I ran across a funny video today that made me think about a simple but well known phrase, “Dress For Success”. We’ve all heard this phrase but as appraisers have we really thought about it and how we apply it to our own business practices.
As you can see from the video it is important to dress appropriately for our job because it reflects on us as individuals as well as the companies we represent. We are the public’s perception of the companies we are doing appraisals for. When we arrive at the house we are going to appraise and speak and interact with the homeowner, in their mind we are ABC Bank or Mortgage Company. They may not know that we are independent appraisers hired by the bank to provide appraisal services to them. If we look bad, the bank looks bad, and that can affect our business. It can also provide a negative image of the appraiser to the homeowner. If they are not happy with the appraisal on their home that negative experience, as well as the bad first impression, can breed feelings of incompetence on our part. What do you think about this subject? Have you had any bad experiences? I would be interested in hearing from appraisers on both sides of this topic.
About being on time. Traffic in market is pretty brutal and sometimes traffic can delay my arrival. One thing that has helped my company maintain a good reputation regarding being on time is provide a window of arrival. We generally make the appointment time a window between say 11 to 12 am for someone we know will be home during that time and that this window of time won’t inconvenience them.
There’s 2 benefits to setting them up this way:
1.) If you arrive at 11:30, they’re not upset, and
2.) You’re not on your mobile phone while driving to call them extending your appointment time due to traffic mishaps.
Bill
Good idea Bill. Most people are pretty good and understanding and don’t mind the window, as long as it’s not a 2-3 hour or more window.
” If they are not happy with the appraisal on their home that negative experience, as well as the bad first impression, can breed feelings of incompetence on our part.” – that is so true Tom! Great Point! There are numerous things that an appraiser can do to help make the appraisal a positive experience. Being on time is a big one for me. I really don’t like to be late and homeowners often thank me for being on time.
Good point about being on time. I am even very careful about making small talk about college football because that can be a touchy subject here in the south as you know.