How Stressful Is This Job?

[StayPuft]

I'm considering a career change into commercial appraising.

How stressful is this job? What's the most stressful part about it? Thanks.

 

[Terrel L. Shields]

On a scale of 1 to 10 it is about a 17 or higher. No country for relaxing. High entry costs, low pay until independently certified. Dealing with third party vendors,, banks that change requirements at a whim and that does not even account for competition, potential for borrower complaints, etc.

The only alternative would be nonindependent work such as working for the assessor, dept. of transportation, forest service etc.

 

[Elliott]

Well, you have to find a mentor, which is hard, then you have to work for them for virtually nothing for a couple of years, then you have to figure a way of getting work from lenders unless you have five years of experience, and if you don't hit value then a borrower could file a complaint against you, then you might get a demerit against your license for not having a workfile that is perfect, and your last 7-years of work and effort could be for not. I'd say, mildly stressful.

 

[cpalub01]

Getting through the trainee period and staying afloat? 10/10. After getting certified, working independently early on, probably 8/10. Working for the DOT? Probably a 2.

 

[Skeletor]

Respectfully, I think you are asking the wrong question. What you should be asking yourself is, "Do I have the skill set necessary to become a successful appraiser and is this something I would like to do?" My advice would be to take an appraisal introductory course at one of your local junior colleges. If that is not an option then consider taking a course through the Appraisal Institute. By taking an intro course, you will be able to make an informed decision and I am positive that any concern you have about stress will be answered as well. I will tell you from my personal experience that my commercial and residential appraising stress level is on par with my prior corporate America life. So I would give it, say, 5-6 out of 10?

 

[StayPuft]

Getting through the trainee period and staying afloat? 10/10. After getting certified, working independently early on, probably 8/10. Working for the DOT? Probably a 2.

Working for the DOT sounds like might be interesting. I'm seeing some "right of way" appraisers positions posted online.

1. What other DOT jobs are available and can you give me an idea of the earning potential from entry level on up? I'm In Raleigh, NC, if that helps.
2. How competitive are these government jobs?
3. Is likely that I can land a DOT job immediately after completing my training hours and becoming certified or will I have to work in the private sector for a while?

 

[KHS445]

True it can take some time to get fully licensed and begin working independently. Working for someone else always induces some stress into your life because of their involvement and expectations. Once fully licensed and working independently the stress level is whatever you allow it to be. If you are organized, accept no more work than you can submit within the given time limits, select clients who are not PITA's, learn to schedule out of the office (family, recreation) time, etc. Overall it works out to probably to a range of 4 - 6. You can control the workflow, you can work a much or as little as you want, you can work early in the morning or late at night or all the time, you can work pretty much where you want (office, home, beach, cabin, etc.), you can work with or for who you want, etc.

Obviously there are days and times that things don't work out as expected and for a short period of time things can be very stressful. Probably the most stressful part of the work is being independently employed and learning to budget your money and adjusting to an inconsistent cash flow. This can cause you to accept assignments you really don't want to do or are not comfortable doing and to accept more assignments than you can complete within the required time frame.

 

[ChasingRabbits]

In my opinion, stress is a bit relative. I came into appraisal work after a decade in law enforcement with most of that time spent as a detective sergeant working domestic violence, child abuse and major crimes and then a short stint as a child support enforcement officer. The administrative stress from those positions was horrendous. When I switched over to being a residential appraisal trainee, there was an immediate relief of that administrative stress, but I was working 6-7 days a week 10-11 hour days trying to get enough residential appraisals out to make at least $30K for the year on a trainee fee split. I enjoyed the company I was working for, but made a move to a commercial appraisal firm at the first opportunity. I've been a commercial trainee for just over a year and should be eligible to sit for my general certification exam within the next 6 months. I'm finding the commercial work to be just about the lowest stress job I've ever had...other than delivering pizzas for Domino's in college.

 

[cpalub01]

https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/northcarolina?keywords=appraiser

Your Real Property Appraiser II in North Carolina appears commensurate with a Review Appraiser position in PA. Looks like that scale range is $48k to $82k, which is lower than here. Our range for a Certified General starts around $50k with a Reviewer starting at $56k and going up to $85k for a 37.5 hour work week. We also have Real Estate specialists and technicians here that don't require a license or bachelor's degree. In terms of availability, I wouldn't call it competitive but most of the job openings occur in areas of the state that are more rural and under served, so if you're willing to work in those places, you'll generally have greater opportunities, not to mention a lower cost of living on a state salary.

 

[Addie]

Relative to a typical job, a 1.