Louisiana Appraisal Board

[Roy Courtney]

Well Roy, it was based on your comment about the old bull. The old bull would not choose, but would take them all. I guess this boils down to what your time is worth, and how much time you have left over. As a good friend of mine that owns a restaurant tells me - the most expensive thing in her restaurant is an empty chair - that is lost profit potential. How many hours are you not producing income in a week? If you are not working a day or two every week, then you should take the good with the bad - but if you are fully booked, then by all means be choosy.

I am amazed at how much my lifestyle can change just by doing one more appraisal a week. Over a month that is a house payment. That's the theory - it's better to spend two or three hours on an assignment than to waste time being unproductive.

And one more thing - thanks for the insight on your work load. I'm raising my fees and spend a day or two every week upgrading my client list. You are ahead of the game of most people, by far. I will be closing that gap a little bit - I hope.

Rick, yes I totally agree with your post. If I had spare time I would accept both. It seems that the only time I get to waste is to post on the Forum! Sometimes that does give me some well needed relief. My choice between the two appraisals in question is based on the current double digit list of appraisals ahead of them. It is this workload that allows me to be picky as to what I accept. I consider myself to be very lucky!

 

[Rick Stillman]

It is this workload that allows me to be picky as to what I accept. I consider myself to be very lucky!

I don't think you are lucky at all Roy. I think you do good work and keep a marketing presence going on in the background all the time.

I have a half dozen books on marketing, but I don't stay on the straight and narrow path. I always let someone come in and run my business by burying me, and then they leave for some reason or another - sometimes it's me telling them to leave and don't let the door hit them on the way out - but other times it's I'm not their favorite appraiser for that month. Who know?

The point is that I am going to market steadily, and not let one client dominate my schedule. It's been turned upside down on me too many times from things out of my control, and I am the one and only one that suffers for it. You would think I would learn by now... :Eyecrazy:

Any business is 90% knowing how to run the business, and 10% doing it. Far too many appraisers do that backwards.

Reading between the lines of a few posters here, there is more to this game than meets the eye. You are one of them Roy - keep up the good work.