Advise To A Trainee

[ucbruin]

I would say that the trainee should 1st decide on the level of work/type of assignments he/she ultimately wants to accept.

 

[timd354]

After 40 years+ in the business, learn AC, Plumbing, etc. you will do FAR better than being an appraiser.

There are positives and minuses in most professions. The owners of the plumbing and HVAC businesses make great money, the journeymen in the field not so much considering what they have to deal with and the toll it takes on their bodies. Just ask any plumber or HVAC guy who has actually been out in the field for a long number of years how their backs are doing and just ask any A/C guy how much fun it is to repair or replace that air handler located in the attic or the compressor unit located on the roof during a 95+ degree day.

 

[sunsetvalley]

Thank you all for the good advice!

I do agree most about spelling. I am a writer and I cringe when I see what is barely high school freshman writing levels in a professional report. I spell check everything and read it out loud to myself to make sure it sounds logical.

I know that people think getting into this profession is not the smartest move but I've been around it for 20+ years. I get to spend every day with my husband and I can research and question to my heart's content. I also have a personal passion for making this industry better. When I worked for the AMC I was a heavy advocate for treating appraisers professionally and paying them a professional fee, a value which is still part of the company. I also saw many appraisers who give the profession a bad name. Constantly missing due dates (by 3 or 4 weeks), files with typos and mistakes, cussing out the homeowner and us, arguing over FHA requirements and basically saying that quality doesn't matter. I decided my energies would be better served on the appraiser side than fighting to get some people up to the level of professionalism that the clients were paying for.

Mortgage lending work may go away as we know it, but appraising is not. The value of an appraiser cannot be quantified in terms of money or replaced by a computer. The human mind's ability to make the subjective judgement required of an appraisal is far superior to any computer and analytics. Analytics can help, but they are only as good as the data. And if your MLS is like ours, the data is questionable on a good day.

 

[Mike Kennedy]

Apprentice with a Commercial Appraiser forget Residential.

 

[sunsetvalley]

Apprentice with a Commercial Appraiser forget Residential.

If I was younger I'd consider it. But I'm 3 years from a bachelor's degree, have 2 teensto put through college and my husband is residential and going to retire in about 10 years...so when I add it up, Commercial isn't feasible in terms of how much I'd spend. I do think I'd probably enjoy commercial much better. I do think that I'd recommend commercial to those seeking to get into the business because there's probably a better long-term outlook on Commercial.

 

[Mike Kennedy]

If I was younger I'd consider it. But I'm 3 years from a bachelor's degree, have 2 teensto put through college and my husband is residential and going to retire in about 10 years...so when I add it up, Commercial isn't feasible in terms of how much I'd spend. I do think I'd probably enjoy commercial much better. I do think that I'd recommend commercial to those seeking to get into the business because there's probably a better long-term outlook on Commercial.

Possible alternative to Mortgage Appraisal.

https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/multnomah/jobs/1810357/commercial-property-appraiser-1

https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/multnomah/jobs/1807914/residential-property-appraiser-2

 

[Terrel L. Shields]

had to take a break from his business and now I am begging him not to restart

I feel your pain, understand completely, but you have to escape the AMC model. I would have given you a "like" but it is hard to like AMC driving people to the wall. Focus on non-bank clients and tax & estate work

If I was younger I'd consider it.

I was nearly 50 when I got my CG.

 

[Mark K]

. And if your MLS is like ours, the data is questionable on a good day.

Since you already understand this, keep in mind that you can 't be pinpoint accurate using sketchy data.

You'll be miles ahead of some long time appraisers if you grasp this simple concept.

Good luck.