Thomas Bros. maps in my car “just in case” my electronic maps don’t work or are inaccurate. I also have some very old microfiche files but don’t have anything to see them on.

I definitely prefer using an inspection app. I will be writing an article on which tablets are required. I will also have an article with paper checklist instructions that go through SFR, condo and 2-4 units UAD 3.6 appraisals.

Read more!! →

Posted in: FHA, real estate market, UAD 3.6

Tags: FHA, real estate market, UAD 3.6

24 Hour Appraisals

By Ann O'Rourke on May 14, 2026 / Leave a comment

Newz: 24 Hour Appraisals, Bias Accusation Collapses, Easements and Appraiser Liability

May 15, 2026

What’s in This Newsletter (In Order, Scroll Down)

LIA AD: Easements and Appraiser Liability
24-Hour Appraisals: The Future or a Gimmick? By Shawn Telford , Chief Appraiser and Valuation Officer at Cotality
$28 Million ‘Pavilion’ House in Los Angeles Boasts ‘Once-in-a-Generation’ Design—and a Sunken Conversation Pit
Freddie/Fannie UAD and Forms Redesign: Enhanced Timeline and Updated FAQs
MY AD: Appraisal forms software in September, 1993 – a glance at the past
AQB Releases White Paper on Experience Requirements
Bias Accusation Collapses as HUD Clears the Appraiser by Desiree Mehbod
MBA: Mortgage applications increased 1.7 percent from one week earlier

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24-Hour Appraisals: The Future or a Gimmick?

By Shawn Telford , Chief Appraiser and Valuation Officer at Cotality,

Rethinking Quality and Risk in Modern Valuations: Why Faster Can be Risky

Excerpts: side from the opinion of value, speed is often the next loudest talking point in any conversation about appraisals—but it’s also one of the most misleading. While accelerated appraisal procurement models promise faster turn times, they do little to address the concerns that matter most to lenders: inaccurate valuations, which lead to appraisal defects that create buyback exposure and margin pressures for lenders, ultimately contributing to delays and additional costs.

This isn’t to say that the prospect of 24-hour appraisals is not appealing: after all, who doesn’t like faster? But is it a game-changer or merely a gimmick?

Today, lenders are facing greater scrutiny from the GSEs and investors over loan quality, in general, and collateral valuations in particular. Recently, Fannie Mae reported that collateral defects – like property damage, appraisal condition & quality rating inflation, and inappropriate comparable sale selection—are now accounting for nearly half of discretionary loan review defects. Solving for the Right Problems

Pressuring appraisers to work faster is hardly going to address these issues.

The Economic Impact of Quality

Getting an appraisal quickly can be a plus. But if the valuation requires extensive rework, it can create friction and delays and add operational costs to the underwriting process. One of the biggest slowdowns in the appraisal process is the back-and-forth between the appraiser and an AMC’s lender over administrative “corrections” that often don’t affect the opinion of value. In fact, recent Cotality data shows that nearly half of all appraisals are returned for some type of correction, and the vast majority of those returned do not have their value changed when resubmitted.

To read more, Click Here

My comments: very good analysis with many excellent comments. Very knowledgeable author. Worth reading.

Read more!! →

Posted in: appraisal business, appraisal forms, bias

Tags: appraisal business, AQB, bias, UAD 3.6

The Appraiser Exodus and How to Fix It

By Ann O'Rourke on May 8, 2026 / Leave a comment

Newz: Expanded Intended Users?

The Appraiser Exodus and How to Fix It.

May 8, 2026

What’s in This Newsletter (In Order, Scroll Down)

LIA AD: Expanding Intended Users? Not So Fast
Under Pressure: What’s Driving the Appraiser Exodus and How to Fix It, By David Massey
Historic Tudor Estate With English Gardens and Prairie Views Is Listed for $4.7 Million Near Chicago
What is a Pre-listing appraisal? Written for Home Owners But Has Good Tips for Appraisers, By Tom Horn
MY AD: What Happened When Government Decided That Appraisers Needed Protection, By Cindy Chance, PhD
How to See the Potential in Homes That Don’t Look Perfect. Written for Home Owners But Has Good Tips for appraisers
More Than 60% of America Is Covered by Drought and Millions of Homes Are at Risk
UAD 3.6 Bootcamp, LIVE in Chicago, IL and on Zoom, Wednesday – Friday, May 13th-15th
MBA STATS: Mortgage applications decreased 4.4 percent from one week earlier

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Under Pressure: What’s Driving the Appraiser Exodus and How to Fix It,

By David Massey

Ask any veteran appraiser or physician what has changed most over the past twenty years, and the answer is usually the same: paperwork.

Professions once centered on skill, judgment, and service are now dominated by portals, compliance layers, and third-party control. Burnout rises, independence falls, and a quiet exodus follows.

The American Medical Association reports that physicians now spend nearly two hours on documentation for every hour of patient care.

The appraisal profession is now well into that cycle.

According to the Appraisal Institute’s 2023 Fact Sheet, the number of practicing appraisers in the United States has declined by roughly 8,000 in recent years. The Conference of State Bank Supervisors shows a longer-term drop from about 120,000 appraisers in 2008 to fewer than 96,000 by 2017, a 21 percent decline in less than a decade. IBISWorld reports another six percent employment drop between 2018 and 2023. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects only modest growth through 2034, far short of what is needed to replace retirees.

The pipeline is shrinking while demand remains steady.

The National Association of Realtors ® 2023 Appraisal Survey found that more than half of appraisers are now asked monthly, or more often, to complete assignments outside their normal geographic or property-type expertise. More telling, 54 percent cited Appraisal Management Companies as the single greatest challenge to their business. That statistic alone explains much of what has gone wrong.

