Truth be told, I did pause before going to my barber. Going "cue ball" was way outside of my comfort zone. I sought out an expert, a Cuban man who just opened his business in downtown Tampa. He's a self-proclaimed master barber from Havana, Cuba complete with Mozart, Beethoven and Wagner music creating a concerto vibe. This artisan "old school" barber quickly took off my pelo (hair) as evidenced by my hair all over his floor. The strange thing was I got used to the new look quickly. Others were a little slower to adopt the new "me", but once I changed my (hair) reference point, things became clearer.

Going "Kojak" makes you look younger but most men won't do it. It's similar to how commercial real estate appraisers view their internal productivity systems. I hear it all the time talking to prospective customers of our report writing product called Edge, comp management database DataComp and appraisal workflow app called Manager. A typical appraiser will say, "I'm not ready for that yet", "What we do now works for us" or "it costs too much." Really? In 2012?

Yes. I am saying that many appraisers are in denial. However, because of the commoditization trend of commercial appraisals largely due to Dodd-Frank, appraisers can no longer ignore the need to change. Those that ignore the writing on the wall are akin to "The Donald"...pretending to have a lot of hair but really have a horrifying comb-over with wispy hair crisscrossed in a lattice design.  

Hair loss is a natural and somewhat embarrassing issue for most men. However, pretending the problem is not there ignores reality. Pretending that our industry is not getting punched in the ribs only adds stress and a lighter wallet. Instead, invest time and money to improve your efficiencies of how you create your appraisal product. You're worth it. Don't do it reluctantly. Shave it off!