What’s next for the maligned real estate appraiser?

The twofold problems with residential real estate appraisers have become well-established. One is an array of well-publicized stories of appraisers undervaluing a home because the homeowner is Black. The other, arguably related issue, is that the ranks of U.S. appraisers are perilously thin and the profession is dominated by white men, whose average age is 61, according to the Appraisal Institute. 

In this episode of Houses in Motion, a series that is part of the HousingWire Daily podcast lineup, St. Petersburg, Florida-based appraiser Francois “Frank” Gregoire discusses both these issues, but also dives into specifics about what professional appraisal organizations, the federal government, and individual appraisers can do to address them.

This podcast gets into the weeds at times with, for example, how someone becomes qualified to become an appraiser, and how those standards may change. But these are the specific discussions that will shape appraisers’ future relevance in a housing transaction.