Are you just starting your real estate appraisal career? Last month we asked our appraisal community, “How did you find your supervisor when you were first starting out?” Thank you to the large number of appraisers who shared their top tips for up-and-coming appraisers! Keep reading for quotes from many of the experienced appraisers who were willing to share their wisdom with newcomers to the profession.
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Cold-calling or outreach
“I first emailed appraisers in my town. When I got no response, I started cold calling small appraisal shops as opposed to individuals. After some trepidation, a shop owner hired me to work with one of his seasoned appraisers. We’ve been working together for 6 months now.”
“I googled local appraisal companies and went on the Appraisal Foundation website, and then called and/or emailed asking if they had a few minutes to answer some questions I had about starting out in the appraisal business. I got lucky on the 3rd try and got hired as a trainee by a great appraiser who owns a small appraisal company and is a great teacher and mentor!”
“To find my supervisor, I searched the state license database of licensed appraisers. Retrieved public info, which included: name, license number, issue date, expiration date, county, etc. Dumped this public data into Excel to filter by county. Listed every appraiser in my county and appraisers in each county contiguous to my county. Sorted data from most experienced to least experienced. Search public records for personal phone numbers, then started at the top of the list making cold calls in afternoons, after I finished my morning qualifications studies. My supervisor was line #58! This took approximately 2 months.”
Through a family member or friend
“I luckily knew my appraisal supervisor for years but never actually asked him what he did for a living. Once I found out and caught a strong desire to leave my current profession, he gladly took me on.”
“My appraisal supervisor is my father.”
“My supervisor was my husband. I started out working in the office to help with new software and quickly decided I wanted to join as an appraiser.”
“After sending letters to local appraisers without any luck, I ended up finding my supervisor through a REALTOR® that I was acquainted with.”
“I found my supervisor through my husband’s work colleague. He knew of another colleague’s spouse that was an appraiser and gave me her name/number.”
Related reading: How to Write a Winning Appraiser Trainee Resume
Through a previous job
“He [my supervisor] found me. I was a REALTOR®, and I showed a house to his daughter and son-in-law. I did a good job showing an unusual property. He asked if I had considered a career in appraisal, and he offered a job to me.”
“I was a bank teller. The chief appraiser was impressed with my customer service skills and general knowledge of the bank’s policies and made me an appraiser trainee. The move changed my life, and I’ve been forever grateful.”
“I was actually already at the company doing evaluations for about four years when I discovered the certification process. Once I became a trainee, my company allowed me to switch over to the appraisal department.”
Job board or advertisement
“I applied for a job posted on Indeed. It was my third job application, and on the third try, I was offered a job as an analyst. I was new to the real estate industry, and my supervisor was willing to give me a chance to learn on the job. I have also been able to locate mentors (individuals willing to provide career guidance) by connecting with willing certified general appraisers on LinkedIn.”
“An ad on Craigslist.”
“He [my supervisor] advertised in the local newspaper.”
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