I can feel it in the air. Spring is here, and with it comes that sense of optimism. The days are getting longer, the snow is melting, and the world is waking up. For our industry, this isn’t just a change in seasons; it’s a signal that things are about to get busy. A new Federal Chairman is stepping in this May who is pro-lowering interest rates to get the mortgage market moving again. This will likely mean an onslaught of new work. Are you ready? Now is the time to get your house in order. Dust off those SOPs and streamline your workflows.

Let’s talk about education. For a lot of appraisers, that word leaves a bad taste in their mouth. It’s something that’s “required,” a box to check, and most of the time, we’re just trying to get it over with as cheaply and quickly as possible. We do the bare minimum. Then you have the other group, the appraisers who actually enjoy learning. They go to conferences, they take extra classes, and they’re always looking to sharpen their skills. But a retreat? That’s a completely different animal.

For years, my friend Blaine Feyen and I have been on the same page about what it takes to be a successful appraiser and, more importantly, a successful person. We both believe that your business should serve your life, not the other way around. We both believe that there’s a smarter way to work than just grinding out more hours. And we both believe that the best way to grow is to surround yourself with people who are on the same path.

Last year, we put our heads together and hosted the first-ever Elevate Retreat in California, just outside Yosemite. It wasn’t a conference. It was a small group of appraisers from all over the country, living together in a hilltop hacienda, learning, and growing. We had Tai Chi in the morning, catered lunches, and optional fire-side chats every evening. We even took a tour of Yosemite together. It was incredible. People forged new visions for their lives, not just their businesses. We talked about everything from marketing and automation to mindset and personal finance. It was a holistic approach to building a better life as an appraiser.

Every single person who attended said the investment in time and money was a no-brainer. The value they got in return was immeasurable. So, of course, we had to do it again. After a little pivot from our original Puerto Rico plan (thanks to some military build-up in the Caribbean), we’ve landed on the perfect spot: the Brair Patch Inn in Sedona, Arizona, from November 9th to 11th. It’s the #1 rated Airbnb resort in Sedona, with indoor and outdoor learning areas, including a spot right by the creek. There are sleeping cabins right on the compound. This isn’t about cramming for your CE credits. This is about elevating your life.

Carpenter Lost His Square

We’re going to be talking about how to build a business that gives you more freedom, more money, and more time to do the things you love. We’re going to be talking about how to use AI to automate the boring stuff so you can focus on the high-value tasks. And we’re going to be doing it all in one of the most beautiful places on earth. Seats are extremely limited, and when they’re gone, they’re gone. As a member of the All-Star team, you get a 10% discount with a coupon code (10ELEVATE2026). I hope to see you there. This is an investment in yourself, and it’s one that will pay dividends for years to come. We’re going to have a blast, and you’re going to walk away with a whole new perspective on your business and your life. I guarantee it. This is your chance to get out of the office, connect with other forward-thinking appraisers, and learn from two of the best in the business. Don’t miss out.

Point #1: Claude Code

If you’re not a coder but you want to start automating your business, you need to check out Claude Code. It’s an AI that can write code for you. You just tell it what you want to do in plain English, and it will spit out the code. It will build the thing. It’s not perfect, but it’s a great way to get started with automation. I’ve used it to create simple scripts to automate tasks in my own business, and it’s saved me a ton of time.

Point #2: Matt Wolfe’s “Future Tools” YouTube Channel

If you want to stay on top of what’s new in the world of AI without spending hours a day reading tech blogs, you need to subscribe to Matt Wolfe’s YouTube channel, “Future Tools.” He does a great job of breaking down the latest AI news, tools, and tutorials in a way that’s easy to understand. He’s one of the best in the game, and his channel is a one-stop-shop for anyone who wants to keep up with this crazy, fast-moving world.

Let’s talk about automation, but not in a scary, “robots are taking our jobs” kind of way. I’m talking about using simple tools to connect the dots in your marketing so you can focus on what you’re good at: appraising. Tools like Make.com, n8n, or even Claude Code can be your secret weapon for lead generation.

Think about your lead funnel. Maybe you have a lead magnet on your website, or you’re active on Instagram or Facebook. Maybe you just have an email list. How are you keeping those people engaged? AI can help you figure out who your ideal client is and how to reach them, but then you need a system to actually do the reaching. That’s where a tool like Make.com comes in. It’s probably the best bet for what I’m describing.

Imagine this: someone downloads your lead magnet. Make.com can automatically add them to your email list, send them a welcome email, and then schedule a series of follow-up emails over the next few weeks. It can connect to tools like Hootsuite to schedule your social media posts, gather emails from your website, and even help you write the scripts for your drip campaigns. It keeps your contacts warm without you having to lift a finger. This is the key to not just finding, but keeping your contacts engaged. Most people are playing with AI for fun, but they’re not using it to actually make money. By connecting your lead generation tools and using them effectively, you can create a system that keeps you as busy as you want to be. It’s about building a machine that works for you in the background, so you can spend your time on the high-value tasks that actually bring in the revenue.

Here’s a real-world example: Let’s say you want to target attorneys who specialize in divorce and estate work. You could use AI to scrape a list of these attorneys in your area. Then, you could use Make.com to automatically send them a personalized email introducing yourself and your services. You could even set up a drip campaign to send them a series of helpful articles or resources over the next few months. This is a much more targeted and effective way to market your services than just sending out a generic postcard to every attorney in the phone book. You can even use AI to help you write the content for those emails, so you’re not spending hours staring at a blank page. The possibilities are endless. It’s all about using these tools to work smarter, not harder. And the best part is, once you set it up, it runs on its own. You can be out on an inspection, and your marketing machine is still working for you, bringing in new leads and nurturing your existing contacts. That’s the power of automation. It’s like having a whole marketing team working for you 24/7, for a fraction of the cost. It’s time to stop thinking like an appraiser and start thinking like a business owner.

There’s a funny meme going around right now that makes fun of a very real situation many of us are in. It jokes about how AI was supposed to simplify our lives, but now we’re all spending more time in front of a computer, not less. It’s funny because it’s true. I find myself in front of a screen more now than I did a year ago. But here’s the nuance that the meme misses: that time is incredibly productive.

I’m not just mindlessly scrolling. I’m directing my agentic helpers, my little AI assistants, to create and do stuff for me. That extra screen time is allowing me to make more money, which in turn is giving me more freedom. I can work from anywhere, and there is blue ocean everywhere you look with this new technology. I saw a chart recently that showed how few people have actually adopted and are using agentic AI. The numbers are dismal. Maybe you’re tired of hearing about AI. I get it, but it’s here to stay, my friends. The quicker you find a way to adapt it to your life and your business, the more success you’re going to find, and you’ll find it much earlier in the game than everyone else. This is not a trend that’s going to fade away. It’s a fundamental shift in how we work and live. The people who embrace it now are the ones who are going to be ahead of the curve in the years to come. The ones who don’t are going to be left behind. It’s as simple as that. So, my challenge to you this month is to pick one thing in your business that you can automate with AI. Just one thing. It doesn’t have to be a huge, complicated workflow. It can be as simple as using AI to help you write your emails or social media posts. The important thing is to just get started. Once you see how much time and energy you can save, you’ll be hooked. The future is here, and it’s up to you to decide if you’re going to be a part of it.

Now, go create some value!