So when was the last time you saw an appraisal report that was typed out w/typewriter?

[John Hassler]

Ah, yes, the IBM Selectric. I recall my father, an SRA and SREA, asking me if he should buy one to replace his manual Underwood.

We eventually upgraded to Juki pinwheel machines that cost $500. We shared one for a year or so before I could afford my own. I believe we ended up with a third to cover us when one machine was at the typewriter repair shop (yes, there really were such places). It was a lovely machine with micro alignment capabilities so that you could get the “X” right in the middle of the box. I recall having an array of pinwheels too as a spare was needed when a wheel character would break off or a smaller font size was needed to squeeze in a few more words on pre-printed forms. I still have a few examples of those reports in a file.

 

[glenn walker]

Ah, yes, the IBM Selectric. I recall my father, an SRA and SREA, asking me if he should buy one to replace his manual Underwood.

We eventually upgraded to Juki pinwheel machines that cost $500. We shared one for a year or so before I could afford my own. I believe we ended up with a third to cover us when one machine was at the typewriter repair shop (yes, there really were such places). It was a lovely machine with micro alignment capabilities so that you could get the “X” right in the middle of the box. I recall having an array of pinwheels too as a spare was needed when a wheel character would break off or a smaller font size was needed to squeeze in a few more words on pre-printed forms. I still have a few examples of those reports in a file.

Now what few people know - Most banks have one in a back room because there are still certain things that cannot be done on a computer printer- IE Small Index cards -documents with dual copies like clear carbon paper etc. My bank has two of them. Another thing most don't know is Fax Machines are still alive and used 24/7 in banks because there safer transmissions than attached PDF files or E-mails. One bank I know sends and received hundreds of faxes a day LOL

 

[George Hatch]

I remember when I was working in a residential shop that we had 2 dot matrix printers, one of which was cued up to type 1004s only, the other used for the less commonly used condos and 2-4s. There was somewhat of an art to aligning the form to the printer head so the printout would match the lines and fields, so that made it worth our while to keep a dedicated 1004 printer.

We were buying the forms on continuous feed from Forms and Worms or a couple other vendors (I forget their names now). Different vendors used slightly different alignments.

We used photocopies of the photo, diagram and map addenda pages. I usually just used a blue or red ballpoint to draw lines to the margins to mark the subject and comp locations. Sometimes we had to Frankenstein a location map if the locations covered two adjacent pages or (worse) 4 pages. I remember spending $300-$400 month just for film developing, not counting the costs of the film.

Prior to alamode's arrival in the market, we were buying appraisal "forms" programs that came on 5.1/4" floppies, one per form. Dynamic Computing (DC-Sketch, DC-URAR, DC-Condo, DC-2-4). They sold those programs for $400/form. The PCs initially came with 2 drives, one to drive the program disk and the other to store the reports themselves. Getting a PC with a 10-meg hard drive was a game changer; and back then you had to understand DOS in order to operate those computers. Monochrome monitor (1) because dual monitors didn't become a thing for many years after.

 

[John Hassler]

Thomas Bros Maps. We kept a stack of pre assembled 2-page and 4-page maps next to the printer. I still have a few hundred rub-on arrows in a binder somewhere.

I did try going digital in 1986 with an IBM 8088 machine and Homeputer software. There was no hard drive so you had to load DOS and then Homeputer before you could start working from the report saved to another 5.25” floppy. I did splurge for a 9-pin dot matrix printer over the 5-pin. Turned out it was faster to use a typewriter so I did until Windows and laser printers came out.

 

[George Hatch]

I remember when I went solo in 1993, almost the exact month that TRW started publishing on CD-ROM the plat maps and public records for the 4 counties in SoCal. The then-recent development of consumer grade CD-ROM + the data + cheap laserjet/inkjet printers enabled me to go solo without ever owning a copy machine or typewriter. I could do almost everything off my computer and then limit my usage of printers and report binding by going to Kinkos.

I wouldn't have been able to go solo more than a few months prior to that point because the technology wasn't available and I wouldn't have had the means to support micro fiche viewers and printers and separate county files and such. Technology enabled me to directly compete with the small fee shops on a cost effective basis.

Now people are very angry about the changes to the business environment that could never have occurred if not for being enabled by the advances in technology (both equipment and the internet).

 

[TC]

I remember when I went solo in 1993, almost the exact month that TRW started publishing on CD-ROM the plat maps and public records for the 4 counties in SoCal. The then-recent development of consumer grade CD-ROM + the data + cheap laserjet/inkjet printers enabled me to go solo without ever owning a copy machine or typewriter. I could do almost everything off my computer and then limit my usage of printers and report binding by going to Kinkos.

I went solo the same year. One thing that was holding me back was making maps. I didn't want to spend the money for a copier, so I just printed out 3 originals. We still had to paste photos, but I needed a copier to make a map with those stupid red arrows. I took some R and R before setting out on my own and while on the beach read an article about a new CD rom program called Street Maps. Problem solved. I've never owned or leased a copier since 1993.

I finally threw out my manual Royal Classic. Weighed about 50 pounds, served me well in college. Not everyone could type and I would make beer money typing up other guy's reports. 15 cents a page. Case of beer was about 5 bucks back then.

 

[Fernando]

Thomas Bros Maps. We kept a stack of pre assembled 2-page and 4-page maps next to the printer. I still have a few hundred rub-on arrows in a binder somewhere.

I did try going digital in 1986 with an IBM 8088 machine and Homeputer software. There was no hard drive so you had to load DOS and then Homeputer before you could start working from the report saved to another 5.25” floppy. I did splurge for a 9-pin dot matrix printer over the 5-pin. Turned out it was faster to use a typewriter so I did until Windows and laser printers came out.

I keep thinking you're a young guy. Your knowledge of the good ole days made me realize that you're almost as old as me.

 

[TC]

I Sometimes we had to Frankenstein a location map if the locations covered two adjacent pages or (worse) 4 pages. I remember spending $300-$400 month just for film developing, not counting the costs of the film.

Sometimes you couldn't get all the streets on the same page from my trusty map book. I remember a fellow appraiser and I taking the wall map down and laying it over the copier. Miss those days.

 

[John Hassler]

Anybody else store their rolled up zoning maps in an unsoiled waste basket? Get comp data from quarterly, as in four times per year, sales books printed on news print with six to a page? Or make twice weekly trips to the recorders office to get doc numbers, verify sale price via tax stamps paid, and pull the trust deed to get the financing all by way of spools of microfiche?

 

[Vermonter]

I remember a fellow appraiser and I taking the wall map down and laying it over the copier. Miss those days.

Come to VT, I still do that for parcel maps