Tag Archive for: appraiser trainees

What’s Your Exit Strategy?

Bryan Reynolds asks appraisers to consider a retirement phase-out plan that may benefit you, aspiring appraisers, and the community you serve.

I was teaching a live CE course recently, and a gentleman in the audience said, “This is my last rodeo. This is it.”

I said, “What do you mean?:

“I’m done after this one,” he said.

“Oh, you’re planning on retiring before your next requirement for CE,” I said. “That’s exciting, congratulations! What’s your exit strategy?”

He said, “My what?”

What’s your exit plan? Or do you have one? Are you planning to just turn off the lights off, shut the door, and say “I’m done?”

Maybe you ought to reconsider that. What if you created an exit strategy that might help you, might help others, or may just help the community in which you’re providing service?

I have this conversation a lot when I’m coaching, consulting, and teaching. I bring this up often. And I’m surprised to find that many folks have not planned for their retirement. When I say, “What’s your exit strategy,” most of the time the answer is, “Well, I’ve got a will.”

Don’t get me wrong — you need to plan for that exit strategy as well. Have you named beneficiaries? Do you have a will? It’s all about planning ahead. My mother has done a great job of planning ahead. She bought me a cemetery plot, and I said, “Thanks, Mom!” She’s got various policies so that she’ll never have to go to a nursing home. She’s got a plan of action to bring in home-care. She thought ahead and made a plan.

That’s what I’m suggesting that appraisers should do with their businesses, instead of just closing the doors. Most appraisers run small firms. They do everything themselves. They’re the president and the janitor. There’s nothing wrong with that. But instead of just closing up shop and moving to Costa Rica, what about a different plan?

Phase Yourself Out, Bring Someone In

The biggest obstacle to people getting into this profession is finding a mentor. I genuinely believe that once we’ve been in this business for awhile, if the business has been good to us, why not give back to the profession?

We need to help others. After all, someone took a chance on you, didn’t they?

Maybe we should explore this idea. Maybe you could bring someone in and start molding them. Maybe two or three someones. Yes, it’s going to take a little time. Yes, it may increase your liability a little bit. But maybe it’s an opportunity for you to say, “When I’m done, we’ll create a company for you.” Maybe you put a tail on that. I mean, how cool would it be, while you’re on the beach, to get a check once a quarter? So early on, Trainee, I’m gonna take the lion’s share of the income, and you’re not gonna make much. But eventually, you’ll make most of the money, and I’ll walk away. Like my mentor George always told me, “Bryan, you’re gonna do all the work, and I’m gonna take all the money!”

But I learned more about appraising from that gentleman than I ever learned from any book or class. There’s no way I could ever truly pay him back. Except, maybe, to pay it forward.

So maybe you bring somebody in and you mentor them. Maybe you keep a certain percentage for a few years, whatever you two negotiate. Buy you’re still a phone call away. You’re a consultant, an advisor, a mentor. Remember, the learning really starts once you’re certified. You don’t know everything you need to know once you pass that national exam and get your license issued.

We should all be lifelong learners. And when I learn something, I want to share it with others.

So instead of closing the door and moving to a warmer climate, maybe you can take a few steps and leave that door open. Maybe you set yourself up to get a residual income and help a person build a business. And you’ve helped your community by finding your replacement, someone who can carry on providing the service you’ve provided for a lifetime.

Something to think about instead of just saying, “I’m done” and closing your door.

A Parallel Strategy for Trainees

Meanwhile, for you trainees out there, or for anyone thinking about entering the profession: You need to change your approach to mentors. Don’t call and say, “I need a mentor. I need hours.” Most likely, that business owner doesn’t care what you need! I give to charity already.

But here I am in danger of contradicting myself — I do believe that we need to give back and provide opportunities for other people. But this is a two-way street: Don’t approach a supervisor saying, “I need I need I need.” Let them know what you bring to the table, what value you can add. How you can assist them in making more money.

Think of this as your onboarding strategy. Why not ask them, “How much longer are you going to be in this business? What’s your exit strategy? Maybe I can help you transition out. I’ll do the heavy lifting now, and when it’s time for you to retire to the beach, you can keep mentoring me in return for a little piece of the pie.”

Trainees, that might just be an opportunity for you to get yourself a mentor. Get an onboarding strategy. And veteran appraisers, think about your exit strategy. Both categories: Plan ahead. And maybe, on occasion, those plans can come together — to everyone’s benefit.

About the Author:

Bryan S. Reynolds, CDEI™ is a KY/TN Certified General Real Property Appraiser, a registered agent with the TN State Board of Equalization and an AQB Certified USPAP Instructor. He has testified in various courts, planning and zoning boards as both an expert and as an agent making valuation arguments before local and state hearing officials and Administrated Law Judges. Reynolds is the owner of Bryan S. Reynolds & Associates, Reynolds Appraisal Service and a partner in Appraiser eLearning. He provides residential and commercial valuation services, educational offerings, mentoring, consulting, and litigation support services throughout the country. He is available for lectures and is well known for his Think Outside the “Check” Box approach.

