What does your signature mean?  In real estate appraisal, ethics (i.e., USPAP) and public trust form the foundation of professional credibility. This episode of The Appraiser’s Advocate emphasizes the critical importance of an appraiser’s signature, which represents not only an opinion of value but also a solemn pledge of honesty, objectivity, and compliance with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP).

The discussion highlights how the appraiser’s signature is more than a procedural step. It functions as a seal of integrity, signaling to clients, lenders, courts, and the public that the report is unbiased, transparent, and free from conflicts of interest.  Just as importantly, the signature assures that you conducted the valuation process with due diligence and professional independence, protecting the broader market from misinformation and manipulation.

What does your signature mean?  This podcast reminds listeners that every appraisal carries ethical weight.  The appraiser’s signature on the Certification directly influences lending decisions, property sales, and even legal disputes. A careless or biased opinion can erode confidence in the market and damage public trust.  By contrast, a well-documented, ethically sound appraisal builds credibility, not just for the individual professional, but for the entire appraisal industry.

So, what does your signature mean?  Ultimately, this episode underscores a vital truth: an appraiser’s signature is never just ink on a page. It is a public affirmation of trustworthiness, professional standards, and moral responsibility.  For appraisers seeking to strengthen their careers, upholding ethics and protecting the public trust remain non-negotiable responsibilities.

And remember:  keep your E&O Insurance up-to-date, and an administrative law attorney on speed dial!

Why are there among our Fellows who conclude the new UAD3.6 is a terror?  It may be that it is a change from what we already know, and everybody (not just appraisers) fear changes.  Or maybe it is because this will require appraisers to learn a new “language”.  After all, what currently works in report writing will be obsolete when UAD3.6 comes out.  Or maybe it is just that appraisers think the GSEs have no call or right to meddle in what works.  Hey!  It ain’t broke, so don’t fix it.  No, it’s not broke.  But it is old and outdated.

So, to claim “UAD3.6 is a terror” may be jumping the gun a little.  Between this writing and November 2, 2026 when UAD goes into effect, there are approximately 14-months within which appraisers can learn and then conquer USD3.6.  Is there going to be some disruption of appraisal life as we know it?  Yes, of course.  Are some of our Fellows going to find this transition difficult? Surely.  Will the UAD3.6 that rolls out in September of 2025 be the same UAD3.6 that presents in November 2026?  Probably not.  So, what are we appraisers going to do?  Some will see these changes are a reason to collapse and fail.  Others will see it as an opportunity to rise to the occasion.  Really, is that not how we should all be?

So, we can collapse in tears of frustration, or triumph with tears of joy and enthusiasm.  If you think UAD3.6 is a terror you’ll be right.  And it you think it is an opportunity to excel, you’ll be right, too.

In any event, keep your E&O Insurance up-to-date, and an experienced administrative law attorney‘s number handy in your phone.  Those don’t mean you are afraid of anything.  It merely means  your wise.

What’s wrong with the supervisor/trainee model?  Nothing, other than it does not work.  Outside of that small limitation, it is entirely viable.  So, really, despite the fact that model is as old as dirt, what’s wrong with it?  If it does not work, why did the appraisal industry implement it in the first place?  Is it fixable?  If it is fixable, who is going to fix it?

What’s wrong with the residential real estate supervisor/trainee model is, in part, how it started.  Real estate appraisal has always been a cottage industry.  It was originally an offshoot of the brokerage and construction industries.  Brokers and builders were supposed to be familiar with real estate values, costs of construction, and so forth.  In 1932, when what was then known as the American Institute of Real Estate Appraisers began, almost all of its members were also brokers and builders, as well as investors.  While it had a formal Code of Ethics, as well as a formalized educational program, it had to form a plan by which to train new appraisers.  It was just accepted that the old guys would teach the new guys the practical side of real estate appraisal.

But that highlighted what was wrong with the residential real estate supervisor/trainee model.  In many cases, the old guys did know there stuff but, for various reasons, were not willing and/or able to teach it to newbies.  This is basically the problem with the system now.  Lots of schools and programs “teaching” real estate appraisal, but no practical way for newbies to enter the system.  Unfortunately, this is still the case.

Remember, whether you have 30-years experience, or are a newbie, you’ll need proper E&O insurance, as well as an administrative law attorney if you get that letter from your state.

What does appraisal’s future hold?  This is a question that comes in all the time.  Since it comes in all the time, and time is dynamic, so is the answer to the question.  Simply, we cannot have the assurance of a yes or no answer.  There are too many variables to account for.  There are too many changes we cannot see around corners we cannot imagine.  Yet, somewhere, somehow, there are among us those for whom the variables settle their flutter and corners become less opaque.  Appraisal’s friend, Craig Morley is one of those savants for whom the future is slightly less cloudy than for we mere mortals.

