Hi,

I posted this in response to another thread, but I thought if it had it's own thread, I might get some more responses for advice:

My name is Mike and I'm currently a mortgage broker in California, but I'm starting to think my passion in real estate would be better served as a real estate appraiser.

Ok...long list of questions so any help you can provide is greatly, greatly appreciated.

1. How do I go about applying for a license? I have many course hours that I have been told apply through college credits, but I don't know which ones will apply, and which ones I will have to take through appraiser classes.

2. What is my time frame for getting started working as an appraiser? Can I make money soon, or are there a lot of classes and licensing to get out of the way before I can start working in the industry?

3. In the hand book...it states I need experience hours....is this something I can gain while making a living, or will I have to apprentice first?

Thank you in advance,

Mike

Hi Mike,

Have you contacted your State Appraisal Board yet? There may be a board member close by that you may be able to visit to discuss details with.

College requirements are set for January 2008, in order to become certified. Some states have adopted different approaches to this change.

Appraisal requirement as a whole: need more ethical, none-number hitters (skippies), whom study land/property economics.

Through my experience, it pays, for future reference to have a supervisory Appraiser who is ethical, intelligent, good reputation, and who do not hit mortgage brokerage/lender values to make deals work. An Appraiser who does not cave into lender/broker pressure is a very good Appraiser to start training with.

Many things are changing and your state board can give you the heads up on atleast half what you need to know to get started.

Remember: there are a lot of changes going on, especially with licensing and mortgage fraud.


Hope I helped you some and the best of luck to you :)
Sincerely,
Benji

Hi Mike,

Have you contacted your State Appraisal Board yet? There may be a board member close by that you may be able to visit to discuss details with.

College requirements are set for January 2008, in order to become certified. Some states have adopted different approaches to this change.

Appraisal requirement as a whole: need more ethical, none-number hitters (skippies), whom study land/property economics.

Through my experience, it pays, for future reference to have a supervisory Appraiser who is ethical, intelligent, good reputation, and who do not hit mortgage brokerage/lender values to make deals work. An Appraiser who does not cave into lender/broker pressure is a very good Appraiser to start training with.

Many things are changing and your state board can give you the heads up on atleast half what you need to know to get started.

Remember: there are a lot of changes going on, especially with licensing and mortgage fraud.


Hope I helped you some and the best of luck to you :)
Sincerely,
Benji

Thank you very much. I guess that is definitely a first step I can approach and I will look into getting in touch with the state board.

Thank you very much.

You're welcome. Best of luck and I truly hope you make the right decisions :)

Being interested in becoming an Appraiser is one thing, but becoming an Appraiser is a completely different thing. I promise you! You are either an Appraiser OR you are not an Appraiser. Beware of skippy (number hitters!).

Sincerely,
Benji

You're welcome. Best of luck and I truly hope you make the right decisions :)

Being interested in becoming an Appraiser is one thing, but becoming an Appraiser is a completely different thing. I promise you! You are either an Appraiser OR you are not an Appraiser. Beware of skippy (number hitters!).

Sincerely,
Benji

So is it possible to make a decent living doing your apprenticeship? Or is this a scenario to prepare to make little money in the mean time?

So is it possible to make a decent living doing your apprenticeship? Or is this a scenario to prepare to make little money in the mean time?

Last year I made $6,000. Unless you find a good Supervisor whom does have business to make a decent living OR find a skippy to work under, you will make decent living, I assume. I do know for sure that if you work for a skippy you will definitely make a good living because MB's/LO's/lenders/banks and the like really want number hitters instead of real Appraisers. So, if you want to make a living during your apprenticeship, I suggest that you find local skippies to work under. It's much more difficult finding a real Appraiser to work under than finding a person who only worries about hitting numbers. The bad thing about working under a skippy is that you will not learn anything and you may go through-out your career thinking that you know what your doing when in reality that is not true.

I took a vow to poverty during the certification process. I refuse to do "comparable checks" because they are pathetic and has nothing to do with the competence of an Appraiser. The only way I will do a comparable check is if I have an entire workfile of a complete Appraisal and the LO/MB/lender will have to wait until the Appraisal is complete and a full fee is received. Skippies do not do this!

Skippies will comp. check all day long without a workfile or completing an Appraisal just to make a buck. They will sell themselves to make it. This is the type of person you may need to work under so you can make a decent living. On the other hand, a skippy may cheat you out of money, also. Ofcourse, I sure hope no one will take this route, though; not worth it in the long run, considering the changes being made and a nation wide crack down on mortgage fraud - targeting many skippies in the process.

