WASHINGTON – Senators Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Kevin Cramer (R-ND) introduced the bipartisan Appraisal Industry Improvement Act to address the nationwide shortage of licensed home appraisers and improve access to housing in rural and tribal communities in Arizona.
“Appraisals are a critical part of the home buying and selling process, but right now a shortage of licensed appraisers is delaying home purchases and raising costs for Arizonans, particularly in rural and tribal areas,” said Senator Gallego. “As I work to ensure the dream of homeownership is within reach for every hardworking family, I’m proud to help introduce this commonsense, bipartisan bill to boost the appraisals workforce and improve service to underserved areas.”
Across the country, and especially in rural housing markets, a shortage of trained appraisers and an aging workforce are slowing down the homebuying process and driving up costs. Two-thirds of appraisers are over the age of 51, and only 13% are younger than 35, making it difficult to maintain a stable workforce.
The shortage is particularly prominent in Arizona, where there are just 2,132 licensed appraisers. Rural and tribal communities in particular struggle to maintain a full-time local appraisal workforce. As a result, appraisers from Phoenix or Tucson are often brought in to cover these regions, forcing appraisers to charge higher fees to offset travel.
“Housing markets, and especially rural markets like the ones we see across North Dakota, are negatively impacted by a shortage of trained appraisers,” said Senator Cramer. “Our economy has a labor crunch and appraisers are no exception. Adding state-licensed appraisers to the national registry and supporting training and education efforts are solutions to speeding up the homebuying process. This bill improves access to the housing market without decreasing the quality of appraisals.”
To support the home appraisal workforce and speed up the appraisal process, the Appraisal Industry Improvement Act would:
- Add state credentialed trainee appraisers to the national Appraiser Registry run by the Appraisal Subcommittee (ASC) of the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council;
- Add representation from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Housing Service;
- Allow ASC grants for state appraiser certification and licensing agencies to support education and training to address appraiser industry workforce needs; and
- Authorize ASC to decrease annual registry fees if they determine the fees adversely impact functions and renews licensed residential appraisers’ ability to conduct appraisals on FHA properties.
“This bipartisan legislation offers practical, meaningful reforms that will strengthen the appraisal profession and improve access to quality housing throughout Arizona and the nation. With approximately 16,000 members nationwide, the Appraisal Institute—including our Phoenix Chapter—supports this legislation’s provisions to modernize oversight, expand the appraiser pipeline, and improve service to rural, veteran, and underserved communities,” said the Phoenix Chapter of the Appraisal Institute.
The bipartisan legislation is endorsed by the Coalition of Arizona Appraisers.
Read the full text of the bill HERE.
5/7/25