Why I Love Appraising!

Appraisers across the country were asked in a survey by Appraiser Buzz.com why they love appraising. Their answers were recently posted. The following are some of the responses that reflect my feelings (comments in parentheses are my own):

“I love being an appraiser. When I started appraising in 1988 (for me it was 1984), I loved that I got to see inside of so many people’s homes and properties. I loved that they would share all the details of how and why this place was so special to them. I loved seeing so many different styles of architecture, views, locations, and meeting new people every single day.”

“Then, as my career progressed, I loved being challenged with complexities and anomalies and unraveling the gray areas through a detective-like manner; using the data and information available to solve each new “problem” as it was presented. I still love that! But most of all, I love that I never stop learning and growing and no matter what day it is, there is always something new to discover.”

“I’ve enjoyed training new appraisers and then watching them develop into competent and qualified professionals that can go out into the world on their own, care for their families and themselves doing what they love and enjoy while always continuing to grow and evolve. There is so much more that I love about being an appraiser that could take all day to write. The stories, conferences, people, adventures, market changes, diverse opportunities, and the list goes on and on.” Julie Friess

“I love the variety. Every day is different. Every house is different... Getting to talk to people, to see how they live, what they collect, where they have traveled to. I love the problem solving. What are the best comps for that one-of-a-kind house? It’s very satisfying when I can find comps to support the unsupportable. I love the freedom & flexibility to be able to set my own schedule. There have been times when that was really important, and I’ve been glad I had that freedom.” Chris Hughes

“I love what I do. I get to help people doing something I enjoy. Now that I once again work for my own company (I did a stint with Washington Mutual), I have the freedom to work or not work as I want to. I also work with my son (for me it's son, daughter and wife), and we get to spend lots of time together.” Woody Fincham

“I like being in the field part of the day and the office the other part. I’m not limited to just the office. I also really love meeting new people but my favorite part of the job is protecting the people that hire me by making sure they are informed about a property.” JW Purdy

Hopefully, I can continue doing what I love for many years to come!

-Jeff Jorgensen

Photo by Nathan Damlao