Over the years, most people's income has increased with typical appreciation of values of real estate, goods, services, etc. A raise is relatively common for productive workers in the workplace. On the other hand, the fee for an appraisal has remained relatively stable, if not declining, over the course of the last few years. All of this has occured at the same time that requirements on the appraiser have increased.
Recently, FHA has made it clear that real estate appraisers should be compensated in a competitive way. This means that appraisal costs might seem to increase, but in reality they are just reflecting what the market demands for the services provided by appraisers. Transparency is becoming more common, with knowledge of average fees for different appraisal products per county (per state) becoming available to the public.
Unlike with the HVCC, where there are mixed feelings (some people don't like the limitations imposed on them by the government and others are thankful for the lack of pressure from lenders), most appraisers are thankful for the oversight of HUD on this matter, as it has helped to increase their fees, especially at a time when AMC's have begun taking some of if away. And when workers feel compensated and appreciated for their work, the quality and proficiency of it is bound to remain good, if not get better!