January Update 
President's Message
Happy New Year!
We wish you all a healthy and prosperous year.
This year we welcome Diane Hayes to our board of directors, as the Appraisal Institute representative. Diane is the former president of the Seattle Chapter and brings us a wealth of board experience. Earlier, Linda Stewart joined our group and has been elected as the Secretary to the board. Click here for an overview of the board members and their roles.
One of our goals for 2026 is to encourage involvement with the Coalition by inviting members to participate in our committees, including legislation, education, and communication. Participating in one of these groups is a great way to get familiar with the board and help us to help Washington appraisers. Let me know if you are interested in being involved.
We also want to focus on helping trainee appraisers and are looking for a trainee that would like to be part of our board. With all the proposed qualifications changes, we want to know what is important to trainees and need a trainee to bring that perspective. You are the future of the profession and are important to us.
We will continue with our mission to advocate for Washington State appraisers, ensuring laws and regulations protect the profession’s interests while promoting public trust.
Our annual Day on the Hill is scheduled for Jan 21st, come and join us as we talk with our legislators and promote our Bills. Our presence in Olympia helps to strengthen our relationships and facilitates ongoing communication.
We are open to your ideas, questions, and concerns. See acow-wa.org to register as a guest at our board meetings or email us at [email protected].
Thanks,
Kathy
Board of Directors Meeting
Our monthly board meeting will be held on January 13th, 2026 at 4:230 PM. Guests are welcome to attend. Please register by clicking here.
Education and Events
The education committee was very busy in December, putting together the now required Valuation Bias and Fair Housing Laws and Regulations Zoom class (7 hours of CE!), taught by attorney Peter Christensen. Peter has led countless classes throughout the United States for many organizations and we were very happy to have him and his expertise. You can see more information about Peter at https://www.valuationlegal.com. The class covered the recent HUD actions, the current status of ongoing lawsuits and provided helpful tips to reduce appraiser liability. We thank Peter for his excellent class and look forward to offering it again in the near future.
In place of our annual Spring Conference, the Coalition is the State Organization Host for the 2026 ACTS conference, co-hosted by the National Appraisers Association and Appraiser e-Learning.
The conference will be held April 11th through 14th at the Seattle Airport Marriott. There will be an amazing lineup of educational offerings, speakers, exhibitors, and even a pickleball tournament. Appraisers’ Coalition members receive a discounted rate to attend. We will provide additional information, here in the newsletter and via email, as we get closer.
Thanks to everyone for attending and helping to execute our educational offerings in 2025. It was a great year. Other classes presented included:
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The Appraiser’s Guide to the New URAR 7 hour CE class taught by Josh Walitt of Walitt Solutions on October 28 and 29. https://walitt.com/
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The ACOW Residential Roundtable on August 20, a non-CE get together for appraisers to learn about mobile technology from the appraisers who use it.
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The ACOW Spring Conference in Spokane on May 9 and 10, where we had a great slate of speakers over two days.
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2025 Day on the Hill on Jan. 29, which was a great networking event for appraisers to meet and speak with our legislators and lobbyists. Join us for this year's event on Jan. 21st! Details below.
2026 is shaping up to be another great year for education for Coalition members and your board of directors and education committee look forward to serving the membership.
Reach out to [email protected] to suggest topics for additional classes.
Legislative Updates
The Appraisers’ Coalition has a list of exciting opportunities to support Washington appraisers through legislative activism.
We recently met with the Washington State Department of Licensing (DOL) to discuss our 2026 legislative priorities. The three key initiatives are a statute of limitations update affecting appraisal-related claims, waiver valuations for right-of-way valuation assignments, and a solution to officially recognize mass appraisal experience for credentialing purposes. The conversation was productive, and we appreciate the DOL’s engagement on all three items. We look forward to continuing to work closely with DOL as these proposals move through the legislative process.
News in the Profession
Fannie Mae Q4 Appraiser Update
Clarification on the C and Q ratings:
“For example, the UAD 2.6 definition of C1 calls for very recent construction, not occupied, all components new, with no physical depreciation. The 3.6 definition adds an age limit of 12 months. Similarly, 3.6 clarifies that C2 means the property is new construction or remodeled “to the studs” within 36 months with no deferred maintenance nor repairs needed.”
Click here to review the changes in: Appendix F.
This update also reinforces the focus on appropriate time adjustments. This is highlighted as Fannie Mae has noted areas with declining trends that must be properly reflected in appraisals.
“On Oct. 28, 2025, the Federal Housing Finance Authority published its latest House Price Index (HPI). Interestingly, it shows some regions of the country have recently experienced home price declines. For example, it found for the one month period from Jul. to Aug. 2025, prices declined 0.8% in the Pacific region.
In order to protect the public trust and achieve credibility, you must analyze for changing market conditions and make time adjustments if warranted by your analysis. Lenders, borrowers, agents, brokers, and builders should expect to see downward time adjustments in appraisals of properties where home prices have recently declined.”
Here is the link to read all articles: Appraiser Update | Fannie Mae
Upcoming AI Events
Seattle Chapter
As a reminder, the Appraisal Institute Seattle Chapter has the following classes today and tomorrow:
- Jan 6, 2026 USPAP
- Jan 7, 2026 Business Practices and Ethics
They will also host a 7-hour 7 hour National USPAP course live in Spokane on Feb 3 and two URAR companion courses by Jared Preisler in Seattle this year. The URAR courses are scheduled for Mar 27 and will be held in-person at the CBRE downtown office, with a synchronous remote option available for those who prefer not to commute.
The two courses are:
- Reporting Market Analysis and Better Understanding the New URAR (3 hours)
- Supporting Adjustments and Reporting the Sales Comparison Approach in the New URAR (4 hours)
Please note that while these are separate offerings, they will take place on the same day. You will need to sign up separately for both sessions if you plan to attend the full day.
Click here to register for any upcoming classes.
We Appreciate Your Support
Your membership supports the day-to-day functioning of the organization and, most importantly, our Lobbyist in Olympia. Along with our Lobbyist, our board of volunteers works with industry partners to protect and promote the interests of all Appraisers in Washington State.
Not a member yet? Click below to join us today.
