"It was sort of an evolution," recalls Dick English. "I started as a real
estate and insurance salesperson. Then I began doing some appraisals, then
a few more appraisals, and I found them really interesting. That's what I
enjoyed. And for me it was the only way to go -- to do appraisals only."
Now English owns his own business in Sharon, Pennsylvania, and employs
10 people. He does mostly commercial and industrial appraising.
Among the many interesting projects he has worked on, English found himself
helping a property owner whose land was taken by the state. The property was
supposed to be used to build a new expressway. The client sought "just compensation"
for the land. It wasn't a simple situation because the land included coal,
sand and gravel deposits.
English thought Judy Malatesta -- a local agent who had been selling real
estate for the previous five years -- might want to try appraisal.
"Selling wasn't my strong point," Malatesta recalls. "But I'd always been
interested in real estate. My husband and I had some rental properties. Then
Dick mentioned appraisal, and I thought about it and decided to make a change."
As a residential appraiser, she inspects 40 to 55 homes a month.
Anne Morag McKinnon got into real estate appraisal because her husband
was a real estate sales agent working for a trust company. "They were asking
around the office to see if somebody wanted to do appraisals. Everybody said
no, they wanted to earn the big money. He said he'd do it."
Her husband picked up a client base, then the trust company decided to
close down its real estate division.
"The people waiting around to make big money are still waiting around.
In the meantime, we had a viable business," McKinnon says. Today, she's the
executive administrator of a national real estate appraisers' association.
Certification is becoming increasingly important for appraisers. "You can't
just say I'm going to go to school and be an appraiser. There's an internship
-- two years, depending on the state you live in -- you must have with a licensed
appraiser," says Dale Ekdahl.
He's with the National Association of Real Estate Appraisers. He explains
that Housing and Urban Development and the Federal Housing Administration
(FHA) have both recently added new requirements for real estate appraisers
doing work with their projects. In fact, he says, the FHA requires that its
appraisers take a special examination.
Richard Hudgins started as a real estate broker before moving exclusively
into appraisal. Agricultural economics, his major in college, also provided
a solid base for his career. "Real estate clients began calling me to appraise
their property. Realizing that it was more than my basic training had provided,
I joined the American Institute of Real Estate Appraisers [now the Appraisal
Institute] in 1983. My business grew from that point."
Glen Power picked the profession for its diversity, freedom and daily challenges.
"It seems like we always have an unusual case or two," says Power. "I like
investigating and researching and being out of the office. And there is sometimes
some travel involved. Commercial appraising is my interest. I don't think
I could do residential. It just doesn't seem as interesting to me."
The length of time needed to do a residential appraisal has declined as
access to electronic databases has increased. New technology is streamlining
appraisal work. As well, computer programs have allowed lending institutions
such as banks to calculate property values without as much input from appraisers.
That doesn't mean appraisers don't work much -- they can put in lots of
hours. However, they aren't slaves to their jobs. James Rokeby's workweek
averages between 50 and 60 hours. But he still makes time for family.
"I chose this career because I met a chap who was doing the job, and I
admired his way of life and freedom from the 'big company,'" says Rokeby.
"It's the freedom to come and go that really helps me and my family cope with
everyday stuff. It's a great benefit. And I enjoy the work, too."
His most special appraisal project? "It was my demonstration appraisal,
which is like a thesis for designation. It was an enormous amount of work
and I was very proud of the end product. And quite a challenge it was."