February Update 
President's Message
The best news is that our Statute of Limitations bill (HB 2477) is on the way through the legislature. We are very optimistic that it will be passed into law this session.
On January 15th the Real Estate Commission held their first quarterly meeting. The Department of Licensing reported that the number of appraiser licenses is down from approximately 3,200 licenses in 2022 to 2,600 currently, of which about half are held by appraisers over 55, including 520 that are over 65. We also have a steady decline in trainee licenses from 452 in 2022 to 159 currently. This is a serious situation and is being addressed by the Appraisal Institute and the Appraisal Foundation. It is one you can help with too.
The Appraisal Foundation’s Appraisal Qualifications Board (AQB) released the First Exposure Draft of the Proposed Changes to the Criteria. The changes propose to reduce some of the barriers to entry. This is an important change that you need to be aware of as it will possibly change our licensing criteria including required education for trainees and for your license renewal.
Two concept papers are also available for comment. These are ideas the AQB is considering and they are looking for your ideas and solutions.
This is your opportunity to speak up and help the profession grow and move forward. Comments on the First Exposure Draft and concept papers are due by March 3rd and you can click here to submit yours.
The new Advisory Opinion 41, Use of Technology in an Appraisal or Appraisal Review Assignment was made available by the ASB (Appraisal Standards Board) for public comments, which were due by February 2nd. If you missed it, you can read the responses, including ours, on the Appraisal Foundation website.
In other news, the Annual State of the State’s Housing for 2025 is now available. It focuses on recent legislation, economic conditions, homeownership, house prices, rents, affordability, homelessness, etc. Also released by the Washington Center for Real Estate Research is the Housing Market Report for the 3rd Quarter 2025.
The reports are available by clicking here.
In conclusion, we are continuing to work with Representative Donaghy and our legislation to reduce our licensing fees and looking for clarification and greater transparency of the appraisers’ account from the Department of Licensing.
Thank you for your support,
Kathy
Board of Directors Meeting
Our monthly board meeting will be held on February 10th, 2026 at 4:30 PM. Guests are welcome to attend. Please register by clicking here.
Events and Education
ACTS Conference in Seattle
The Coalition is proud to be the State Organization Host for the 2026 ACTS conference.
This event is co-hosted by the National Appraisers Association and Appraiser e-Learning, and will be held April 11th through 14th at the Seattle Airport Marriott. We hope you’ll join us for this incredible opportunity to not only earn 14 hours of CE, but to connect and network with fellow appraisers and contacts within the profession, plus some great pre and post-conference activities and events too. BONUS: Your membership with the Coalition automatically extends you membership with the National Association of Appraisers and the discounted member rate.
Trainees, your rate is discounted even further at $459 for the two-day conference. There's also a really fun series of events that you can sign up for, including a Murder Mystery Night for you and Supervisors, plus a field trip to a new residential development community where you’ll get some hands-on experience with lots of tips, techniques, and tools to be shared, best practices while mobile, and a follow up after the conference on what importing all that data into a report looks like. For more information about these events, click here.
Everyone can also look forward to the opening reception, which has a fun Disco Days theme, and an incredible evening planned for our Local Flavor Night at the Museum of Flight where you’ll enjoy a delicious dinner and cocktails in the museum’s themed setting where we can explore some interesting history and connect under some iconic aircraft.
If that wasn’t enough, you can also look forward to a (FREE) Sunrise Yoga session on Sunday morning and Pickleball Tournament to wrap up the conference on Wednesday. You can see the full schedule for ACTS by clicking here.
We can’t wait to have you join us. It’s going to be a great event!
Education Committee Spotlight: Supporting Appraisers Through Learning
The Education Committee is at the heart of ACOW’s mission to support, strengthen, and advance the appraisal profession in Washington State. Our role is to identify relevant topics, recruit knowledgeable instructors, and develop high-quality educational opportunities that help appraisers stay current, compliant, and confident in an ever-changing valuation landscape. From live Zoom classes and in-person conferences to practical, skills-based learning, the committee offers a wide range of educational formats, the focus is on timely, practical, and immediately useful content for real-world appraisal practice.
Topics the committee is discussing include an additional Valuation Bias and Fair Housing Laws and Regulations class (now a newly required course for license renewal after 1/1/2026), land analysis, and UAD 3.6. The committee also plans to work closely with other appraisal organizations to promote collaboration and shared educational opportunities.
In addition to CE offerings, we are exploring the possibility of four 1-hour Zoom chats (no CE) designed to encourage discussion and connection within the profession. The first proposed event is an “Ask the President” session geared toward trainees and newly licensed appraisers, focused on open Q&A. More info on this coming soon!
Class topics and suggestions are always welcome. Please email [email protected] with your ideas.
Legislative Updates
On January 21, the Appraisers Coalition of Washington held our annual Day on the Hill, and it was a big success. If you could not make it this year, we hope you can join us next year!
It was a full day at the Capitol meeting directly with legislators and staff to share the issues impacting appraisers and the public we serve. We met with Representatives Zahn, Lekanoff, Peterson, Barkis, and Low, as well as Senator Bateman. Thank you to each of them for taking the time to meet and listen to our concerns.
A special thank you to Representatives Low, Goodman, and Barkis for sponsoring our statute of limitations bill for appraisers! A public hearing has already been secured in the House Consumer Protection and Business Committee, and we believe our meetings at the Capitol helped bring that momentum forward.
We are also continuing to work on securing a legislative sponsor for the waiver valuations bill related to right-of-way appraisal work. More to come on both of these bills soon.
For now, please take a moment to support the Statute of Limitations bill (HB 2477) by going to this Link and clicking the "Send a Comment to Your Legislators" button.
News in the Profession
UAD 3.6 - Did you know?
UAD 3.6 is so much more than a new way to fill out an appraisal report. We encourage every appraiser to familiarize themselves with all the changes coming in 2026. Over the next few months, our newsletter will highlight some of the largest changes published in the Selling Guide Supplement.
Did you know more than one ADU will now be allowed in conventional lending?
Due to new middle housing density legislation, properties in residential zoning areas are allowed to add at least two ADUs. The prior selling guide limited conventional lending to one primary dwelling and one accessory dwelling. UAD 3.6 has revised this limitation to allow for more than one ADU up to a total of four units. See Page 25 in the UAD 3.6 update link below for more details.
Full information and posted updates can be found here:
Appraisal Institute Updates
The Appraisal Institute's Seattle Chapter has upcoming education courses available on March 27th for in-person and synchronous learning.
Reporting Market Analysis and Better Understanding the New URAR
8 AM - 12 PM
Supporting Adjustments and Reporting the Sales Comparison Approach in the New URAR
12:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Click Here for more details and to sign up.
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.
