There is current concern for the younger generation that for every hour spent "tweeting" or on Facebook, they are "substituting" an hour of true education and knowledge.  Then again, my generation's version of mind numbing atrophy activity was reruns of Mork & Mindy and I Dream of Jeannie.

Are you substituting "getting reports out the door" for totally ignoring ways of substantively improving your appraisal productivity?  Do you know what you make per hour?  If not, you might feel like a "mouse crazily running on a wheel with no break".

So  as commercial appraisers, what do we lack...the ability to make decisions?  But wait a minute, appraisers are great at coming to conclusions.  Decisions are being made at all levels of your valuation, the property inspection, comp research and analysis.  Your final value conclusion is certainly a decision.

But what about the BUSINESS of appraisal - goal setting, overall firm production and  revenue/appraiser/hour?  Are those decisions that you constantly defer?  Pretending the business side will somehow take care of itself is a decision, but not a very good one.  As Sir Isaac Newton pontificated, for every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction.

Focus on your appraisal systems now, or at least start the process.  Invest money in yourself and your firm.  Even if you don't own the company, don't wait for the MAI to do it for you.  Implement DataComp our comp management software and EDGE our commercial report writing software that's built into Word.  We also have web-based tracking of the entire lifecycle of an appraisal, including calendaring, tasking (notifications to your researchers and appraisers), review process, invoicing and delivery.

It is now January 2011, so I have experienced about 24 Januarys since I started my commercial appraisal career.  How many Januarys is it for you as an appraiser?  Not making a decision is a decision.  So be bold.  Delete this newsletter immediately and defer making a commitment to purchase and implement solutions.  Or you could call us at 813.349.2700.  It's your call.

If you  have an appraisal "best practice" you would like to share, please forward to Jeff.