Searching For A Trainer (pittsburgh, Pa)

[bnmappraisal]

To MJM187

In all seriousness, I met with a guy last yr who looked me up on here; he was local to my city. He seemed to have a similar interest as you.in regards to getting into appraising. I admired that and you as well for it. I did meet him for lunch (I was kidding about the "who picks up the tab" post but if I was in your shoes, I'd at least offer; it's at least a nice gesture)

We sat for give or take an hour talking about what he was thinking an appraiser is/does and I answered telling him what reality was like. He was a very intelligent guy working in the insurance industry. I actually thought he could be a good appraiser. But the commitment to the 2 yrs+ just didn't seem to "fit" for him. I don't blame him. As I've said on here before, this isn't for everybody. You really have to WANT to do this. 10+ yrs deep now, I still love it ... but don't get me wrong, it SUCKED at times getting here!

Sit through a USPAP class and see if it's still what you want to consider as a career. It (USPAP) is only 15 hrs BTW

 

[JTip]

What are your financial expectations? 5y - 10y plans? Any real estate experience? What is your degree in?

 

[Riick]

(USPAP) is "only" 15 hrs BTW

There, I fixed it for you.
First USPAP class I tooK were some of the ^&%$# 15 hours I ever spent.

As for me, I'd suggest taking intro course to appraising that AI (Appraisal Institute) gives
-or-
less expensive in $$ and time, sit down and *read* their (not very) basic book --- LINK
or, have a look at these: LINK2

 

[MJM187]

This is how it could go:

You: "Mr. Smith, sorry to bother you, I am a trainee appraiser trying to learn the business and meet some appraisers. Would you mind meeting me for lunch so I can pick your brain to see if this is the industry for me?"
Him: "Too busy!, no time for lunch, sorry."
You "Oh great, so you could use some help then. I can start tomorrow."
Him" "Hmmm, I guess you have me in a pickle here."

LOL, excellent. Hope you don't mind if I use that. Genius.

 

[MJM187]

What are your financial expectations? 5y - 10y plans? Any real estate experience? What is your degree in?

I make a livable income right now taking care of a sick family member, which takes up about 20 hours a week. I plan on doing that until he passes or needs to be moved into a home. From what I understand I would be able to balance both jobs and potentially work form home some after I am certified, which is one of the main reasons appraising appeals to me. If I can make an extra 10-20K a year from appraising until my uncle moves on, that would be great. Secondly, I want a career I can work towards and build once I don't have the caretaker responsibility any more. I have zero real estate experience. I was previously a human trafficking victim advocate and got really burned out from what type of work. I have a degree in Communication and Rhetoric and another in English Writing.

 

[MJM187]

There, I fixed it for you.
First USPAP class I tooK were some of the ^&%$# 15 hours I ever spent.

As for me, I'd suggest taking intro course to appraising that AI (Appraisal Institute) gives
-or-
less expensive in $$ and time, sit down and *read* their (not very) basic book --- LINK
or, have a look at these: LINK2

Thanks for the links and advice, Riick.

 

[MJM187]

To MJM187

In all seriousness, I met with a guy last yr who looked me up on here; he was local to my city. He seemed to have a similar interest as you.in regards to getting into appraising. I admired that and you as well for it. I did meet him for lunch (I was kidding about the "who picks up the tab" post but if I was in your shoes, I'd at least offer; it's at least a nice gesture)

We sat for give or take an hour talking about what he was thinking an appraiser is/does and I answered telling him what reality was like. He was a very intelligent guy working in the insurance industry. I actually thought he could be a good appraiser. But the commitment to the 2 yrs+ just didn't seem to "fit" for him. I don't blame him. As I've said on here before, this isn't for everybody. You really have to WANT to do this. 10+ yrs deep now, I still love it ... but don't get me wrong, it SUCKED at times getting here!

Sit through a class and see if it's still what you want to consider as a career. It (USPAP) is only 15 hrs BTW

Thanks bnm,

I'm definitely willing to make a 2+ year commitment. I know that doing a complete field and career change is going to take a serious time investment - but you're right in that I absolutely want to make sure this career path is something that I will enjoy doing in ten years. I'm hoping to find someone to shadow for a day and pick their brain and see what the job really consists of.

