Language is important. We often get so caught up in the moment, so laser-focused on how we feel about something, that we become casual in the verbiage that we use. Often, we say one thing without realizing or considering that it could mean something else. This is why it is so important to be exact a...

You may have heard that you can’t have opinions about the color of a room or shaggy carpet as you’re doing your job and walking through homes… that’s dead wrong. If orange shag carpet can make a difference in value and you can support that in the marketplace, you not only can, but you have an obliga...

If you’ve been a part of the appraisal world for long, you’ve had this experience. You’ve just submitted a completed report that you feel pretty good about. Soon afterward, however, you are contacted by an underwriter requesting that you look at some additional “comps” for use in your report. What d...

I was recently proofreading a paper my son had written for a class and came across a quote from Benjamin Franklin. My son used quotation marks to offset the words of Franklin, but had no other reference. This led to a discussion about the importance of being able to reference our information, and...

Toward the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, I heard a lot of people who said something like, “Dustin, I think that there’s going to be a lot more flexibility because of this.” Now, I like to look at change as a positive thing. I like the opportunity afforded us by change, but I also think that we...

Let’s talk about comp photos, and what they really are. If I were to ask you, “Does Fannie Mae require comp photos,” you would probably respond, “Yes.” And you would be dead wrong. If you take a look at the Fannie Mae certification, they require you to drive the comps and the neighborhood, but they ...