Poll: Why should a Commercial Real Estate Appraiser get a designation?

[George Hatch]

I think which types of clients you work for is of more effect on content and quality than even your training. If your clients aren't paying for the additional modes of analyses then there's no economic incentive to use them. At that point you're just doing it for yourself.

 

[Non Sequitur]

Career advancement, networking, and the good old boys system. I witnessed this up close and personal, an MAI with no corporate experience and no personality was hired out of the gate as a VP then promoted to director of commercial a year later when someone with 15 years in (but no designation) wasn't even considered. Like it or not, MAIs hire and promote other MAIs.

 

[Deleted member 161486]

Career advancement, networking, and the good old boys system. I witnessed this up close and personal, an MAI with no corporate experience and no personality was hired out of the gate as a VP then promoted to director of commercial a year later when someone with 15 years in (but no designation) wasn't even considered. Like it or not, MAIs hire and promote other MAIs.

The poll is for all commercial designations. MAI is good - but it is only one of several good designations. That's why the MAI is not the "be all, end all." Too many clients are under the impression that the MAI is the only designation.

 

[Deleted member 161486]

fixed it for you.

So was NAMA. What happened to them? So was NAIFA. What happened to them? The fact is only a couple of designations are as rigorous as the MAI. Anyone can buy letters and 99% of bankers don't know who or what they mean - with the exception of the MAI. Below are the primary qualificiations for a CCRA

This is the requirement for a CCRA - (Certified Commercial Real Estate Appraiser) - NAREA

• Applicant must be a State Certified General Appraiser adhering to USPAP.
• Applicant must submit and "Application for Admission."
• Applicant must submit membership dues of $245.00 and a one time processing fee of $20.00 (check or credit card charge)

Never mind it is not even legal to hold yourself out as "certified" appraiser - except for state certified- in some states.

Never heard of NAMA or NAREA. I have never heard of anyone trying to talk someone out of getting a designation. This is a first here. Guessing that you are against all designations, eh? Maybe they have more value in the larger metropolitan areas, and less value in the rural regions of the US.

 

[Terrel L. Shields]

Guessing that you are against all designations, eh?

Designations that are nothing (NAREA designations require no tests, just pay more) are worth nothing. Alphabet soup. If there were a large enough group of members, then you can have a true chapter. When you have to scour around the entire state and have meetings in Springfield, MO today, Rogers, AR next quarter, Little Rock, the third and Tulsa the fourth....well, not much to work with. A Chicago or Denver chapter maybe.

But my specialty is mineral rights. AI has zero on mineral rights. ASFMRA has a couple of vaguely applicable courses offered sporadically. Mattoon, IL or Denver, maybe Wichita (my closest) great. I trust my own background as a petroleum geologist and working in a field dominated by petroleum engineers over what the real estate profession offers. And those courses do not give me any credit. I took a 3-day Mineral valuation course from the Center for Advanced Property Economics (co-sponsored by ASFMRA, AI, ASA, CAI) back 20 years ago. And I couldn't even get my own ****ed state to give me CE credits for it.

 

[Deleted member 161486]

Designations that are nothing (NAREA designations require no tests, just pay more) are worth nothing. Alphabet soup. If there were a large enough group of members, then you can have a true chapter. When you have to scour around the entire state and have meetings in Springfield, MO today, Rogers, AR next quarter, Little Rock, the third and Tulsa the fourth....well, not much to work with. A Chicago or Denver chapter maybe.

But my specialty is mineral rights. AI has zero on mineral rights. ASFMRA has a couple of vaguely applicable courses offered sporadically. Mattoon, IL or Denver, maybe Wichita (my closest) great. I trust my own background as a petroleum geologist and working in a field dominated by petroleum engineers over what the real estate profession offers. And those courses do not give me any credit. I took a 3-day Mineral valuation course from the Center for Advanced Property Economics (co-sponsored by ASFMRA, AI, ASA, CAI) back 20 years ago. And I couldn't even get my own ****ed state to give me CE credits for it.

