Appraisal Institue vs. McKissock Procdures

[Pat Butler]

I have some really bad courses from the AI. One was from that Rayburn guy who ended up selling out appraisers. His AVM class was barely more than a commercial for what he was doing in his own business and he stopped the class earlier in the day so that he could catch a flight back home.

I've taken 3 different statistic/modeling courses from the AI and all barely scratched the surface of what was advertised. All three failed to actually finish the class as outlined in the book.

The last class on using Excel for modeling was taught be a really nice guy, but a guy who barely knew how to use Excel. We all politely would bring up suggestions on how to do things faster in Excel than what he was showing, and he was the author of the course.

It was at that time that I switched to McKissock online courses and their courses are hit or miss depending on who authored the course.

But at least I pay less money and don't have to waste a day taking a train and bus to Chicago.

 

[Maureen Sweeney]

There is a good instructor for AI based out of Louisville, Otto Spence. He probably does not do the intro courses, but if those who do are like him, you will be off to a fine start. It is best to get a good foundation to support you over the course of your career.

Otto Spence is teaching Basic Appraisal Principals and Basic Appraisal Procedures through the Chicago Chapter of the AI in January. I agree; he's wonderful.

 

[Adios]

There seems to be a consensus here that AI classes are superior yet you seem to disagree for what I think are unsupported arguments. Personally I would pay double for an AI class as I would any other provider as I have experience with the AI and other providers.

Anyone pursuing a commercial license would make a bad choice by taking anything other than AI courses IMNSHO.

Given that it is your career/ livelihood we are talking about , I would choose the highest cost providers could find.

I wouldn't go cheap. After all the difference is so minor it is barely discernible.

 

[Ben Hopkins]

The best thing about the AI classes when I started out, was the connections and networking with other students who were on the path to designation. As you go through classes together and your careers progress you retain those lifelong networks that you can use for future jobs or to get data or to go out for beers with!

 

[Noreen]

I need to take Basic Procedures to start apprenticeship in Kentucky, does anyone have an opinion over which provider would be better.

I also plan on working some in Ohio also and will have to take principles and OH fair housing class eventually. (I got credit for that and other QE for college courses from KY, but Ohio said they were course specific)

I was just thinking of signing up for McKissock package for Ohio that had Princ., Proc., 15 hr USPAP (I need an update anyways) and Ohio Fair Housing, I would eventually take them all anyways.

Any help or input would be greatly appreciated

Thanks

Personally, I felt the AI classes were the most educational foundation and addresses the theory as it applies to the practice of the profession. AI classes ( we had really great instructors here) explain the theory behind the text and guideance. I am licensed in two states and both states accepted my AI classes. You really need to start out with the best foundation of education you can get. As time goes on, you then can branch out to local good quality courses. We had it good for years through NAIFA as TransAmerican classes were taught by Barry Shea ( current chairman of AQB). For me, I found the McKissock instruction here ( last classes taken with them in 2010) were too generic and not state specific. ( Your instructor can make or break a class and how much you get out of that class). Each state has their own expected requirements and you will need to keep that in mind as you proceed. As time went on, we do not have access to as many AI classes and I have found a great education provider who does address the differences between the states and takes the time to answer any clarifying questestions you may have. Best of Luck, dispite the moaning and groaning you read on here, we are all licensed in the Profession and we obviously love it.

 

[Ken B]

In my recent experience, the differences between AI and non-AI courses had less to do with the instructor and more to do with the quality of the students.

 

[Ken B]

Given the topic that seems to dominate discussion on this forum, does anyone else see the irony of appraisers seeking the lowest cost option to satisfy a need.

 

[William K]

I've been taking classes since I believe about 1988 or so. I've taken courses for NAIFA, AIREA, SREA, AI, the Columbia Society (local organization), McKissock, and a local proprietary school, plus additional organizations for my salesperson's license. Hands down the best courses were through AI and their predecessors (AIREA and SREA). It wasn't just the teachers, it was the course format. The qualifying courses are taught as if they are college courses, the material tends to be taught in greater detail and to a greater extent, and the tests are difficult because one must know the material inside and out. If you want to see the difference firsthand, compare the failure rates on state exams to where the students took their education.

Generally my CE is taken through AI, simply because my education has been geared toward the commercial end for the past several cycles. They have courses that others don't have, and they are very informative.

I concur. Took my core classes through the SREA (1985), and have taken classes from all of the above with the exception of Columbia Society.

Even the CE courses of identical topics have been better when presented by the AI. The instructors are knowledgeable and are able to relate the subject matter to actual practices in a more concise and realistic fashion. The presentation of the subject matter is key in retention and real world application. If the instruction is just "Theory" based with no real world application it becomes quite boring and as a result retention of the subject matter suffers.

There is a reason why almost all appraisers have a copy of "The Appraisal of Real estate, _ Edition" on their book shelves.......

 

[Rlong]

I clearly learn more in AI courses! That siad i have used McKissock for continuing ed (only) when i needed to fill gap i couldn't with AI.

I think it would be nearly impossible to REALLY learn foundational appraisal concepts online (if that was what you were considering)

Good Luck
Bob in CO

 

[Noreen]

I clearly learn more in AI courses! That siad i have used McKissock for continuing ed (only) when i needed to fill gap i couldn't with AI.

I think it would be nearly impossible to REALLY learn foundational appraisal concepts online (if that was what you were considering)

Good Luck
Bob in CO

I agree with this too... you cannot base your core classes on "what you think"... you need to have the theory and practices clarified so you can start the profession with a mind set of "best practices" and not a "buddy's" take on a situation. As the years go by, your core education can make a real difference and you really have to be of an ethical mindset, it is what it is. BECAUSE when it's federal money involved in funding, lies become a federal offense.