Cont. Ed. is a Joke

[George Hatch]

Live instruction is a separate skill from appraising. And unlike online courses which are fixed, the quality of the live instruction varies greatly by individual. I've taken courses from instructors who literally read from the book, and I've taken courses from instructors who were more focused on off-label discussion than the course content at hand.

One advantage a live instructor has is that they can throw different pitches of an instructional point in real time if their first pitch didn't connect. That's huge if/when necessary. Online doesn't work that way - you get one pitch and they either do or don't connect.

One disadvantage of live instruction is that it requires enough classroom management to keep the distractions and tangents at bay. And to manage the opposition factor populating the back row of the venue. Interaction and responding to the individuals is good but too much of that can become a problem.

Also a difference in delivery between someone who only teaches a course a couple times a year vs someone who does it regularly and has already assembled and refined their pitch. I accumulated over 2000 hours of podium time on just the USPAP update (and not counting the other courses I was teaching). I'm pretty sure my 50th pass through that material went a lot smoother than my 3rd pass.

 

[chad hampton]

any level of respect I had for USPAP went away when I sat and watched snake oil pushers lobby to get things changed in it without much effort or pushback. All in the name of lowering professional ethics/standards and directing money into the pockets of their corporate friends. USPAP‘s current reputation as well deserved.

 

[Terrel L. Shields]

Live instruction is a separate skill from appraising.

An instructor I knew was excellent. Ex-Air Force, Don taught the whole qualifying ed. Excellent instructor. I took 2 HP 12 c classes. His was far superior to the other. Never had a bad class with him. BUT. He had several trainees, and one got him in trouble, so he moved from Arkansas after surrendering his license and moved back to Oklahoma, where he was originally from.

I had assumed his personal skills were OK. But taking a CE class with an old appraiser (RIP Jack) there at a NAIFA class in Pryor Creek and he and I talked about Don. He knew him well and said he had to fire him because Don simply didn't have the intuitive skills to choose comps well and analyze sales. I was surprised because he was such a good instructor.

 

[George Hatch]

USPAP is a minimum standard for appraiser conduct. Apart from the migration from the top-down orientation of the DEPARTURE RULE and its related to the bottom-up orientation of the SCOWR, none of the other fundamentals have changed since either of us got into this business. That includes the intent and application what the ASB said about professional assistance. That your exposure included some undocumented myths (my exposure too) doesn't alter what the ASB actually said back in the day vs today.

 

[George Hatch]

An instructor I knew was excellent. Ex-Air Force, Don taught the whole qualifying ed. Excellent instructor. I took 2 HP 12 c classes. His was far superior to the other. Never had a bad class with him. BUT. He had several trainees, and one got him in trouble, so he moved from Arkansas after surrendering his license and moved back to Oklahoma, where he was originally from.

I had assumed his personal skills were OK. But taking a CE class with an old appraiser (RIP Jack) there at a NAIFA class in Pryor Creek and he and I talked about Don. He knew him well and said he had to fire him because Don simply didn't have the intuitive skills to choose comps well and analyze sales. I was surprised because he was such a good instructor.

I got told SEVERAL TIMES in open discussion that "those who can, do; and those who can't, teach." Which is observably true at least some of the time.

I used to tell course participants right up front that talk is cheap and for all they know I might be the worst appraiser in the room. And that they should use their own judgement as to what material did/didn't resonate with them. In the end it is their signature on the bottom line of their reports, not mine.

That's also why in our discussions here I usually drop screen shots from the source material (when I can) instead of unattributed commentary. I always want people to go to the source material whether they think my commentary makes sense to them or not. I'd much rather have someone remember the point of the discussion than to remember who said it.

 

[Surf Cat]

Not When all they have to look forward to is a couple of $300 AMC appraisal orders waiting for them when they get home. Back when this was a legitimate profession I traveled to a few CE courses and stayed in hotels for one or two nights. But I’m not gonna justify that expense at this point. There’s no benefit.

This is the crux of the matter.....

Typically, investment in education not only increases your qualifications but also demonstrates commitment, making you a more competitive candidate for promotions and higher-paying roles.

Not the case in appraising especially for GSE work, which is where the bulk of the work is. In fact, the opposite is true for AMC work. They want the less knowledgeable newbies to control and sidestep typical rules and regulations to cram the appraisal through.

Case in point....

I'll say it again. I do reviews. Every day I see appraisal reports that don't comply with USPAP.

And what happens to said offenders? Nothing.....correct it and get more assignments over the appraisers who know better because they're cheap and can be manipulated by AMC's to "just change the name of the client and send it back in".

 

[djd09]

congress delegated their duties to TAF...TAF delegates to the gse's...the gse's delegates to ansi...it is all right there in the constitution

 

[Surf Cat]

The wife is a master's prepared nurse. She's "astounded" at the amount of continuing education appraisers receive in comparison to nurses..... whom stick people with needles, administer medication and perform life-saving techniques to keep people alive.

 

[djd09]

buy the book...take the class snake oil salesmen

 

[chad hampton]

The wife is a master's prepared nurse. She's "astounded" at the amount of continuing education appraisers receive in comparison to nurses..... whom stick people with needles, administer medication and perform life-saving techniques to keep people alive.

It's a money making operation. It shouldn't shock anyone to see education provides sitting on boards/orgs/3 letter agencies. Everyone gets to make up rules and laws that benefit them. It's only the appraisers that are told we have rules to follow. And if you don't, we'll burn you alive.

A new class because we're all racist - who pays for that? Appraiser's, I'm sure. The GSE are creating a system of appraisal reports - go take a class and learn about it....and pay for it.