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Look in the Mirror. Say, “You’re Fired.”

Bryan Reynolds reflects on why we appraisers should focus on our top abilities and delegate the tasks we aren’t so great at.

Have you looked in the mirror lately? I mean, really just stood in front of the mirror and taken a long, hard look at yourself?

Do you like what you see there? The wonderful thing is that if you don’t like what you see, you have the ability to change it.

As a business coach, I often tell clients: If you’re not performing at your peak ability, maybe you should look in the mirror and say, “You’re fired.”

I say quite frequently there are no two pieces of dirt on the planet exactly alike. No two pieces of real estate are the same. That’s what makes real estate so different from other goods and services that we buy and sell every day. Each property is unique, just like we are as human beings. We all have strength and weaknesses. And we, as human beings, resist change.

Extinction Is Not Inevitable. Case Study: One-Hour Photo Labs

But no matter how much we resist, change keeps happening anyway. We can be ready for it, or we can push back. Remember those old one-hour photo places? How many of those are still standing? Well I know one that adapted to change. It belonged to a guy named Eddie. He started working on digital cameras, selling them, converting old DVDs and VHS tapes to digital formats, taking old torn photos and making them look brand new. When my mom was on husband #2, after my dad died, she had a photo taken of all her grandkids. Her brother’s son was in the picture with his new wife, who did not last long as part of the family. My mother took this picture over to Eddie, and she said, “Eddie, you see that girl standing next to my grandson? That was his wife. Can you make her disappear, and move my other grandson over a little bit?” And he did it! I was like, “Mom! You can’t just make people disappear!” But I guess in a photograph you sure can.

Or at least, Eddie can. And he’s still got a thriving business, while all the other one-hour photo labs are long gone.

So here’s what I want you to think about: We resist change, external change and changes within ourselves. It’s human nature. But sometimes, we do ourselves harm by refusing to change.

Do You Need a Trainee?

I want you to ask yourself: Are you performing at the highest level that you could be? In my coaching practice and my appraisal classes, I talk to a lot of people. A guy approached me after class once and said he was thinking about bringing on a trainee. He’s in his 70s and had health issues but was still in business.

Let me just pause here to say that I’m a big-time supporter of trainees, and I’m all for YOU bringing on a trainee. I’m creating the Trainee Committee and the Trainee Network for the NAA. I want us to do all we can to support trainees and supervisors, and if you want to expand your business, it’s something you should think about.

But you need to be sure you actually need a trainee. Because may need another kind of hire altogether.

So I said to this man, “Sir, I don’t mean to be rude, but you don’t need a trainee yet. You need a helper.” He was making all the phone calls to schedule appointments. He was handling all the requests from lenders to prepare and send bids, accepting orders, starting the files, and setting them up in the appraisal software.

“That’s kind of a waste of your time,” I told him. He didn’t need a trainee for all that. He needed a helper: someone to answer the phone, reply to emails, schedule his weeks, take all that busy work off of his shoulders.

Triage Your Time

I’m not saying he, or I, or any of us are too good to do these things. I’m not too important to answer my phone. I DO answer my phone, in fact. I’m no better than anybody, and nobody’s better than me.

It’s just that these things are not the highest and best use of your time.

I wrote an article many years ago about a dentist, a surgeon, and a head chef. The whole premise is: identify what only you can do, and DO THAT. Over and over, every single day. Then build a team to back you up, so you can take the busy work off your schedule and let a highly organized person do that for you.

When I suggested this, the man’s eyes lit up.

I’m excited to see where he takes his practice. And maybe you should be having this same conversation — with yourself.

“Identify what only you can do, and DO THAT. Over and over, every single day. Then build a team to back you up, so you can take the busy work off your schedule and let a highly organized person do that for you.”

So look at yourself in the mirror. Maybe you should fire yourself from the work you shouldn’t be doing, work you should hire someone else to do — so you can do the actual work of appraisal and analysis.

Maybe you should fire yourself from the part of the work that you don’t like doing, and get someone else who has that expertise to step in. I could try to figure out accounting, but I don’t want to. So I hire a professional accounting firm. I don’t want to schedule all the appointments and make all the phone calls. I’ve been there; I’ve done that. And it’s not that I’m too good to do it; I’d just rather use my time for something else.

Look in the mirror. Take an assessment. And don’t be afraid to make some changes. Don’t be afraid to implement some new ideas or strategies. Worst case, you can always go back to the old way if you want to. But there’s a part of me that would bet that you won’t want to.

