The Texas Appraiser Licensing & Certification Board (TALCB) understands that becoming a licensed appraiser can be difficult. Minimum federal requirements consist of hundreds of hours of education, thousands of hours of experience, and an exam; also, each state has a right to impose its own requirements. TALCB does not want to make it any harder on aspiring appraisers to get licensed, especially when the industry is facing an appraiser shortage and a lack of diversity. 

 

"Consistent with the directive from Governor Abbott in 2019, TALCB staff and members have worked tirelessly to comb through statutes and rules to look for every opportunity to reduce unnecessary and burdensome licensing regulations for Texans," said TALCB Chair Sara Oates. "I am delighted to hear that Texas is among the few states that do not exceed federal appraisal licensing criteria. On behalf of my fellow Texas appraisers, I want to thank everyone involved in this years-long effort. A job well done."

 

The National Scope

One year ago, the United States federal government launched the Interagency Task Force on Property Appraisal and Valuation Equity (PAVE), which is composed of 13 federal agencies including the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the Appraisal Subcommittee (ASC). One of the goals in establishing PAVE is to reduce barriers to the appraisal profession. 

On June 1, the PAVE Task Force published a dashboard that identifies areas where each U.S. state exceeds federal requirements for credentialing appraisers. States other than Texas that do not exceed the Appraiser Qualification Board's (AQB) Criteria are Colorado, Delaware, Montana, and Oklahoma.

 

In January, Jim Park executive director of the ASC sent state appraiser regulatory officials a memo on PAVE, which includes information from the Appraisal Institute:

 

“…more than 10,000 appraisers have left the industry since 2013, representing a decline of 13 percent in less than a decade. Further, the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the appraisal profession is more than 97 percent white, and nearly 70 percent male, making appraisers one of the least diverse professions in the country. These data suggest that appraiser qualification criteria may be inadvertently hindering the development of a dynamic, efficient, and diverse appraiser workforce. The PAVE Action Plan calls for the Appraisal Subcommittee (ASC) to directly engage with State appraisal regulatory agencies to raise awareness of unnecessary barriers and collaborate, where possible, to address them.” 

 

Tips for Becoming a Texas Appraiser 

TALCB and the AQB have tools anyone can use before submitting an official application.  

• Review the AQB’s requirements in the Real Property Appraiser Qualifications Criteria. 

• If you have a background history that may preclude you from licensure, take advantage of TALCB’s pre-application fitness determination. 

• Trainees can track their experience with TALCB’s Notebook, and submit a voluntary work product review request while earning experience, to get feedback on their work.