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Real Estate Appraiser with North Country Appraisal Services

I believe appraising can be a good career but the entry into it has been made quite difficult through legislation.  The biggest hurdle one must overcome in entering the business is finding a good mentor who will actually work with them using each appraisal assignment as a teaching experience and having the patience to work for peanuts during the interim training period.  Remember, even doctors go through low paying internships before entering perceived well-paying practices.  Finally, too many are too quick to go out on their own after attaining the license which brings about two additional questions: 1) Why as an appraiser should I spend time and money training my future competition? and 2) Why don't more mentoring appraisers make a profitable position available for newly licensed appraisers?  Finally, as a VA fee panel appraiser, attending annual meetings reinforces my opinion that I may never retire as, at the ripe age of 56, I feel like a youngster well below the median age.  The writing seems to be on the wall - appraisers never retire so I may as well stop chasing that dream.

Lorinda Ward
Keffer Realty - Norfolk, VA
Serving, Hampton Roads Virginia. Norfolk, Chesapeake, Va Beach

Great post, I also took the course to become an appraiser and it was very difficult to find a mentor and the said thing is I was not going to be competition, I just wanted this knowledge to further my real estate career.

Have a great day.  Welcome to Activerain!

May 11, 2008 06:01 PM
James Graner
Residential Services: http://appraisalmo.com - Saint Charles, MO

This is a great blog and correctly assesses many of our thoughts while being confronted with hiring a trainee.

 

Jun 07, 2008 07:16 AM
Sara Goodwin
Estimation Nation Corporation - Portland, OR
Portland, Oregon Appraiser

Richard -

You are so right.  The most difficult part for me in becoming an appraiser was to find a suitable appraiser (who am I kidding?  By the time my mentor said yes, I wouldn't have cared if he was the shadiest appraiser in town.  Fortunately, he was great). 

My promise to him in return was to mentor someone in the future.  Honestly, I dread the thought of it now because of the reasons you mentioned here and also because I as a supervisor would be liable for anything that trainee may do.  Oregon now has mandatory classes for the mentor and trainee to attend together, in it I have heard the instructor mentions that the trainee is to bring any dirty dealings he or she may encounter to the attention of the appraisal board.  What about disgruntled trainees?  What a mess that could turn out to be.

Nothing like getting it from all sides.

Jun 07, 2008 08:04 AM
Michael Zollo
Coral Springs, FL
Certified Residential Appraiser, South Florida, FH

Florida has that class also Sara, this way a trainee could never say they were not taught the rules by their mentor/cert. Just a word to the wise, the instructor stated that if your trainee sends out a report, on your software and even if you did not sign it, your still liable!!! Makes you want to run out and get 3 of those walking time bombs to work under you!

Jun 07, 2008 08:34 AM