Whats your favorite part about the job? What keeps you loving it after ten years?

 

[bnmappraisal]

Whats your favorite part about the job? What keeps you loving it after ten years?

My favorite part is the flexibility. I won't lie. It is nice! But that comes with time. As a trainee, you are working with someone, so you are (generally) at their schedule. Once you get your button though (become certified) and have your own clients, etc, the flexibility becomes more of a reality. You still have deadlines/due dates and clients to answer to, and there are many long days, but it's nice to be able to spread a 8-10 hr day over say 12-16 hrs.

I enjoy seeing different houses, which is one of the reasons I prefer RES over COMM, although I do suggest you get your CG (COMM) license so you could do both is you want. But I prefer RES. I live in FL, so I get to do a lot of beach properties; which means I get to go to the beach often. It's interesting (to me) to see the different price ranges, from starter types to very high end. People have some REALLY "interesting" things in their homes that no one ever sees ... I'll let your mind imagine what that's like - an you'll be right!

I enjoy the analysis part of the job and problem solving. Looking at a property and not only concluding an opinion of market value but WHY i conclude that opinion. My market is pretty diverse as far as types of housing, so it keeps the job pretty interesting. I may see a starter type 850 sf house for $100k on Monday, a 3,000 sf $1mil+ downtown condo on Tue and a 1,800 sf $350k property on Thurs.

One thing I will say, I hope you like driving. That is one thing with this job, there is a lot of car time. Driving/traveling has always been something else I enjoy, but that's not everyone's favorite thing.

There are a lot of pro's, but definitely some cons. One of the major cons is the ebb and flow/valleys and peaks of the business. It is real estate by the way. Thankfully for me here in FL, we don't suffer as much of a curve as up north, but it's still there. One has to learn to budget your income for sure. I see you're in Pgh, PA from your posts. I lived in Brentwood and then Avalon (Bellevue) for about 5 yrs so know the area pretty well. Your real estate market is a lot more volatile due to weather. Obviously appraisers strive there, just as here, but I had a friend who appraised there and know it's usually a lot slower in the winter months.

All the best

 

[MJM187]

My favorite part is the flexibility. I won't lie. It is nice! But that comes with time. As a trainee, you are working with someone, so you are (generally) at their schedule. Once you get your button though (become certified) and have your own clients, etc, the flexibility becomes more of a reality. You still have deadlines/due dates and clients to answer to, and there are many long days, but it's nice to be able to spread a 8-10 hr day over say 12-16 hrs.

I enjoy seeing different houses, which is one of the reasons I prefer RES over COMM, although I do suggest you get your CG (COMM) license so you could do both is you want. But I prefer RES. I live in FL, so I get to do a lot of beach properties; which means I get to go to the beach often. It's interesting (to me) to see the different price ranges, from starter types to very high end. People have some REALLY "interesting" things in their homes that no one ever sees ... I'll let your mind imagine what that's like - an you'll be right!

I enjoy the analysis part of the job and problem solving. Looking at a property and not only concluding an opinion of market value but WHY i conclude that opinion. My market is pretty diverse as far as types of housing, so it keeps the job pretty interesting. I may see a starter type 850 sf house for $100k on Monday, a 3,000 sf $1mil+ downtown condo on Tue and a 1,800 sf $350k property on Thurs.

One thing I will say, I hope you like driving. That is one thing with this job, there is a lot of car time. Driving/traveling has always been something else I enjoy, but that's not everyone's favorite thing.

There are a lot of pro's, but definitely some cons. One of the major cons is the ebb and flow/valleys and peaks of the business. It is real estate by the way. Thankfully for me here in FL, we don't suffer as much of a curve as up north, but it's still there. One has to learn to budget your income for sure. I see you're in Pgh, PA from your posts. I lived in Brentwood and then Avalon (Bellevue) for about 5 yrs so know the area pretty well. Your real estate market is a lot more volatile due to weather. Obviously appraisers strive there, just as here, but I had a friend who appraised there and know it's usually a lot slower in the winter months.

All the best

Thanks for the in-depth reply. It gave me a lot of insight and confirms that this really might be the career for me.