AQB's latest dumbing down by 'Stakeholders' Dropping the College Degree Requirement

[chad hampton]

Servicelink is probably writing a long letter.

They won’t need to write a letter, they’re buying the steak and bourbon at the next conference. That’s how you get stuff done in the swamp.

 

[jay trotta]

I have a degree. The only purpose of a degree is to limit the number of applicants. That applies to most things. Sure, you need a math degree to teach college math. You need an engineering degree to design a mechanical or electrical system. But more and more companies are dropping the college requirement and apply industry specific education...which is what the original intention was of appraisers. These were to be skilled technicians who earned their stripes in the field. Most appraisers were in the building trades or RE sales at some point in their lives and my work with civil engineers was far more valuable to me in those first years than knowing how to operate a chromatograph or identify rock formations from microscopic examination of drilling samples.

we have a winner.........nothing can match field experience.
I have seen a lot of adds for swapping a College Degree for Trade Degree work lately, trade folks are earning a good living today vs 10 years ago.

 

[George Hatch]

What I do like PAREA for is QE. Only.

 

[RCA]

It is not the function of licensing to act as brake on the supply of appraisers. I complain about PAREA flooding the market, but the reason includes the point that the program cannot emulate some of the critical functions of the experience of acting in the role of appraiser in real world appraisal practice such as dealing with the ethical challenges or being compelled to work their way through an off-script and new-to-them problem without the benefit of being provided with all 4 possible answers in the multiple choice exam.

I've seen MANY appraisal reports that were completely acceptable and which were performed by appraisers who never went to college, or who only went 2 years. We've had plenty of our own regulars who didn't ever get their 4yr degree prior to entering the profession. As just one example most regulars will remember, Dennis DeSaix was a fully formed and capable appraiser the day he joined this forum, years before he earned a college degree and his MAI. As well as others on this forum. NOBODY here is going to tell me these people were inadequately educated to perform. That they didn't know how to think or how to analyze or how to write.

Now I agree that the average HS grad in the 2000s might come up a bit short when compared to grads from the 1980s or into the 1990s. But some of them are just as capable.

Besides, nobody is getting in who can't pass the QE courses and the licensing exam (which to this day don't have a 50% pass rate); so if someone is sufficiently competent at the QE to get that far then we aren't talking about some illiterate who just got promoted to the next grade in school for showing up 61% of the time.

In my view the intermediate requirements back in 2008 were sufficient to purpose. AA degree or completion of 5 or 7 (can't remember the exact number TBH) specific and accredited college courses.

Which BTW, any aspiring appraiser can complete online for cheap while working on their experience hours. Or for almost free via CLEP (College Level Exam Program) testing.

Well, my opinion, is that 99.99% of appraisers really don't know WTF they are doing!! Not that they aren't smart enough - some are. Many people are very smart but come from rotten environments, where they never had the time, resources or other opportunity to go to college. And, some simply never had the desire to be force fed with knowledge - they want to learn on their own.

So, no, a college degree is certainly no longer necessary - but proctored rigorous examinations on specified material and types of problems would have to be the substitute. - And that is where many professional organizations fail to perform, especially appraisal. -- Aside from the MAI test which is probably the only good test the Appraisal Institute offers, even though it is very lacking in methodology. - But it is done, I would have to say, the right way.

So much work would have to be done to get to an acceptable standard, I won't even get into it further -- and leave it here.

To emphasize: A college degree is CERTAINLY no guarantee of competence. Appraisal is full of appraisers with degrees in English who can right fancy reports. but bend over backwards to satisfy their clients because they don't have any mathematical sense, or even the ability to handle logic.

 

[RCA]

I would add that if you absolutely need more appraisers, rather than lower threshold scores, shift to cookbook methods and problems. Require that wannabees at least know how to solve the cookbook problems. That is kind of what the Germans do --- all Germans learn how to solve the same cookbook problems and take the same cookbook test (although certainly not easy): Not the best system, but maybe the best system for expanding your population of candidates.

 

[Mejappz]

I think a lot of appraisers are done writing letters. I’ve seen comment periods for all sorts of things in this profession be posted online over the years. The comments are 50 to one one sided, and the powers that be make changes that satisfy the one out of 50.

We’ll see, maybe this time will be different. For the sake of the profession I hope so.

Don’t waste your time writing letters to TAF. This organization has done so much damage to the industry I don’t think that it’s possible to fix any of it soon. As Bert has said in the past someone should sue their ***.

 

[Tiffany Gibbons]

Or maybe an alcohol induced personal rant

AARO just had a conference in Nashville in May as well. I belive Lyle and Danny gave presentations representing Freddie Mac

 

[Elliott]

This is the time in the discussion to remind....

[Verse 6]
And everybody knows that you're in trouble
Everybody knows what you've been through
From the bloody cross on top of Calvary
To the beach of Malibu
Everybody knows it's coming apart
Take one last look at this Sacred Heart
Before it blows
And everybody knows

 

[Tim Hicks (Texas)]

This topic is a hoot!

Honestly, Residential Appraisal is more of a trade like a carpenter, plumber or electrician. I don't think any college is necessary. Real world ethics are not learned in college. They are learned on the streets in real world situations (or lender-appraiser situations). I have seen some real idiots with college degrees in my life. How about you? Education is only good if you earned it and know how to apply in your field. Liberal Arts degrees don't do much for appraising. Everybody has to make their own way in this world. College is no guarantee of success or intelligence. Ask Dexter Manley how he got a degree?

The sky is falling is getting old on this forum. It might be falling, but we have been crying it is falling for 20+ years.

On a side note, I can always tell when Zoe and Fernando post because sometimes an entire page will only be 2-3 posts since I have them on ignore.

Cut Danny Wiley some slack. He has to toe the company line as a corporate lackey. At least he provides input we can use (or disagree with as many of you do).

I don't have a degree. How did I ever make it 34+ years?

 

[Ricky LaFleur]

Soliciting comments to an exposure draft is not intended to function like an election or a beauty contest. Ideally, they're seeking different opinions and reasoning for use in their considerations, hopefully in an effort to avoid the unintended consequences of the decicion making in question. So the "vote" doesn't contribute to that. Especially when the motivations of that vote are wholly irrelevant to the concepts and principles involved.

Obviously, you know what Chad was saying, and it wasn't about appeasing the majority vote. Rather, that 99% of comments made could be voicing various legitimate concern and reason for it, only to be brushed aside to do what they wanted anyway. This isn't the first exposure draft I've seen go that way.

To the original post, I don't know if college always helps an appraiser to be sufficiently competent to do the job, maybe just better educated in general. It's easier to require that an appraiser applicant has passed a 2yr degree than to make QE classes to cover basic education like general studies do. I've also seen a few high school dropouts with more intellect than some college grads, though... so I suppose increasing the exam difficulty and dropping the degree requirement would suffice. It could be a sort of "CLEP" exam and appraisal exam in one. Or require a general CLEP exam to ensure the applicants understand general studies well and leave the licensing exam alone, and just require both. It bothers me when an appraiser struggles with basic grammar and writing but somehow will be an expert in supply/demand analysis? Ehhh, alright... if you think so. But the public won't.