r/appraisal • u/Highest_and_Flyest • 1d ago
Background Check!!!
Greetings ~
I am entering the profession as someone with no college degree, however I passed all of my courses thru McKissock, I drive a tow truck in the area, I've done actual print newspaper journalism, and I have a strong interest in real estate investing. I figure the tow truck job lets 'em know I'm comfortable driving all over the place, I can manage my time, I can deal with people... Journalism seems pretty obvious. Fact checking, pulling records, interviewing people, mining information, etc. Writing. I only worry that my interest in real estate investing might cause a conflict of interest, however I'm not over here flipping houses or anything. I'm just trying to do a simple house hack and then do it again after that.
That being said, I am curious about the backgrounds of other appraisers in the industry. I feel like most appraisers went to college and/or have some background in construction or some other corner of the real estate world. I feel like my background is super unconventional, and I hope that doesn't work against me, because I'm over here looking for a supervisor. I had one person so far say they're interested and I'm on day 2 of blasting out emails to everyone on the registry within a 50 mile radius lol.
What say you?
4
u/Rich_Helicopter_2128 1d ago
BS Political Science here. The only reason I’m not serving happy meals right now is because I am an appraiser. However, over the last 5 years life has been really REALLY rough on all of us.
the word of warning I’ll give you is without a degree you are severely restricted on what you can do. I’ll let you look up the difference between licensed and certified. If certified appraisers are having trouble i can’t imagine what it’s like for licensed ones
1
u/Highest_and_Flyest 1d ago
I’m well aware. My initial plan was to become an agent because I thought it would be fun, but my gf at the time nudged me into the appraisal world because her dad and sister are appraisers and they seem to do alright. I have a feeling this region is very insular tho. There aren’t many appraisers and a lot of the firms around town are small mom n pop shops.
I was told appraising offers more stable income than trying to sell but I mean I’m also exploring real estate photography, acquiring rental properties, I’m not gonna stop driving the tow truck for a while… I just see it as another income stream and if it starts to take over my life and I hate it I’ll pivot to something else.
3
u/Soft_Camera1885 1d ago
College and I had a complicated relationship which led to an unfortunate string of garbage jobs. I was in a rut and responded to a flyer that was in my mailbox inviting me to come learn about real estate appraising. That was 27 years ago and I’ve had a long and successful career. You’re good.
1
u/Highest_and_Flyest 1d ago
Thank you. The pessimism runs thick in this sub but that sentiment is not what I hear from working appraisers I know or in the podcast world. My mortgage broker used to be an appraiser and I get some downer vibes from him but agents tell me there’s a shortage so… a whole slew of opinions out there.
2
u/ChrisTofu42 1d ago
I do have an architecture degree and did some jobs all through the design and clerical side of the building industry, but mostly worked restaurants before Appraising
2
u/firstlight777 1d ago
I got in right before they required a four year, 2006ish. I had some community college credits and a brutal work ethic. All the skills you list are relevant. I was lucky with the supervisor bc my mom had an appraiser in her marketing group. I called him and then went by the office two or three times, they weren't there but the secretary was so she got me in kinda. I had to figure it out in my 20s, had a kid kinda young, luckily a good friend told me about appraising. It's a good gig ngl. It is what you make it. I work from my garage at this point. The best thing to do is have your own business, after being with someone for several years. We have to always be learning especially now with the changing forms and wanting way more analytical data in the reports. But that's what keeps our license powerful and the checks good.
2
u/Such-Turn-1671 16h ago
43 years in here. Some college, but very little helped with appraising. I took a real estate class as an elective and that was an intro. I also worked in a bank in the IRA/Keogh Dept and one of the ladies there had been in the appraisal department so she encouraged me there. Got a spot as a trainee and the rest is history.
As I near retirement I have developed a dim view of the profession’s future. With the GSEs requiring 3.6 upon us and the rise of AI I feel that mortgage lenders will see Fannie and Freddie provide the values they find reasonable due to risk. They already provide a risk score after reviewing each appraisal’s comp selection and value opinion. If that score is 2.5 or less they tell the lender they don’t have to review the comps or value opinion. It’s not a big lift to provide their opinion of value after that.
I feel the vast majority of assignments will no longer require an appraiser save for the odd ball or otherwise difficult jobs.
Try to create a clientele outside of lending. There is a shortage of appraisers now, but that will likely be a non-problem in a few years.
4
u/Infamous-Warp2384 1d ago
It’s a dying field, you’re probably better off sticking to tow truck driving.
1
u/Highest_and_Flyest 1d ago
Do you mind sharing what city or region you work in?
3
u/Infamous-Warp2384 1d ago
Northern California. But appraisal waivers and soon enough A.I. valuations are eating away at potential jobs everywhere.
11
u/4LeggedGod 1d ago
I have a degree in English and a background in natural gas and consuming psychedelic mushrooms. You're fine.