Going to take the AQB USPAP Course

[Kali the Boston Terrier]

Its definitely fascinating material, and I like how it builds the case behind why USPAP is the way it is. As far as "everyone" understanding the "why", I think maybe as industry we should get the industry to rally around the "what" first...then we can worry about the "why".

The sad part is a lot of people care deeply about this business, however, I am fairly confident that the majority of people are in this as a job...and not a career. They could careless about the why behind USPAP and are ****** every time USPAP changes. Until the vast majority of appraisers learn that USPAP is for their benefit, and not some agenda of "The Man". Then and only then will this industry come together.

 

[George Hatch]

Roger,

I don't know why you assume you'd flunk the course or why you question whether Santora would have a problem with it. I rolled into the very first session that was offered without any advance preparation or warnings about the content of the course and I still passed it. When we talk about 50% of the participants not passing we're also talking about 50% who do pass.

As for the financial rewards of merely holding a 10000 number, outside of whatever paying gigs one can arrange to use that cert it doesn't seem to open any doors nor generate a lot of respect from one's peers. Most appraisers I know have a pronounced disdain for any peer who has the nerve to stand behind a podium and presume to tell them anything about appraising. That disdain seems to increase depending on how many honorifics said peer is trying to claim.

I did get a lovely bookbag from TAF with their "AQB Certified USPAP Instructor" logo on it though. Lemme tell you, when I walk into a room with that sucker chicks dig it. Not!

What if that gauntlet screens out the most promising future instructors? You know the old saying.....Those that can, do

I've had a few appraisers run that line on me in class over the years. What can I say when that comes up? Nothing, beyond acknowledging the obvious. Being a good appraiser requires a certain skill set; being a good instructor also requires a certain skill set. Those two skill sets are neither mutually inclusive nor mutually exclusive.

As far as weeding out good instructors, alls I can say is that the test is on the materials, not on the mechanics of teaching a course. Or on appraising, either.

 

[JSmith43]

The reason I invoked Steve Santora's name, and all the risk that entails:icon_lol:, is that he is not a USPAP certified instructor, but has obviously dug into the document and parsed it all out his own way.

He gets into quite a few debates about the meaning of parts of USPAP, the AO's etc and knocks heads with an occasional USPAP instructor. His arguments win me over more often than not on these USPAP topics. So, I'm wondering, if there is a chance he would have to take the exam more than once, I'm screwed, since my head would explode if I had to slice and dice the USPAP document more thoroughly then he obviously has.

But, your 50% comment put me back on track, so thank you. My imagination was getting a bit carried away.

 

[Kali the Boston Terrier]

George...well said, as usual

 

[Mike Garrett RAA]

You must be truly masochistic to want to teach USPAP.

 

[alex gilbert]

You must be truly masochistic to want to teach USPAP.

No pain, no gain.

 

[Kali the Boston Terrier]

safe travels today..see everyone down there

 

[Don Clark]

You must be truly masochistic to want to teach USPAP.

Mike,

It sounds good until you actually do a few. Then you get a room full of appraisers who, according to them, know far more than you do. Or a class full of newbies who have been told all they need to know by their mentor who has taught them what USPAP really means. And, once in awhile you will get accused of doing or saying things in a classroom that are blatantly false. And, finally, you will be regaled by every appraiser out there who believes that anyone with some type of designation or certification must be the spawn of satan, and will gladly say that on any forum they participate in.

Good luck to all!

 

[Mike Garrett RAA]

Ain't that the truth! What really gets to me...I have spent more than 28 years as an appraiser and even more than that as a REALTOR® and some one who was flipping burgers at Mickey D's the week before he decided to become an appraiser thinks because he has just taken 60 hours of appraising basics he knows it all.

Sits there, in his baggy pants with his baseball hat on backwards texting his girl friend or getting the ball game scores. Always shows up 10 or 15 minutes late and carries on conversations while I am instructing. That same person barely passes the 50 question final examination and then has the balls to rate the instructor as only average.

The school I teach for requires instructors to average "perfect" on the evaluations. Really hard to do when one of the items we are rated on is "was the instructor enthusiastic. Since I prefer to tell the truth...that's pretty hard to do in this market.

Guess this is a sign of getting old and crotchety!

Most of those attending the seven hour update are pretty good to me, probably because many are about my age and have walked miles in my shoes as an appraiser. The comment I love the most is..."he made a very dull subject interesting".

Two of those in Dallas are instructors for my school. Hopefully they will pass with flying colors and can share some of the load. Getting worn out driving 150 miles to teach a class up in the Denver area.

 

[George Hatch]

In general, any appraiser who has expectations of receiving external validation for a job well done is in the wrong line of work. Any appraiser who has the unmitigated gall to be a CE instructor and presume to provide instruction about any facet of appraisal practice to other appraisers would have to be high to expect that they could command respect from all in attendance. Whatever respect there is to be had has to be earned; appraisers don't give that out freely to CE instructors.

In every classroom setting there is a back row. Not everyone in that row is a slacker but if there's a "that's not how it is in the real world" comment or someone who's regularly rolling their eyes, that's usually where it's going to happen.

I generally get negative reviews (instructor is a big mouth, idiot, etc) from about 2-3% of participants in my USPAP courses. It comes with the territory. Some course participants really like my style of teaching and some despise me in general. I suppose that if I could get everyone to like me that I'd be somehow failing to do my job.