WHY

A BRIEF HISTORY

Then came 1989 and the largest banks in New Hampshire failed and home values plummeted. As we worked our way out of recession, congress ordered that appraisers needed to be licensed. Appraisers began taking courses, taking tests, and buying computers and digital cameras. By 1996 business was booming again and there was a whole new generation of loan officers in the banks and mortgage companies.

That boom lasted until 2007.

By 2006 many of us in the business were looking over our shoulders at the gathering storm clouds, fearing the collapse of the bubble. When the market imploded in late 2008 it came as no surprise. Government efforts to repair the damage gave us more tightening of regulations. No longer was a Licensed Residential Appraiser considered sufficient qualification for many lenders, and requirements for Certified Appraisers were increased. A college degree is now needed with more education in specific courses, and 2,000 hours of experience before taking the written examination. New software is required to machine code the reports for retrieval and AI comparison to other databases including previous appraisals, municipal assessments, HUD closing statements and broker listings in Multiple Listing files. All of this is a check on appraiser accuracy for every data field in the report.

Over the past several years the number of appraisers in New Hampshire has declined, now down nearly 40% from previous highs. Entry to the field is increasingly difficult, more expensive and more time consuming. To make real estate appraising a more attractive career will require some changes.

Lenders need to squarely face the low fees that are so prevalent. Fees that reflect the education and experience are necessary to entice new people to invest the effort, time and expense to become Certified Appraisers. Many Appraisal Management Companies (AMC's) troll the field for the cheapest and quickest services, and that practice needs to end. We are not form fillers. We are performing an analysis that takes time and requires experience and competency, and the results affect not just one loan, not just one individual or family, but as history has shown us again and again, it affects our economy.

We need college level curricula that include at least several hundred hours of field experience. Apprentice appraisers without the knowledge and experience to perform meaningfully in the field have to work long hours at little or no pay to gain the necessary skills. Lenders expect quick turn times and delivery of accurate reports that don't require revision for multiple errors, and a supervising appraiser cannot afford to pay an apprentice for extended delays and re-writes. Graduate appraisers with experience benefit both themselves and their supervisors as they continue to learn.

YOU WANT TO BECOME AN APPRAISER

I have been in the real estate business since 1982, both as a sales agent and broker and since 1986 as an independent fee appraiser after leaving government work as a Meat and Poultry Inspector for the USDA. I was a firefighter on the Center Barnstead volunteer fire department for nine years and was code officer for the two years I was First Lieutenant. I have a BA in Education and have continued to take appraisal courses and attend seminars that expand my skills and maintain my level of license. When licensing by the state became available, I was among the first group of appraisers to receive one, approximately 18 months before they were required for banking work.