On November 15, the Alabama REALTORS® Public Policy team attended the Alabama Real Estate Appraisers Board (AREAB) meeting in Montgomery to monitor for impacts on the real estate industry and property owners. AREAB is responsible for protecting public interest by ensuring that all consumers of real estate appraisal services receive such services from appraisers who are fully qualified in accordance with both federal and state law.

Business Meeting

The Board first gave an update on license renewals. The renewal period for 2019 appraisal licenses began on August 1 and ended on September 30. Any renewals past that point are subject to a late fee. There are 1,456 licensees in the state of Alabama, 1,368 of whom had renewed their license as of the date of the Board meeting. The Board noted that the current number of renewals is typical for this time of year, and they expect to receive more renewals before the end of the year.

The Board also expressed concerns about the 2020 Census due to early reports indicating that Alabama is at risk for losing a congressional district. If that’s the case, this could impact the number of appraisers serving on AREAB since one appraiser member is appointed from each congressional district in Alabama. The Board questioned whether they will need to pass legislation in the 2019 Legislative Session to address this concern and plan to consult with the Alabama Policy Institute.

The Board also voted to continue meeting the 3^rd Thursday of every other month in 2019. The next meeting will be held on January 17, 2019.

Alabama Real Estate Appraiser Board Background

AREAB was created by the State Legislature (ACT 90-639) in 1990.  This followed the enactment of U.S. Public Law 101-73 in 1989, which required that each of the states establish an agency for the licensure, certification and regulation of appraisers.

These responsibilities are accomplished by AREAB through a variety of efforts including testing of potential licensees, pre-license and continuing education requirements, investigation of complaints and disciplinary action against licensees as warranted.

The AAR Public Policy team will continue to monitor state regulatory agencies for potential impacts on REALTOR® members, the real estate industry and private property owners.