Dress

[Ryan Achenbach]

I dress in khaki's and a dress shirt for every appraisal except where it is FHA/USDA and expect to be squeezing into crawlspaces, etc. Then I downgrade to a nice pair of jeans and collared shirt (long sleeve or golf type). I can't afford to dry clean or replace clothes that often.

 

[George Hatch]

When I first started appraising I had yet to sprout my first gray hair. As a surfer I almost always have a tan or even a bit of sunburn going from the neck up and on my hands (wetsuits cover the rest) throughout the year, including the dead of winter.

The combination of the two plus an overly casual manner of dress and an 1980s haircut (which I shall leave to your imagination) created some problems for my credibility with some of these property owners for a couple years. About 3 years into it, one of my friends who was working on staff for a bank clued me in to the real world, and the idea that the appraisers are often considered to be part of the banking establishment (duh). He told me that I was creating my own problem by projecting an image about myself that didn't match that popular assumption.

He told me that if I wore a collared shirt and tie and slacks and dress shoes most of those cracks about my professionalism would vanish. So I tried it and found out he was completely right. The professional image is a part of the communication we send out about ourselves and our attitudes toward our work. It doesn't really affect the work itself but it does affect how many people perceive us.

Now obviously cultural attitudes about what passes for a professional image have since relaxed quite a bit in various parts of the country, including here in San Diego. Expectations for what we would expect to see on a construction site or a rural property are obviously different than what we would expect in a more suburban or urban environment. Nevertheless, I'd be a little annoyed if an appraiser came to my door sporting the outlaw look, despite my recognition that looks are deceiving.

I think that for the most part we get what we give.

 

[TJQuate]

Respect for appraisers is low enough enough. Don't you know that homeowners develop a relationship with their loan officer and loan officers ask "what did you think about the appraiser?"

I dress in starched jeans and a tucked in shirt or kaki pants. Isn't that casual enough? And I do live in a climate that can top 100 degrees (Lawd that sounds good today, it's 18 and I'm watching it snow as I type)

As for how the homeowner dress, once I had a very attractive :icon_lol: boy-man open the front door in a towel and tell me just to come on in when I was ready, he'd be shaving. Maybe we should try that!

 

[Offshore]

Is it acceptable to dress in a T, shorts, and sandals while performing an inspection? Consider the borrower who is often in pajamas or work out cloths when showing their home.

For vacant REOs I often dress as you described, but there is one thing to consider, you will occasionally run into the listing agent at those properties. If you already know them, no big deal, but if it's your first time meeting them, it will probably make a more favorable impression to be dressed at least "neat casual" so they won't mistake you for a squatter carrying a clipboard. :icon_lol:

 

[EddieB]

When I first started in the business one of the other apprasers (certified) came in one morning. He drove a rusted out car, always dressed in rags, shorts et al. He had been waiting at a property for the homeowner and apparently he fit the description of recent thief in the neighborhood. Well when the homeowner arrived, his house and the appraiser was surrounded by the police. Not the best way to make an impression.

Anyway, times are changing. Now the biggest crooks wear suits and drive "AMC"s.

 

[incognito]

Unless it is COLD out, I wear knee length shorts (non-jean), and generally a vented Columbia PFG polo shirt (which have sunscreen materials which wick and breathe wonderfully). Clean white tennis shoes and clean white socks. I take my shoes off in all houses, and that gesture alone communicates "professional" as much as any silk suit could.

This is Florida, and it is HOT and HUMID. It is simply not practical to wear dress clothes for most assignments.


In my opinion, t shirts, flip flops and jean shorts (which happens to be what I basically live in) are not appropriate for appraisal inspections.

 

[Jill Kinnaird]

During the course of any given day you may be viewing (or viewed by) a working cattle/pig farm, industrial/mfg facility, a trashed out vacant REO multi fam or a $5 million dollar single family residential. I've taken to keeping extra and appropriate foot wear, outerwear, suite coat/sweater and complete change of clothing/footwear in the car and/or office. I'm never again going to have to walk through someone's yard full of sewer, etc.../ climb into a hay barn full of bird *&^ / walk knee+ deep in snow / etc... and then have go to someone else's property with the after affects still clinging to me.

 

[Mike Garrett RAA]

Golf shirt, knee length shorts, walking shoes...when it's warm enough. This past week...jeans, sweater, and hiking boots.

Here is my favorite hat to wear on construction sites.

 

[EddieB]

Jeans or khakis, golf shirt or sweater, comfortable shoes which I take off on interiors. Courtesy, attentiveness and being punctual are how I approach the inspection.

 

[TC]

Jeans or khakis, golf shirt or sweater, comfortable shoes which I take off on interiors. Courtesy, attentiveness and being punctual are how I approach the inspection.

No, don't start this one up. AGAIN