Thinking of entering the real estate world as an appraiser? Not sure how to land your first job or how to go about getting an interview? I’ve been there and am writing this to help advise you.
Getting an appraisal job can be tough. Many real estate appraisers are leery about hiring an aspiring appraiser because they believe that eventually you will leave them, start your own company and end up stealing their clients. However, many established appraisers can obtain so much business that they have no choice but to hire additional help – so don’t give up your search.
The first step to getting your appraising job is to get your license. It varies from state to state; some have apprentice licenses and some have entry level licenses. Whatever license is for beginner appraisers in your state – get it. This will show your potential employer that you are serious in this field and that you want a career in real estate appraising.
Obviously, if you have any contacts in the appraising world contact them. Another great resource – and probably your best bet – is to contact anybody you know in the mortgage business. This is where every appraiser gets their business. Because appraisers make their entire income exclusively from mortgage brokers and banks, they will usually try to help their source of income (mortgage brokers) in any way they can. If you have an uncle, neighbor or drinkin’ buddy who does mortgages, ask them who their appraiser is and see if they can hook you up with them.
If you don’t have any contacts there are other options. In your appraising classes ask around and try to make some friends. Some of your fellow classmates may already have jobs lined up and could possibly help you out. Or, if that doesn’t pan out, you need to start knocking on some doors. I got my first appraising job by literally cold calling through the Yellow Pages and selling myself. I am not a salesperson. If you are sincere about it, you can get someone to listen to you. I made about 25 phone calls until someone finally listened.
I was sincerely passionate about getting a job in appraising. I was also willing to pay my dues. If you are able to do the same, you can get an appraising job. Many times appraisers will hire rookie appraisers for a low wage. Once you learn the business you will probably be put on a split (commission). Depending on how quickly you learn the trade, you can make decent money in a reasonable amount of time. After about 4-6 months of training (and working at a busy company), I was making about $1000 per week.
Because real estate appraising is not an enormous industry, it’s not very simple to find a job. I wouldn’t suggest using typical job searching websites (like monster.com) to get work in this field. If you find jobs on popular sites like this, they will probably be for more experienced appraisers and not of any use to you.
If you know real estate appraising is something you want to pursue, follow the above advice. More importantly, don’t give up. You may need to put yourself out there, dig deep for any potential contacts and keep at it. Also, don’t get discouraged about the recent decline in the real estate industry, there will always be homeowners who need to refinance – and thus, need an appraiser.
