The year 2020 will undoubtedly be remembered by each one of us. After enduring the stay at home orders, many of us emerged to an extremely busy year as appraisers. All of us emerged to a new normal. Despite the interruptions, the Board also forged ahead in our work serving the great state of Texas. At our last quarterly board meeting of 2020 in mid-November, we welcomed a new board member, Rolando Castro of Cypress, and a new AMC Advisory Committee Member, Julia Hayes of Beaumont. The Board welcomes these new members and looks forward to their contributions. 

Reducing Barriers To Entry

I am pleased to note that the Board adopted a rule reducing the number of additional hours of education after an applicant fails the exam three times, from 30 hours to 15 hours. This rule change resulted from many months of studying the recent decline in pass rates, numerous Board and committee discussions, and listening to stakeholder input.

Decreasing Regulatory Burden

The Board also proposed three rules resulting from the hard work of the Enforcement Committee. The first is a rule to codify a procedure that we have already put into place, to no longer automatically require work files to be submitted as part of the experience verification process. The second proposed rule concerns bad faith complaints. We worked with the Appraisal Subcommittee on crafting a rule that complies with the ASC’s Policy Statements but also treats license holders fairly by giving us the tools to dismiss complaints that are made in bad faith, for the purpose of harassment, to gain a competitive or economic advantage, or lacks sufficient basis in fact or evidence. The third proposed rule expands the scope of the Peer Investigative Committees. Before I joined the Board, I noticed an underlying frustration with appraisers that had been through the complaint process. It appeared that they didn’t feel heard. Some appraisers would speak at the Board meetings even after their discipline had already been finalized because they wanted to tell their side of the story. It is important to me that we give license holders the respect of being heard by their peers before we make decisions about their livelihood. I look forward to keeping you updated on the progress of these committees as we roll out this new procedure.

Happy Holidays

I want to wish all of the license holders, our dedicated agency staff, and my fellow Board members a joyous, peaceful, and healthy holiday and a prosperous new year.

We shall continue to explore ways to better serve our license holders and the people of the great state of Texas. Our next Board meeting is on Friday, February 26th and we welcome your input and participation as we forge ahead in serving this profession that we hold so dear.