What does appraisal’s future hold for appraisers?  That (among others) is the question we put to Craig in this podcast.  Craig, with his usual gentle wisdom and clear eye, addressed some of these issues.  His answers will surprise some, disquiet some, enrage some, frighten some, and enlighten the rest of us.  There is no reason to chronical those answers here.  Please listen to the podcast.

And remember, you need full E&O coverage from a reputable broker, as well as a great administrative law attorney in your corner, if “that letter” ever arrives from the state appraisal board.

The reconsideration of value is a formal process.  In the Fannie Mae Selling Guide are the guidelines that allows a lender or borrower to request a review of an appraisal when relevant new information may affect the value opinion. This isn’t about disagreeing with the appraiser’s judgment.  It’s about presenting factual, material data—such as overlooked property features or newly closed comparable sales—that may not have been available during the original analysis. The appraiser then reviews this information and determines whether it justifies any change to the original value.

A reconsideration of value must be supported by specific, verifiable market data.  It cannot be based on mere dissatisfaction with the appraised value. The appraiser’s role is to assess the credibility and relevance of the submitted information. If the new data is meaningful and meets professional standards, the appraiser may issue a revised report. However, if the appraiser finds the information immaterial or redundant, the original value opinion stands.  This reinforces the objectivity and independence of the appraisal process.

The reconsideration of value request typically must be submitted within 30 days of the appraisal’s delivery.  Only the borrower can initiate it. Appraisers are prohibited from making changes based solely on client preferences or pressure. The process safeguards the reliability of valuation in mortgage lending.  It also offers a mechanism to correct genuine oversights. When properly handled, it ensures fair and accurate appraisals without compromising professional ethics or regulatory compliance.

And don’t forget to keep your E&O Insurance up to date and a great administrative law attorney on  your side!

USPAP, SR1-6, and Reconciliation are central to producing a credible opinion of value in any real estate appraisal report. The 2024 Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) emphasizes that reconciliation is not just a procedural formality—it is an essential component of value development. According to USPAP’s Standard Rule 1-6(a), appraisers must reconcile the quality and quantity of the data analyzed within each valuation approach. This rule underscores the importance of critical thinking and professional judgment in ensuring the appraisal is not merely mechanical, but rooted in logic, accuracy, and market relevance.

USPAP, SR1-6, and Reconciliation also require clear communication and transparency in every USPAP-compliant appraisal. Under SR1-6(b), appraisers must reconcile the applicability and relevance of each method and technique used to arrive at the final value conclusion. This means explaining why one approach—such as the sales comparison, cost, or income approach—was given greater weight over others. For clients, lenders, and legal professionals reviewing the appraisal report, this level of clarity enhances trust, supports regulatory compliance, and upholds the ethical standards of the profession.

USPAP, SR1-6, and Reconciliation ensure that an appraiser’s conclusion is both defensible and reliable. Proper reconciliation weaves together all relevant market data, analysis techniques, and scope of work into a unified, well-reasoned value opinion. In a world increasingly driven by data and regulation, credible appraisal report reconciliation stands as a hallmark of professional excellence and client confidence in real estate valuation.

No matter what, make sure your E&O is up to date and you have great administrative law attorney on your side.

DOES REAL ESTATE APPRAISAL HAVE A FUTURE?

Does real estate appraisal have a future?  This question comes in to me all the time.  And it’s important! We’ve invested a lot of time and money to become appraisers.  Did we waste all that?  There are some who say yes to that question.  Generally, they point out the changes that are coming to real estate appraisal (or have come).  Then they point out the sacrifices to keep up with these changes are just too big.  Those changes are coming at us just too fast.  The learning curve is just too long.  These appraisers should transition out of the business

So, does real estate appraisal have a future?  Of course it does.  It will be different than it is now, though.  Because UAD 3.6 demands greater reporting, it also demands more thorough appraisals.  More attention to details.  Less boilerplate.  Fewer unsupported assumptions about adjustments, market trends, and effective age.  Yet the professional education and training behind those demands will make those who stay in the business better appraisers.  How is that a bad thing?  It is also likely appraisers will need to make some transitions.  This means transitions to commercial work, non-lender work, court work, divorce work, tax appeal work, etc.

Yes, all things considered, real estate appraisal has a future.  But the hallmark of that future is one of change.  Is what you read on the appraiser-oriented websites, etc. accurate?  If it is, then within 24-months of this podcast, there likely will be fifteen percent fewer appraisers than there are now.  There likely will be fewer folks getting into the business.  And those who stay are likely to be better trained.  Why?  Because the cookie-cutter house in the cookie-cutter subdivision will be an assignment of the past.  Make sure you have proper E&O insurance and proper legal counsel.  Those requirements will not change.

