The Appraisal Industry's Biggest Dichotomy with Trainees
Jul 08, 2026
I want to talk to you today about a dilemma—a real dichotomy in the appraisal industry that just doesn’t make a whole hell of a lot of sense. Now, I had a rule in my office that if you’ve got a problem, come to me with a suggested solution. Unfortunately, I am going to be a bit of a hypocrite today because I don’t have a solution for this one, except to tell the players in the marketplace to just stop it.
The Trainee vs. Certified Problem
Here is the situation. With certain AMC's and lenders, you seemingly have more flexibility to collaborate with other appraisers as a trainee than you do as a fully licensed or certified appraiser.
If I were to hire a trainee, get them on a panel, and train them up to the point where they are qualified to inspect, I can send them out to do an inspection for me. We give full credit, work right out in the open, follow USPAP, and they can help me all day long. But once that individual gets licensed or certified, that capability in many cases is completely gone. Tell me how that makes sense. You are somehow viewed as more qualified to assist as a trainee than you are once you get your full credentials.
The Mastermind Dilemma
We talk about this all the time at my Mastermind meetings. I’ll sit around the table with high-performing appraisers, and it’s not infrequent to hear someone say, "I’ve got this trainee who does 80% of my inspections, they know what they’re doing, they’re about to get licensed, and I’m screwed."
Because once that person becomes licensed, the supervisor can't send them out to do inspections for them anymore under certain client guidelines. It actually demotivates business owners from helping their people get certified because it reduces their ability to collaborate.
Time for Common Sense Policies
We hear all the time about an appraiser shortage. If clients are truly concerned with turn times and quality, it's time to do some common sense things. Open up the opportunity for us to utilize the law of delegation.
My encouragement to lenders and AMCs is to look at your policies and think about how silly this is. If a trainee becomes licensed or certified, let us utilize them the same way we did before. Disclose it, sign it, do whatever it takes to stay compliant, but let's be smart about it.
Check out The Appraiser Coach Podcast for more info on this topic:
