On January 31, 2017, Fannie Mae (FNMA) issued the following Announcement SEL-2017-01 which addressed updates to their Selling Guide.
“We have clarified our existing policy that allows an unlicensed or uncertified appraiser, or an appraiser trainee to complete the property inspection. When the unlicensed or uncertified appraiser or appraiser trainee completes the property inspection, the supervisory appraiser is not required to also inspect the property.”
The updated FNMA Selling guide states
Appraiser Trainee: Fannie Mae allows an unlicensed or uncertified appraiser, or trainee (or other similar classification) to perform a significant amount of the appraisal (or the entire appraisal if he or she is qualified to do so). If an unlicensed or uncertified individual provides significant professional assistance, he or she must sign the left side of the appraiser certification as the Appraiser if:
he or she is working under the supervision of a state-licensed or state-certified appraiser as an employee or sub-contractor,
the right side of the appraiser certification is signed by that supervisory appraiser, and
it is acceptable under state law.
If the jurisdiction does not provide license numbers for trainees, the term “Trainee” should be entered in the “Other” field in the Appraiser Certification section. (Section B4-1.1-03, Appraiser Selection Criteria)