USPAP, Verification, and Bernoulli’s Fallacy.  That’s a mouthful!  What does it mean?  I’m assuming  you’ve heard of USPAP.  Verification is an important component of USPAP’s SR1-4 (learn it, love it, use it).  But it is likely Bernoulli’s Fallacy is something you don’t know about.  Yet.  You will, though.  It is going to become really important in residential real estate appraisal, especially when UAD3.6 takes effect in November of 2026.  Read on to learn why.

Really USPAP, verification and Bernoulli’s Fallacy go together.  USPAP’s Standards Rule 1-4 requires us appraisers to “…collect, verify, and analyze all information necessary for credible assignment results.”  As with a lot of USPAP, this is not overly clear (hello, ASB!).  Bernoulli’s Fallacy says, in so many words, in statistical inference, people often wrongly assume that a single event, or a small number of observations, directly reveals the underlying probability of a process.  We see this all the time from clients.  Most houses in a subdivision sell for between $300K and $350K.  Yet the one with the premium view and the kitchen upgrades that sold for $393K gets all their attention.  If the subject is your basic house in the neighborhood, then its value is somewhere between $300K and $350K, that one outlier notwithstanding.  One outlier’s price does not predict market value, despite what the client demands.

USPAP, verification, and Bernoulli’s Fallacy are a package deal.  USPAP demands verification and we avoid Bernoulli’s Fallacy by being very skeptical about the predictive value of one or two outliers.  This will become even more important as UAD3.6 kicks in and appraisers will need to write more in their appraisal reports.  Are you preparing for that?

Questions?  Contact me at [email protected].   Need legal help or information on E&O insurance.  I can help you with those, too.

USPAP and choosing comps is likely a poor name for this podcast.  It’s a poor name since USPAP’s Standard One is silent on the choice of choosing comparable sales.   In fact, all Standard One (see SR1-4(a)) says about the sales comparison approach consists of twenty-seven words.  None of them is the word comparable, nor the words comparable sales.  So, no, Standard One in USPAP is not a reliable source relative to choosing comparable sales.

However, USPAP and choosing comps in made easier in the context of the Comment to SR1-3(b).  This is USPAP’s Market Analysis and Highest and Best Use Standards Rule.  In that Comment is the admonition the appraiser “…must analyze the relevant legal, physical, and economic factors to the extent necessary for credible assignment results.”  So, if there is a model for choosing a comparable sale, it is that such a sale must have the same relevant legal, physical, and economic characteristics as the subject.  In turn, this means appraisers must understand the subject’s legal, physical, and economic factors before it is possible to understand those of competing sales, thus before it is possible to choose comps.

So, since USPAP and choosing comps seems to be an incompatible pairing, is there another model to use as part of the process of choosing comparable sales?  Indirectly, yes, there is.  One of the difficulties we face in this task is that there is no formal definition of a comparable sale.  There are merely descriptions.  A careful reading of The 15th ed. of the Appraisal of Real Estate shows that a common description is that a comparable sale is one that has the same highest and best use as the subject.

And remember to have an experienced attorney on your speed-dial, and your E&O insurance up to date!

USPAP does not specifically use the term, “…from your workfile…”   However, you’ll find your state appraisal board does.  In fact, you’ll find the board uses this phrase a lost.  Given that, let’s spend some time on what the phrase means how we appraisers must comply with it.

“From your workfile” means just that.  Under USPAP’s Standard 1, the appraiser has the ethical obligation to have enough materials, data, analyses, and so forth to support everything.  In this instance, everything means every conclusion, statement of fact, opinion, etc.  A lot of appraisers ask why this is necessary.  To support everything from the data, analyses, and information in the workfile means the appraiser acted objectively.  Each opinion, conclusion, and so forth merits objective, market-based support.  If the market does not support a conclusion, if there is even a hint of subjectivity in a highest and best use or value opinion, then its credibility is fatally flawed.

What about phone messages?  How is it possible to get those from the workfile!  Simple.  When you verify a sale, take notes on that call.  Who?  What? Where? When? Why?  How?  When you have the answers to those questions, you are home free.  Brokers won’t return your phone calls?  Then send an email with this statement, “I know you are busy.  So, if you do not respond to this email, I’ll assume the facts of this transaction are as you noted them in the MLS.”  Then, make sure your workfile has a copy of the deed, mortgage, survey or plat, zoning classification and code, and everything else the County/Parish has on the subject.  This supports your objectivity.

And remember, make sure you have great E&O insurance on your side, as well as a great attorney.