In the beginning I thought, this is going to be easy. All I have to do is take a few classes, get a little experience and pass an exam and I will be an Appraiser and make some easy money. What was I thinking? Starting a new career in my mid-fifties, had not taken any classes in years, and I am competing with much younger trainees, what was I thinking?
If you think becoming an Appraiser is easy, you are so wrong. School took me five months to finish the required 90 hours. Working all day and studying at night while keeping up my daily routines was difficult to juggle. I never thought about the expense of taking the courses needed for my license, or about the hours of studying, or taking the review course to prepare me for the State Exam. I have never studied so hard for anything in my life and the test was worse then I had ever imagined. Theory! Oh no, theory problems. And math - lots of math. I sat in that test room, in my small cubicle, calculator in hand and nothing personal allowed in with me. Not a good luck charm; not a cheat sheet; not even my watch. It was definitely not like taking the exam to renew my drivers license. In fact, the first time I took the test I failed and cried. What a failure I thought I was. Many of the topics that I studied were not even on the exam. Some of the questions were so hard and I wondered where in the world did the creator of this exam find these questions? That person certainly was never in any of my classes. But, I got back on the studying trail and passed the next time around. And all this studying and testing just for the privilege of becoming a Real Estate Appraiser - Trainee. Now for the tough part - getting my 2000 hours of appraising experience.
Actually, I lucked out in that area because my husband is a Certified Real Estate Appraiser, the owner of Accredited Appraisers, and was able to help me with my appraisal experience in addition to being an excellent and patient teacher. I worked in his office and did a lot of research for him. I answered the telephone and learned a tremendous amount of knowledge in my new field. Talking with the public and people in the loan industry is an article of its own. The phone calls that I received the most were from ordinary everyday people who thought that it might be easy to become an Appraiser and make some fast money. And they all had friends or family in the Real Estate field who would give them immediate business. Can you imagine what I told them?
This article was written and approved by friend, Certified Residential Appraiser Sandi Royce of Accredited Appraisers in Oxnard, CA
Dawn R Walker, Certified Residential Appraiser http://www.appraisalgroupsocal.com or visit me at http://dawnrwalker.typepad.com. Committed to delivering elegant, complete appraisal reports on time for residentail properties in the Los Angeles and sourrounding Counties. Working as a professional and with professionals in many industries. Constructing appraisal reports that exceed expectations and providing customer service you will recommend to your associates and family. I am the appraiser you want.
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