Certainly, you are correct Zoe. But to be very honest, uniting isn't in the nature of being independent. Our profession requires independence and tends to attract that personality.
We are also too small to unite alone, so who would unite with us? Bankers? Realtors? GSE's? All those are problems, because they are often governed by greed and power. (I'm not saying that to disparage anybody, as it's simple fact in those industries and I came from the banking world).
To unite would require the collective to push an agenda by threat of a strike to stall the system. Do appraisers have that power in this environment? Probably not because greed and power demands more production and we would see the mechanism ignore our role just as it did often during the pandemic.
The appraisal profession, in my view, is one of the very few entities in existence that requires help from oversight to exist simply because of our nature. For instance, the HVCC was a pain in our behind, but it actually cured a problem of independence that was being thwarted between the banker and the appraiser. GSE's would slice us out of existence overnight if they were able, but they can't as of yet, so they constantly try to find ways to do things without us. Bankers only care about getting the deal done and pocketing the servicing fees. Realtors want the commission without interference or delay. Borrowers want to buy, and sellers want to sell. The independent appraiser is in the middle being sure the numbers make sense without bias, while many are often hammering us. It's a shame really because we are needed more than some might think.
Oversight has helped us exist, not a union or even an association.
