Still Paying for Old Milk

Sunk costs are like old milk in the fridge. You’re pretty sure it’s turned the corner, but you’re afraid to open it. Same for your legacy appraisal platform provider. The longer you cling to “the way we’ve always done it,” the more expensive your loyalty becomes. Your team has been frustrated…for a long time. In […]
I Have To Get A Report Out

There’s always another appraisal to write. Another review to complete. Our greatest enemy isn’t lack of valuation skills. It’s our chronic busyness that’s stifling strategic leadership. Our industry doesn’t play to win. We play not to lose. Intelligence isn’t the issue. Appraisers are sharp. The real gap is agency. Appraisers don’t believe they have permission […]
Making Room for Something Better

Throwing away my MAI was a declaration: We can do better. 100x better. I believe in appraisers. I believe in the next version of our industry. We are the stewards of what’s next. Local Appraisal Institute chapters bring the mojo, but national feels like a bad relationship that’s hit rock bottom. Not just firing […]
Throwing away my MAI

I’ve always felt like an outsider in the Appraisal Institute. Maybe it’s because I rarely attended their meetings, never mingled with the right circles, or perhaps I just didn’t see my values reflected in the organization’s leadership and education. Yet, despite that distance, I got my MAI. I built my career in the valuation space. […]
The Quiet Rift That Shouldn’t Exist

“I do bank work.” It’s like an uncomfortable confession by many fee appraisers. The disconnect between chief appraisers and fee appraisers isn’t just a communication gap. It’s a relationship problem. One rooted in old assumptions, reinforced by lack of communication and made worse by appraisers working in the shadows. This issue isn’t across the boards […]
The Pirate Playbook for Bank Efficiency

The pirate patch wasn’t about an eye injury. It was really about efficiency. Topside: Patch on the right eye, left eye adjusted to bright light.Below deck: Switch the patch to the left eye, right eye already adjusted to darkness. No downtime. We’ve romanticized pirates. But if you strip away the parrots and plunder, you’ll find […]