When I started in this profession, appraisal centered on analysis, interpretation, and professional opinion. I studied neighborhoods, walked properties, and applied experience to market behavior. Today, much of the job revolves around compliance portals, redundant uploads, and layers of review by people who have never inspected a property.

AMCs were created after the 2008 crisis to protect appraiser independence. The idea made sense. The execution has failed. Today, borrowers commonly pay $600 to $700 for an appraisal, while the appraiser often receives about half of that after AMC fees. Turn times lengthen. Panel depth shrinks. Geographic competency erodes. And experienced appraisers quietly step away.

What was meant to reduce pressure has become a system of control. Communication between lenders and appraisers is filtered. Pricing is dictated by algorithms. Scope interpretations are issued by third parties removed from the field. Judgment is slowly replaced by checklist compliance.

Healthcare has already traveled this road.

A 2025 Annals of Internal Medicine study showed nearly five percent of U.S. physicians left clinical practice in a single year, driven largely by burnout and administrative burden. The American Medical Association reports that physicians now spend nearly two hours on documentation for every hour of patient care.

Appraisers now operate inside the same imbalance. More time formatting reports than analyzing markets. More time satisfying review protocols than developing defensible opinions. Judgment yields to process.

This is not a workforce inconvenience. It is a structural market risk.

The fix is not complicated, but it does require courage.

First, appraisal fee transparency must be mandatory. If a borrower pays $650 and the appraiser receives $325, both parties deserve to know. Transparency restores accountability and allows market forces to function.

To read more, Click Here

My comments: Worth reading, especially how to fix it. We all know what is happening to residential lender appraisers.

For doctors, corporate medicine has taken over. For example, primary care physicians are allowed only 15 minute visits with patients. Large insurance companies make it very difficult for patients to get the care they need by denying what the patient needs. Doctors don’t like it, plus the excessive paperwork.

I play pickleball with a retired doctor. He had to sell his medical practice as he was underbid on fees by large health insurance companies.

Read more!! →

Posted in: appraisal business, appraisal how to, Appraisal Institute, UAD 3.6

Tags: appraisal business, appraisal how to, UAD 3.6

Avoiding Court: A Common Sentiment Among Appraisers

By Ann O'Rourke on May 1, 2026 / Leave a comment

Newz: Cyber Attack Risk for Appraisers,

Avoiding Court: A Common Sentiment Among Appraisers

May 1, 2026

What’s in This Newsletter (In Order, Scroll Down)

LIA AD: Avoiding Court: A Common Sentiment Among Appraisers
Cyber Insurance: Why It’s Time for Appraisers to Protect Themselves By Isaac Peck, Senior Broker at OREP.org
Electrochemist’s Exclusive Private Island Escape With 9-Hole Golf Course and Helipad Hits the Market in Florida for $89 Million
Hype Heretics – Twisting the narrative to create hype. By JoAnn Apostol
MY AD: What is a Good Appraiser?
April 2026 Housing Insights: A Market Searching for Stability, By Kevin Hecht, Appraiser and Economist
A new Scope of Work, By George Dell, MAI
MBA: Mortgage applications decreased 1.6 percent from one week earlier

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Cyber Insurance: Why It’s Time for Appraisers to Protect Themselves

By Isaac Peck, Senior Broker at OREP.org

Excerpts: You log in, expecting to send a report or check your schedule for the coming week, only to find your system locked, client files gone, and a message blinking on the screen:

“YOUR FILES ARE ENCRYPTED

To regain access, you must pay a ransom. Do not attempt to decrypt or modify the files yourself.

Any unauthorized action will result in permanent data loss.

Payment instructions are below. You have 72 hours.”

Directly below the words, a clock begins counting down.

You feel panic setting in.

To make matters worse, you had committed to delivering a rush appraisal to the lender/AMC this morning for a time-sensitive closing. You can’t access reports, contact clients, or meet deadlines. You’re losing money, time, and worst of all, your clients’ trust.

Directly below the words, a clock begins counting down.

This type of mentality only compounds the problem. According to recent national data, more than half of U.S. cyberattacks now target small businesses, not large corporations. Firms with fewer than 100 employees are significantly more likely to be targeted than larger companies, largely because they lack dedicated IT staff, formal security protocols, and incident-response plans. In other words, they’re easier targets.

The financial consequences are not theoretical. According to Verizon’s 2024 Data Breach Investigations Report, small business data breaches can cost anywhere from $120,000 to over $1.2 million, depending on severity. Other industry studies released this summer put the average cost of a single cyber incident at roughly $25,000—far more than most appraisal businesses can absorb without serious disruption.

Unique Risks for Appraisers

Home appraisers face unique cyber risks that make them especially vulnerable to digital attacks. Unlike larger firms with dedicated IT teams, most appraisers operate as solo practitioners or small businesses.

Nevertheless, even the smallest appraisal offices handle highly sensitive data every day: property details, borrower information, lender communications, and access credentials all flow through their systems, often via unsecured emails or cloud-based platforms.

The Role of Insurance

When a cyber incident hits, speed matters. For appraisers, the real damage often isn’t just the ransom demand or the technical cleanup—it’s the downtime, the missed deadlines, and the loss of client confidence that follows.

Cyber insurance exists to help businesses recover quickly and responsibly. For appraisers, that means having access to technical experts who can investigate what happened, contain the breach, and restore systems so work can resume. It also means guidance on how to communicate with lenders, clients, and other parties if sensitive information is compromised.

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My comments: Read this article. I have received information from several appraiser E and and O companies about cyber insurance. And read about the risks online. This article is definitely the best I have read as it explains the details of what a cyber attack means for appraisers. Since it was from an E and O carrier I did not know how much useful information it had. I’m glad I read it and wrote about it.

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Posted in: appraisal, appraisal business

Tags: appraisal, appraisal business, appraisers