Let’s be honest:
Every time the conversation comes up about appraisals taking too long or costing too much, the same predictable story gets rolled out:
The appraiser is slowing everything down. The appraiser is stuck in the past. The appraiser is the problem.
Meanwhile:
- The GSEs don’t have PACs themselves, but somehow the policy conversation is always being steered by trade associations and lobbyists funded by the same companies that profit from fewer appraisals.
- AMCs have quietly siphoned off billions in fees from homeowners—without delivering the transparency they promised.
- The Mortgage Bankers Association spends millions every election cycle shaping what “modernization” looks like (spoiler: it usually looks like more revenue for the same players).
- “Pilot programs” and “alternative valuations” get marketed as innovations—while the taxpayer is still the backstop when something goes wrong.
It’s like there’s always something hiding behind their back:
A new acronym. A new product. A new way to repackage the same process in a way that sounds “efficient.”
But here’s what never seems to change: Homebuyers keep paying more. Appraisers keep getting squeezed. Consumers and taxpayers keep carrying the risk.
I’m not saying all of this is malicious.
But let’s not pretend it’s all just coincidence either.
If we really want to modernize this business, maybe we should start by asking:
Who actually benefits from the system staying exactly the way it is—just with a different name on the invoice?
Sometimes the truth isn’t convenient.
But it’s still the truth.
I’ll leave it at that.
#Appraisers #MortgageReform #Transparency #FutureOfAppraisal #ProtectTheConsumer #RealEstateTruth
Hardesty Appraisals 