Making the decision: decent living with skippy and learning nothing vs maybe make a decent living with a real Appraiser and actually learning something.

Being a licensed Trainee doesn't mean you just do two years or 2,500 hours and you are an Appraiser. Nothing is guaranteed until you're certified. I may never get certified :) And the reason I smile is because I never thought I would ever get as far as I have today. I will be extremely content knowing what I have accomplished if I never become certified. But, It will always eat me inside knowing that skippy trainees are being certified everyday and I never got that same opportunity. I'm happy being poor, doing the right thing, and having that feeling of confidence from being an Appraiser Trainee (it's definitely what I am). Took me several years to truly figure out what I needed and I found that in studying Land Property Economics.

Sincerely,
Benji

Mike,

I would like to add a few more comments, if you don't mind. I have no intention in discouraging you from wanting to be an Appraiser. I wanted to be upfront with you and let you in on some of my experiences in becoming a Trainee and being a Trainee.

My above post was directed at becoming a Residential Appraiser. Residential Appraising has been some what abused or taken advantage of in the past. I want to back track and correct one of my comments. Not all Lenders/LO's/MB's pressure Appraisers nor only want to use skippies; however, the majority, still wish to pressure, use skippies, and demand pre-determined (comp. checks) values.

When many real, honest Appraisers are slow regarding business, they may be able to look across town at the local skippy and see that the brunt of the assignments are going that way, supporting his/her trainees at the same time.

There is light at the end of the tunnel though :) Significant changes are happening as I speak. New requirements will demand a more difficult process in becoming a Trainee/reaching certification, come January 1, 2008. Depending on what state you live in, some of the changes are already reflected upon the new requirements. In my opinion, starting out as of today, a person may find mixed emotions within themselves while being trapped between the rules in effect right now and the new rules/laws coming Jauary 1, 2008. BE SURE you know the details before hand if deciding to jump in this year. I would suggest, and remember this only my opinion from my own experiences, concentrating on courses at both college and Appraisal levels. In addition to that, I would also suggest associating yourself with local professionals in order to set yourself up for working under a REAL Appraiser. Take your time, use due diligence, and try to do the right thing for all the right reasons; for yourself and for the entire industry/profession.

Mike.., lol - I keep saying "Mike" and I start to feel like I am talking to a mortgage broker client of ours (a good guy). I call him, "BIG MIKE." Anyways, Mike, it would be great if you found an opportunity to work under a Certified General Appraiser because there is more of an opportunity as of today with this type of an Appraiser than a Certified Residential Appraiser.

IF you find a Good Appraiser to work under, chances are you will make a decent living OR it will prepare you to make little money in the mean time. Making little money in the mean time isn't so bad if working under a good Appraiser; it will be worth it if you truly desire to be an Appraiser.

I feel like I was straight up with you about working under a skippy. It's not a route I would suggest anyone to take, but there is no reason to pretend that none of it doesn't exist :eek: Potential trainees can do better and wish them all the best of luck when looking to get into the profession. But, if there is no other option and the desire within just will not go away and all efforts have been exhausted, working under a skippy may be the only route in order to become Licensed while maybe making a decent living. Remember what I stated before, one may also never get paid or one may have to fight for a paycheck when working under a skippy. Your question may depend on your location, also.

I hope I didn't come off as rude, discouraging, or un-helpful. As a Trainee, I wish to see more people interested in being an Appraiser for the right reasons, caring about the profession/industry. Money isn't everything while Training in the field. Educating yourself, learning who you are/what you are during the process, and developing a sense of what is right from wrong are some things that are more important than money. Making a living is a must, ofcourse, but making a living without being properly trained and figuring out if this what you want out of life, is useless for future reference.

You put your mind to it and keep a positive outlook, you will eventually find the right Apraiser for you to work under, make a decent living, become efficient in your knowledge, and then become a good Appraiser that other professionals will rely on. Anything worth going after takes time in order to do it right :) Go for it Mike, the profession needs more ethical, reliable, credible, honest, Appraisers to replace the bad apples out there. I'm sure you can do this if you sincerely put your heart and mind into it.

Sincerely,
Benji

Benji,

You are very honest and speak from the heart. Your statements made me think about being a true appraiser. Wow! If I was a broker or mortgage professional, I will hire you for your honest services.