Mineral Rights is a highly valuable specialization, it is great that you do this, this line of work has complexities and many appraisers do not have training in it. I agree with you, that you do not need a designation when Mineral Rights is your main line of business. Commercial appraisers who handle a broad range of commercial property types and with other specializations can see a return on investment with a designation such as: CRE, MRICS, CCIM, MAI, ASA, CAE, ARA

 

[Tiffany Gibbons]

It’s about committing more completely to the profession and separating yourself from the rabble. MAI and SRA give more staying power in appraisal. With declining future volume they are an anchor.

Don't know about that given recent events.

 

[Tiffany Gibbons]

Yes you get the best appraiser of the Year award.

Lol. I get your point. The County Assessor adjoining the county I live in (Davidson-Nashville) has been in search of a commercial appeals appraiser for the past 6 months. The position pays $100,000 and is the same exact job I did for 9 years at Shelby County (Memphis) which is a larger jurisdiction. The posting says " Certified General and/ or MAI and at least 2 years commercial appraisal experience, while at the same time, "knowledge of IAAO Standards of Mass Appraisal is desired". CAE is the highest appraiser designation you can earn as a member of IAAO. They made it damn hard for me to earn it too. I'm thinking about dumping it, just like I dumped AI years ago. It is meant for some frat boy, obviously. I don't even bother applying as it was written specifically for someone.

 

[Tiffany Gibbons]

Designations that are nothing (NAREA designations require no tests, just pay more) are worth nothing. Alphabet soup. If there were a large enough group of members, then you can have a true chapter. When you have to scour around the entire state and have meetings in Springfield, MO today, Rogers, AR next quarter, Little Rock, the third and Tulsa the fourth....well, not much to work with. A Chicago or Denver chapter maybe.

But my specialty is mineral rights. AI has zero on mineral rights. ASFMRA has a couple of vaguely applicable courses offered sporadically. Mattoon, IL or Denver, maybe Wichita (my closest) great. I trust my own background as a petroleum geologist and working in a field dominated by petroleum engineers over what the real estate profession offers. And those courses do not give me any credit. I took a 3-day Mineral valuation course from the Center for Advanced Property Economics (co-sponsored by ASFMRA, AI, ASA, CAI) back 20 years ago. And I couldn't even get my own ****ed state to give me CE credits for it.

In your case, your specialty is your "Designation" and you actually worked in the field before being an appraiser. I've only met a couple of appraisers in Tennessee who knew anything about mineral rights and they never got the respect they deserved and the dummies in charge at the organization I worked for weren't interested in having those guys teach anyone else anything before their retirement because they didn’t want anyone to be smarter than them. It was really too bad because it is a mess now and many of us were interested. And they haven't learned a thing and have to import a company from another state to do those.

 

[Tiffany Gibbons]

Be serious. Do you take exception to cats acting like cats, too? Do you criticize cats for not acting like cats in order to elevate the interests of their competition in the mice-control business? On the altruistic basis, that is?

What do you expect the AI to do? The AI is in business to promulgate the interests of their members and market their brand so that appraisers will opt into their program, purchase their education, pay their dues and so on. They are advocates for their members. (or so goes their official party line).

No appraiser controls their clients or employers or dictates terms to them WRT what they can and cannot do when it comes to choosing an appraiser for an assignment. It's not the AIs fault that certain types of clients choose not to do business with non-AI appraisers. Those clients chose those preferences by their own hand.

This whole discussion reminds me of the single mom of 4 who is a 5/10 getting mad at Leonardo for dating 23yr old models. Which he does because he can.

"No, Miss Jones. Even if you do rate yourself as a 10/10, your appeal to Leonardo is based on his opinion of you, not your opinion of you."

Gotta love these fake news stories. Post a link of some mom of 4 mad at Leonardo. That's BS. She wouldn't have time to think about that nonsense. Especially if she was putting in the hard work to earn a designation. Since you never earned one, what do you know about it? It kind of takes over your life for 2-3 years.