Newz: AQB Changing Requirements OK?, Completion Certificates, Solidfi AMC vs. Appraiser
August 21, 2026
What’s in This Newsletter (In Order, Scroll Down)
LIA AD: Completion Certificate Assignment
- Second AQB Exposure Draft Proposals Could Be Game-Changing, By Bryan Reynolds
- How the Shotgun Home Went From Affordable Southern Staple to an Endangered Design Gem
- When Solidifi Tried to Silence Samnick
- MY AD: Beyond Forms, Toward Wisdom: The Case for a Broader Education in Real Estate Appraisal, By Tim Andersen, MAI
- Appraisal Software Tools to Consider in 2026
- My UAD 3.6 Tips of the Week – FHA/VA, Tablets
- MBA AD STATS: Mortgage applications decreased 0.4 percent from one week earlier
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Second AQB Exposure Draft Proposals Could Be Game-Changing
By Bryan Reynolds
Comments are due by August 30, 2026. To Post Your Comments, Click Here
The AQB is proposing changes to the appraiser qualification requirements that would significantly change some of the barriers to entry. Here are some highlights. Excerpts: n June 22, 2026, the Appraisal Foundation’s Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB) released their “Second Exposure Draft of Proposed Changes to the Real Property Appraiser Qualification Criteria.” (Read it here.)
That’s a mouthful. Let me translate: The AQB is proposing some big sweeping changes to the minimum requirements for becoming a real property appraiser. I’m not taking a position on these proposals, but there’s no question that several of them could remove or reduce long-standing barriers to entry for aspiring appraisers.
As AQB chair Jerry Yurek explained: “The proposals do not lower the bar the appraiser credential signifies. They do, however, streamline the path to entry into the profession by eliminating requirements that do not contribute to an applicant’s readiness.”What the Exposure Draft Would Change:
1. Eliminate the College Degree Requirement for Certified Residential and Certified General
2. Remove the Minimum Calendar-Time Requirements for Experience
3. Add a Demonstration Appraisal Report Pathway for Licensed Residential
4. Recognize Experience Already Earned When Moving to a Higher Classification
Make Your Voice Heard
The AQB exposure process is the profession’s opportunity to support, oppose, or recommend revisions to the proposals. Comments are due by August 30, 2026. Whether you are an appraiser, trainee, educator, regulator, lender, or user of appraisal services, review the draft carefully and provide specific, constructive feedback to the AQB.
These proposals could be game-changing. The profession should help determine exactly how the game changes.
To read more in the article Click Here
For more information from the AQB, Click Here
My comments: This article is very positive about the reason for the changes and mostly was what the ASB said. Many thanks to Bryan Reynolds for writing up what is proposed.
No college degree for certified general is not a good idea.
I learned how to write long “papers”, open to ideas about new things in college. Of course business classes are good. I never had business classes until I got my MBA 10 years after I started appraising. I became a much better appraiser. Maybe some business classes could be required. Especially financial.
Commercial appraisers need very good math and financial expertise.
The big problem, exposed after licensing, was the experience requirement. People sent out mass mailings to find a mentor. They had no way to determine if they were ethical, knew how to appraise, and more. Of course, fee appraisers have had no teacher training. I still hear stories about trainees who found out their mentor was teaching them the wrong things.
Before licensing, most trainees started at lenders, who had supervisors to train them. I was trained at an assessor’s office with the same set up.I am a musician and learned to play many instruments over the years. I learned to take lessons when I first started playing. Why? So I did not have to un-learn the wrong way to play better. The same applies to appraiser trainees.
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A FINAL PLEA — TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO COMMENT BY DOUG SMITH
The AQB has extended the comment deadline on its proposed changes to the Real Property Appraiser Qualification Criteria from July 27 to August 30. With appraisers also trying to prepare for the enormous change represented by UAD 3.6, that extra time is welcome.
But August 30 is now only days away.One proposal deserves particular attention: eliminating the college degree requirement for Certified General appraisers.Whatever your position, this is a major change in the qualifications for entry into our profession. The AQB needs to hear from the people who actually practice appraisal.You do not need to write an essay. Even a short comment stating whether you support or oppose eliminating the college degree requirement — and briefly why — puts an appraiser’s voice into the record.Take a few minutes. Make your voice heard.Deadline: August 30, 2026Send your comment by email to: AQBComments@appraisalfoundation.org
Copy the address, paste it into your email, write a few sentences, and hit Send.Many thanks to Doug Smith for his comments!!
