Is your appraisal house haunted?  How about your appraisal business?  Are you a ghost?  You know what a ghost is.  It is the nebulous apparition of a dead person.  Usually you can’t see them, but sometimes you think you maybe caught just a glimpse of one.  But, probably not.  After all, we are talking about ghosts here, right?

But, is your appraisal house haunted?  You say that makes no sense.  But think about it for a minute.  Do you ghost your clients?  Are you a ghost when it comes to returning the client’s emails and phones calls?  When that Reconsideration of Value arrives, do you turn into the nebulous apparition of a dead person?  Most appraisers have been up-to-their-earlobes busy the last 36-months.  So, when the ROV arrives, everything else has to stop to take care of what could be a significant problem.  At that point, to keep up with the work load, some appraisers have turned into ghosts.  In other words, they are not returning phone calls or emails.  These appraisers hope that by becoming nebulous apparitions of dead persons, they can escape the problem of that ROV, so still keep the cash flowing.

Why is your appraisal house haunted?  You insist it is not, right?  Ask your clients.  Can they get you on the phone?  Do you answer their emails?  Clients are reporting ghost appraisers to their state appraisal boards.  Those boards sanction appraiser-ghosts.  This usually means a fine and education (that does not count for CE!).  Stay ahead of USPAP.  Stay out of the jaws of  your state appraisal board.  There is no reason to be an appraiser-ghost.  Conduct business with your clients the same way you want others to conduct business with you.  That’s the professional way to run an appraisal business!