Ken Verrett
Sophomore Member
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2004
- Professional Status
- Certified General Appraiser
- State
- Texas
Hello Mr. Driscoll. No, I'm not having fun. I'm already on Scott's list of grandstanders, hogging the spotlight. That's definitely not my style or preference. And it's affecting my golf game. But I will slog through, because I said I would.
As in the past, I'll try to address each of your questions. I'm not as adept as you are with the multi quotes and cute icons...I really envy that...expecially the spell check feature which wants me to download yet another version of a spell checker....I digress... but bear with me....
Regarding the photographer cadre and their competing for an Appraiser Trainee position at the end of the photo data gathering phase. It is not a part of my contract. We haven't begun that process yet...l imagine another 6-8 weeks...However, in our business plan we expect to have some positions available, and we do think that getting to know and observe the photo cadre over that initial phase will allow us to screen for the best candidates very effectively. The way the photo phase works, We'll actually be doing the interviewing and selecting of the cadre on behalf of Zaio. I can assure you that we will be laying out the job and the future prospects very clearly and accurately....that's the way we do business.
Regarding the commercial aspects. You betcha. Commercial is a target. That's on the Zaio web site, as are most of the questions I get here. They've announced a few months ago a partnership with a commercial data base firm...don't remember the details. I'll get up to speed on that when I'm able to...I just am satisfied that it is on both our agendas right now.
I can see from the the tone of your post that you are not a conspiracy theorist, and that you have an skeptical but open mind. I like all of that. That means you and I have a chance to learn from each other, as well as the lurkers here who are my REAL audience.
No, Tom Inserra didn't send me here. I came because of disparaging and untrue remarks and insinuations directed at me and my company. My reputation is all I have, and I won't let it be tarnished by untruths. It's tarnished enough by my own failings. Don't need any spurious help there....
In fact, I wrote an email to Mr. Inserra last evening saying in effect, "I'm there, I'm addressing issues from my personal and company's perspectve, and I will continue as long (not very long I assume) as folks address me directly....if you see that I say something that is not correct from a Zaio perspective either tell me and I'll post a retraction, or reprimand me directly on that forum yourself." I received and email from Mr. Inserra this morning that in effect said "will do...".
I said at my first post that I'm a prospective zone owner. I've signed a contract, delivered a cashiers check (I like cashiers checks) with my considerable earnest money, and am waiting approval of my financing proposals from local banks. Until that comes, I'm just a prospective owner, but darn serious I assure you.
Regarding the detail you see as missing. What pray tell? I have attempted to answer the questions directly and frankly. I'm really know for being straight, blunt, and capable of communicating through the written word that bluntness. Do I have lots of detail that we developed through the due diligence process? Of course! That's what we based our decision upon. Have I shared that here? Of course not! That would be irresponsible in my view.
Our analysis and business models, detailed as they are (and I assure you they are very detailed) have only been shared with other zone owners who are more advanced than we are (we asked them for feedback) and with two folks that we know in other markets who were interested in the opportunity and who asked us to provide our analysis to them.
Why not share that with the world? Because I wouldn't want the receivers to take our analysis, built based on our particular market with our particular management team as a model they could duplicate in their situations. Don't want to hurt anyone.
However, for the conspiracy theorists out there, the same deal as before. Two $1,000 cashiers checks delivered to a reputable business person or minister......
As to the A to Z sharing from Zaio...yep, that's available to anyone who wants to take the time to step through the process that anyone can undertake.
As to the absence of idiots like myself advertising their decision, and are they really, really any.....This I can offer. I've spoken to several myself in our due diligence. There is a private forum for Zone Owners. I've talked to some there.
My team is meeting in Phoenix today with five other new zone owners from five different states (two from that Northeast waste land that someone mentioned yesterday.) The purpose of that training session is to teach these folks the steps necessary to initiate, manage, and complete the massive photo project for each of the major markets they represent.
One of my team is spending the day today with Mr. Inserra's Mesa office, observing first hand the operation.
Those are my team's first hand, up close and personal contacts.
Since you are not a conspiracy theorist, you can calculate the "legions" who have ponied up simply by reviewing the financial statements and announcements Zaio has made. Those public facts are monitored by the SECs of the world. Get them wrong or mislead, and you go to jail. See Houston's Enron.... The cash and income numbers they report will tell you the size of the "legion". Zaio can't book the income without the cash. Similar to my situation: if my financing is approved a Cashiers Check (there it is again!) will be delivered to Zaio for the full amount, no strings attached. I will be on the hook to the bank, Zaio will be on the hook to me.
Why haven't you heard from others? Good question. I'll speculate a little...Busy with their business? Not particularily interested in helping others? Not seeing the benefit of being labled as *****s, scum, law breakers, members of brothelhoods? Might be other reasons, but I can see all of those as being possible.
Let's see...what's next...Oh! Nope, Zaio never told me how rich I'll be. They'd better not be telling that to any other prospect. And they aren't. It would be in violation of some SEC regs regarding new offerings. But maybe you meant that in jest.....
Now, we are in the stretch drive! What got me hooked on Zaio?
You quote extensively from that great appraisal blog Appraisal Scoop, a column I did several months ago. Gosh I envy that skill here! Wish I could do that! I can't even figure out how to plug Appraisal
Scoop by inserting a link when I mention it...maybe you could do so in a reply?
All those quotes are accurate including those sent in response by Mr. Inserra. I've responded to the base numbers part to another member here, in that I agreed with his numbers on the first cut, the stuff that Zaio is presenting in their web site...heck I think he used the same numbers I did....
No they didn't cut the mustard with me. Didn't then, wouldn't now. Might make it for some folks, but not for Acorn's particular situation.
What changed you ask? (And you say you asked before, several pages back..I didn't see that question directed at me...sorry if I missed it...but if you posed that question before I made an appearance here, it likely wasn't directed to me.)
The answer is; a lot. Mr. Inserra's reponse to that blog column extended an invitation to learn more, by attending the webinar they offer to anyone. We did. He also introduced me to other Zaio Execs to initiate other communication lines to address other questions. We took advantage of those also.
My original intent was to give Zaio the benefit of the further research and complete a follow up column with the new information...all in the interest of being fair...one of the base tenants of Appraisal Scoop. I'm still scheduled to do that final column...and will in time.
As we learned more, I remember remarking to the Zaio Execs (I generally copied them all as well as all of my team on the email exchanges)...I remember expressing my frustration with what I was learning that I felt I should have learned when I first visited their web site (which was the base for my column.) It was like a rose opening....each new petal that unfolded made the picture clearer until eventually the whole was observed.
Their response was something like "Gosh, I guess that's true...we'll try to make that point clearer and sooner...."
That's what changed my mind. Our due diligence, looking at the Zaio Concept in our specific market with our specific management team and our specific position within our market caused us to conclude we had an opportunity to do something significant; for our company, for our market, and for our profession.
You want numbers? Not gonna get them from me. That would be irresponsible as I explained. Your situation is different than mine, different than the "legions" that have made the decision.
But at least it might be worth your time to look at the opportunity and make your own decision, just as we did.
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Armstrong Williams got $241,000 to boost the No Child Left Behind law. He believed in it. The scandal was he didn't disclose that he was being paid. I wonder if Jesse Jackson discloses who pays him??