And if you’ve never read Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson, M.D., I highly recommend it. Read it, and then think about making some positive changes that will take some of the headache out of your life. And consider building a team to help you with that.

About the Author:

Bryan S. Reynolds, CDEI™ is a KY/TN Certified General Real Property Appraiser, a registered agent with the TN State Board of Equalization and an AQB Certified USPAP Instructor. He has testified in various courts, planning and zoning boards as both an expert and as an agent making valuation arguments before local and state hearing officials and Administrated Law Judges. Reynolds is the owner of Bryan S. Reynolds & Associates, Reynolds Appraisal Service and a partner in Appraiser eLearning. He provides residential and commercial valuation services, educational offerings, mentoring, consulting, and litigation support services throughout the country. He is available for lectures and is well known for his Think Outside the “Check” Box approach.

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Listen, Lenders! Please Stop Doing These Two Things

Bryan Reynolds suggests two changes lenders should make to help appraisal companies operate more efficiently: Let appraisal trainees do inspections and appraisal firms make assignments.

Listen, lenders! No, I’m not talking about the adorable Listen Linda Kid, although he is absolutely fantastic. But I am gonna rip off his best line: Listen, lenders!

In fairness, I give everybody a hard time: appraisers, agents, underwriters. Today it’s the lending community’s turn — you lenders out there, hear me out.

It’s not news to anyone to say that we’re in unprecedented times. Everybody’s waiting for appraisals. Everyone wants to solve the backlog problem with new ideas and products and hybrids. Everyone has “the solution.”

Let’s look at this for a minute. You know why supervisory appraisers are apprehensive about taking on appraiser trainees? It’s because, what value do they add? If I’ve got to go out on every inspection and hold the trainee’s hand, they really don’t add any value to me as a business owner.

USPAP, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, your states all allow appraisers to send trainees out on their own, after a certain period and once you feel the trainee is competent . But the lending community continues to push back on this. If the lenders are willing to send an insurance agent out to do inspections, why in the world are they not letting me send my trainee out to do an inspection without me?

Lenders, just listen a minute: A lot of these problems would be solved if you let us appraisers do what USPAP, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and our states allow for. Let me teach a trainee the proper methods of observation, and let me send them out. I can hire three trainees! I can expand my book of business!

But if I have to accompany them on every inspection, why would I bring someone on to train at all? Dustin Harris makes the point beautifully on his blog at theappraisercoach.com:

“Our clients (AMCs and Lenders) have made it next to impossible to take on a new recruit. Most of the engagement letters I receive have the following little statement attached, ‘The Certified Appraiser must physically inspect the property, all comparables, and complete the appraisal report. The use of Trainees for this assignment is not allowed.’ So, let me get this straight: I can hire and train a new appraiser, but they cannot do anything to help my business grow until they are fully Certified. Gee, sign me up!” —Dustin Harris, The Appraiser Coach Blog

Well said.

Here’s another thing, lenders (and maybe this goes out to AMCs as well): If I want to hire three certified appraisers, and now I can hire three trainee appraisers for each of them, that’s nine more trainees and three certified appraisers. I have an army now! I’m ready to take on lots of work. But here’s the problem: The lender is going to send the appraisal request to the specific appraiser. Why don’t they send it to the firm? Why don’t they send it to me?

For instance, I have an appraiser. Matt. You send an order to my firm, I could say, that’s outside of Matt’s immediate area. He services that area, but that’s an hour drive. Let me send Kelsey! She’s ten minutes away from that property. So let me assign it based on what makes more business sense. Or maybe Matt’s two weeks behind and Kelsey doesn’t have anything to do. Doesn’t it make sense that I, the business owner, make the assigning decisions, for efficiency purposes?

Listen, lenders. We can solve a lot of problems if you do two things:

1. Let appraisal companies make assignments.

Start assigning the appraisal to the firm, and let the firm decide he best person for the job. Think about it. You send over a fourplex. Kelsey’s only done one in her life. Matt’s done 400 in the last three years! Wouldn’t it make sense for me to assign that multiplex to Matt? I as the business owner know how to delegate those assignments a lot better than you do.

So why don’t we look at approving appraisal firms instead of individual appraisers. If you need to vet them, I understand that. But approve my firm, let me hire more appraisers, and I’ll delegate the assignments out responsibly.

And then finally, listen lenders:

2. Let trainees do inspections.

Let me start using my trainees to their full potential. Trust me to choose them, then let me trust them to do the work I assign. This helps you, it helps me, and it helps the communities we serve.

Most of all, if lenders and AMCs don’t make it less onerous for us to take on and train new appraisers, then how do they expect new appraisers to enter the profession? Our industry is aging. We need excited, sharp young people to take up the trade. Which means we veterans are gonna need to show them the ropes. But we can’t do it out of charity. There need to be incentives for all of us — supervisory appraisers and trainees.

Just listen!

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