Does Anyone Else Use a Macintosh Computer To Do Appraising?

[Dee Ann Casey]

I am an appraiser with an iMac computer running Virtual P.C. 5.0 and Windows 2000 Professional. I am just getting set up in my home office and am currently in the process of deciding which software to use. I have narrowed it down to either ACI, WinTotal or DayOne. I am also looking for a location map program and flood map program too.

Do any of you use an Apple Macintosh computer to do appraising? If so, what software do you use and do you like it? Please share any of your experiences and suggestions.

(I know most of you probably frown on the idea of using a Mac but I have always enjoyed using them.)

 

[Stone]

I currently use a PC, but I would prefer a Mac. When you get up and running, I would be very interested to see how all your software works on your Mac. I know that Mac's can supposedly run anything now, but I am afraid that if I switched, something important would not install or run properly.

Having run both Mac's and PC's, I can't begin to explain how frustrating PC's can be. Good luck.

 

[Dee Ann Casey]

Michael Stone,

So far I have installed demo versions of DayOne and ACI on my iMac and both work great! I have also installed an Apex sketch demo and it works also. I am unable to install WinTotal yet but their tech support is checking into it for me.

Dee Ann Casey

 

[James Regnere]

Dee Ann,

Bradford Technologies has appraisal software that works on both the Macintosh and Window OS. If you would like free 30-day working copy please give our sales department a call at 800-622-8727.

Thanks

James Regnere
Bradford Technologies
james@abtx.com

 

[Neil (Texas)]

Dee,

I don't use MAC but I used Bradford PC software for several years and found it an excellent appraiser's program; very intuitive. They have produced an Apple/MAC package for years.

 

[Ken Martin]

Dee

I used Bradford & Robbins "MacAppraiser" for about 3 years before converting over to their Windows version (Toolbox) a couple of years ago. I had previously used DOS Total.
The MacAppraiser program runs on all Mac's from the oldest to the latest and is a very good program. However, B&R has stopped supporting it. The version on their web site is the last version they will do. It works great, however it lacks the ability to control the sequence of the pages to print out, in addition to no ability to add several addendum pages. The sketcher embedded in the program is simple and easy to use. At one time, I had three Mac's networked (including the second IMac version), each with different OS versions and MacAppraiser worked flawlessly.
Not sure why you would use the Mac to run Windows programs, although I tried it also with an earlier version of Virtual PC.
I have now converted totally over to Alamode's Athena, and find it to be a super program, with all the features I was needing. Hope this enlightens you on the Mac appraiser program world. An intersting point, should I need an old MacAppraiser file, I can convert it to a Windows file via Toolbox, and then further convert it into a WinTotal file. So all is not lost.

Ken

 

[dbiggers]

Dee Ann --

Believe it or not, even though I own a PC appraisal software company, I'm writing this post sitting at my desktop Mac (I have a Powerbook as well). I love my Macs.

Shockingly, the first money a la mode ever made was on Macintosh products. I was a commercial appraiser and developed Mac-based discounted cash flow, lease modeling, and equity tools as our first product.

Anyway, you can imagine that we therefore have Macs scattered around here (half a dozen or so) and that we try even our PC software on Macs. WinTOTAL (Athena) works great on Virtual PC. The only recommendation I'd make is to use XP instead of Windows 2000. XP is as stable, but is faster and easier to use.

BTW, at our San Diego seminar, one user brought their iBook and used Athena on it the whole time, even tapping into the wireless network we had set up in the room (we have one at all seminars). It works great.

Dave Biggers
CEO
a la mode, inc.

 

[Dee Ann Casey]

To Dave Biggers, CEO of Alamode:

You say Athena works great on Virtual PC? I have tried to install the Athena demo on my iMac running OS X, Virtual P.C. 5.0 and Windows 2000 XP without any luck at all. The demo will not even install. I have spoken to 5 or 6 people at Alamode, both in the sales dept and tech support dept and everyone tells me to give up on it. I would be happy to purchase the Athena if I could make it work on my Mac. Any suggestions would be GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!!!!!!!!

Which Mac model and operating system are you using to run Virtual PC? Which version of Virtual PC are you using? How did you get it to install? Please post your reponse!!!!!!! Thank you!

 

[Dee Ann Casey]

To Dave Biggers, CEO of Alamode:

You say Athena works great on Virtual PC? I have tried to install the Athena demo on my iMac running OS X, Virtual P.C. 5.0 and Windows 2000 XP without any luck at all. The demo will not even install. I have spoken to 5 or 6 people at Alamode, both in the sales dept and tech support dept and everyone tells me to give up on it. I would be happy to purchase the Athena if I could make it work on my Mac. Any suggestions would be GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!!!!!!!!

Which Mac model and operating system are you using to run Virtual PC? Which version of Virtual PC are you using? How did you get it to install? Please post your reponse!!!!!!! Thank you!

 

[dbiggers]

That's the same configuration I use, except with a Mac G4. The iBook customer at the seminar was probably the same since those are all the latest versions. As I said, he even used the wireless network with it.

The only difference I see is that you're using an iMac. Virtual PC can be tricky with respect to the CPU, video, and memory, so perhaps the issue lies there.

Send me a private e-mail with the details of what you're having happen when you install -- errors. etc. -- and I'll have one of the Mac-centric people here look at it. (I'll be out of town tomorrow, but I'll get with you by Monday.)

My e-mail address is dave@alamode.com.

All that being said, let me agree with one of the earlier posters on something here: While Virtual PC generally works and Macs are cool, running an OS inside an OS can be begging for trouble as a mission-critical tool. By the time you pay for Virtual PC, the OS pack for it, and the time to tweak it, you could buy an eMachines or cheap PC for the same price and use it for nothing but appraising. Or, you can always use MacAppraiser. Think about that from a long-term perspective. There will be times when Virtual PC inside a Mac has a hiccup; when that happens, tech support from any company will scratch their heads and say that they have no idea what to do, since they tend to be PC-centric.

Dave