President's Message

Summer may not be here as far as the calendar is concerned, but as I look out my window and see longer days of sunlight, a bumper crop of weeds and poison ivy, and my neighbor’s relentless and ever-encroaching bamboo, I know it’s not just my travel schedule that’s telling me the seasons are changing. So as the spring season comes to a close, here are some important Appraisal Institute updates you should be aware of.

Executive Order Direction

My President’s message from March addressed at some length the Trump Administration’s Executive Order on Promoting Access to Mortgage Credit, our immediate response, and the organization of a Stakeholder Working Group to further address likely implications and coordinate advocacy efforts on the issue. The Executive Order has drawn significant attention, particularly for its directive encouraging the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to align appraisal standards where risk profiles are comparable. The VA fee panel system has historically worked well and, unlike much of the conventional market, has generally avoided the fee compression and turnaround pressures often associated with appraisal management company-driven processes. Many appraisers value the opportunity to work directly with the VA and support homeownership opportunities for veterans.

In addition to the Stakeholder Working Group, Appraisal Institute leadership is also engaging with the Administration and key contacts on congressional oversight committees. Our members and advocates raised these concerns a couple of weeks ago during the Leadership Development and Advisory Council meeting and in Legislative Day meetings on Capitol Hill (more on that below).

Find an Appraiser Profile Update

Our website’s revamped Find an Appraiser function is already driving strong visibility for members. Over the past month alone, users conducted more than 35,000 searches, and since the enhanced directory launched, approximately 500 members have updated their profiles. If you have not reviewed your profile recently, now is a good time. The new Find an Appraiser offers more ways for potential clients and peers to find the right expertise, with stronger search functionality, richer profile information, and improved service-area matching. Please take a few minutes to update your profile, which will help you appear in more relevant searches and make a stronger impression when users view your page.

Engagement with External Organizations

Before the recent Appraisal Foundation meetings, AI representatives met with leaders from peer organizations across the valuation profession to discuss shared priorities and emerging issues. The group included representatives from TAF, IAAO, CBVI, Appraisal Institute of Canada, AICPA-CIMA, ASA, RICS, and IVSC.

IVSC shared updates on its recent work, especially its efforts related to technology and the development of standards for artificial intelligence. The group also discussed the Global Valuation Association and tackled one of the profession’s most pressing challenges: attracting new people into valuation. By participating in these conversations, the Appraisal Institute stays connected to the broader professional community and helps shape the issues influencing the future of the profession.

PAREA Momentum

AI PAREA remains one of the clearest bright spots in our profession. At the end of May, the program had 249 current participants, 93 graduates, and strong early-stage interest across both the Licensed Residential and Certified Residential pathways. We are also seeing steady weekly movement into the program, with new starts, confirmed enrollments, and continued progress toward licensure. Those numbers show that the Appraisal Institute’s PAREA program is becoming an increasingly meaningful entry point into the profession.

That momentum matters beyond the program itself, because it opens new opportunities for member engagement. As participation grows, chapter leaders can use their membership dashboards to identify new participants and graduates in their regions, welcome these new professionals, and connect them to the broader AI community. In that way, PAREA is not only gaining traction as a program, but it’s also giving chapters a practical way to help strengthen the profession’s future.

For our broader membership, this opportunity becomes especially tangible. Members can identify and encourage future appraisers already in their local area, including students, recent graduates, those interested in a career change, trainees who may be paused in their progress, and professionals in adjacent real estate fields. Chapters can go even further by creating intentional points of connection. One strong example comes from Colorado, where chapter leaders recently created a WhatsApp group to support participants, answer their questions, invite them to events, and offer opportunities to shadow inspections. That kind of practical welcome can help new entrants see a place for themselves in appraisal.

We also now have another simple way for members to get involved. Through a new Employer Interest List, members who are hiring and want to connect with PAREA graduates can submit their information and match graduates in their selected areas. Combined with mentoring, chapter outreach, and word-of-mouth recruitment, this gives members several practical ways to help strengthen the profession’s pipeline. If we want to grow the next generation of appraisers, PAREA gives members a place to make a meaningful difference right now.

Legislative Day and LDAC Recap

Appraisers from across the country traveled to Washington, DC two weeks ago for the Appraisal Institute’s Legislative Day and our Leadership Development & Advisory Council (LDAC). We met with members of Congress and their staff to discuss not just the role of appraisers in the VA home loan program, but also the Portal for Appraisal Licensing Act (PAL Act) and the appraisal-related provisions in the bipartisan 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, which the U.S. House passed on May 20.

Against that backdrop, this year’s ±120 LDAC participants welcomed Congressman Scott Fitzgerald of Wisconsin and representatives of our lobbying team in DC for relevant legislative and policy updates and lobbying tips. After hearing an update on how last year’s LDAC sessions positively influenced the Appraisal Institute’s subsequent programs and direction, participants then held discussion sessions on: whether the appraisal profession is “playing to win” or merely not to lose; appraising in the age of artificial intelligence; leadership, accountability and building trust in a high-functioning organization; and building a better future for the profession and the Appraisal Institute, in particular by examining the role our individual members can play in building collective stability.

Every year we hear that LDAC is one of the best programs the Appraisal Institute puts on, and the reviews and comments I heard afterward suggest that LDAC 2026 was no exception. Despite busy schedules, client demands and endless deadlines, these committed members made the decision to invest their time in doing what they can to improve the appraisal profession and our organization, and for that we should be thankful.

As always, thank you for your continued support of the Appraisal Institute.

Until next month,

Michael J. Acquaro-Mignogna, MAI, SRA, AI-GRS
President
Appraisal Institute