Acceptable apprentice hours

[ROBERT JONES]

My apprentice acompanies me on all inspections. Is it a stretch to allow her to claim drive time for training hours? I believe that it does lend itself to gaining geographical competancy as I am teaching along the way about neighborhood boundaries and differences. Has anyone given thought to this or experienced it?

 

[Tom Barclay]

It all depends on what your state board allows for experience credit.
I personally think that it is important to train your assistant about neighborhoods and how to recognize differences, you may just have to do this without the appropriate credit given. Haven't had a trainee in ten years, but I did spend a significant amount of time on this that she was not able to get credit for here in Oregon.

 

[Robert Rodgers]

Robert

From what I understand about NJ you can only claim credit for what you actually did not travel time.

If we could get credit for travel time I would have enough hours for my GC

 

[65076507]

It counts!

If you are teaching and showing other houses, farms, landmarks, major roads, easements, etc., then it can count (at least in my state). If the apprentice is studying the comps on the way or filling out the 1004 or studying the tax record, why not count it?

 

[chad hampton]

Of course I would count hours driving. It's part of the job.

This isn't legal work, the idea that we have to keep hours down to the exact minute is rather silly. If I was a trainee, I'd put between 5 and 10 hours down for every job I do. I would think the number of appraisals you did would be more important that the hours anyways.

 

[robert higgins]

If you are called to court to testify as a witness, when do you start charging? When you leave home, the office or when you get to courthouse? Work starts when work starts.

 

[Michigan CG]

I am kind of shocked at the original post.

Is it the goal to reach the experience hours in the least amount of time so we may have another appraiser with minimal experience?

This is the problem with our profession. The mindset that it is a race to get the minimal amount of time in to reach the hours, take the minimal amount of classes, and then take the easy test and then suddenly we have produced another "appraiser".

If this trainee is learning the business and is not geo-competant in the area you are appraising in then we have a totally different problem, and you are asking the state to recognize drive time for experience hours? Does the trainee not know the area?

What is wrong with teaching a trainee the correct way to appraise, get real experience hours, and have them do it for 3-4 years in residential appraising before they are set free to get their license?

This is the time (in this unfriendly appraiser economy) to train new people in the business (profession) correctly and not look for shortcuts for them to get their hours in a minimal amount of time.

Be part of the solution, not part of the problem.

 

[Charles Witt]

Drive time is not a legimate credit for appraisal experience.....Pretty soon you will want to get credit for lunch hours and dinner meetings....!

 

[Annelle]

I took an AI class a few years ago that had us go out and observe the neighborhood. It counted as Basic Ed, and their AI's courses curriculum, or continuing ed if you didn't take the final exam a week later. I think it was for course 320 General Applications, or Income Cap class. Just thought I'd add fuel to the fire. :new_smile-l:

Having said that, when I had trainees, I also utilized the drive time to teach as well, pointing things out. I think it appropriate to count the time for licensure, at the very least from the subject throughout the comps. After all, you are observing the neigborhood for details to put into the report, and how the subject relates. In California, that is at the descretion of the mentor, I believe, and the State has their in-house guidlines.

As a side note, I think the primary incentive many trainees have, is to be able to make enough money to support themselves, rather than being concerned with competency. Let's face it, many do not take the industry seriously, and IMHO, that is largely the fault of the mentor who does not take the time to actually train.

Okay.. in all fairness, a lot of homeowners think that the appraiser is being paid solely for the time spent at the sight. ($350 for 15-45 minutes work). Geeze, I think some lenders might think that too.

When I was a residential trainee, it took many, many hours of substandard pay. A great number of appraisal orders were driveby's which did not count towards your license, but were a standard part of the appraisal business, as well as a couple other types of reports such as a 442, etc. As it was, it took several years to be able to collect enough acceptable hours to submit. In the more recent times, a number of these forms are rarely if ever used.

It is my sincere hopes with the additional education requirements, and more rigid testing, that the appraisal industry as a whole will be improved with a greater number of more competent appraisers, that understand the process and purpose better. And also result in the respect that the industry deserves.

Ok, I'm climbing down from my soap box...:blush:

 

[lizhorvath]

I believe it may vary by state, but from what I've learned, in my state, you cannot count your commute unless you're "discussing the appraisal problem". Nor does clerical work such as typing the appraisal count, despite the common argument that you're learning while doing that too...