I just returned from a week in Southern California completing the Appraisal Institute Advanced Residential Applications and Case Studies Part 1 and Advanced Residential Report Writing Part 2 classes. These are the last educational requirements in my path to the SRA designation (a mark of excellence in residential real estate appraisal) and are the most labor-intensive classes I have ever taken. That includes all classes, not just real estate appraisal, going all the way back to college.
The premise of this curriculum is to spend a week (Wednesday thru Tuesday) taking instruction each day and writing a case study narrative appraisal each evening. If completed and passed (including an exam), the course counts toward the Appraisal Institute demonstration report requirement. If you are planning to attempt this program, I have some advice for you.
Prepare in advance. I was lucky and knew people who had previously taken the classes. They told me to complete as much of the case study work as possible prior to attending. This was very helpful advice because there are not enough hours in the day to complete all of the work (particularly in high quality) if you have not prepared in advance.
Do not take this course near your home and try to commute. I traveled by air to Ontario, California because the curriculum was not offered (and is not scheduled to be offered) in the Portland, Oregon area. However, since the classes compress several weeks of work into just seven days, there is no time for anything except class during the day and homework at night. There were groups of appraisers studying together (and sharing hysteria about the task at hand) until late every night at the hotel. If I had gone home each evening, the distractions of family would have made it nearly impossible to complete all of the work.
Clear your schedule and do not try to complete any appraisal assignments in the evenings during the class. If you do try to do other things, you will not have time to complete the assignments and you will risk wasting both time and money that you have committed.
Please contact me if you are planning to take the Appraisal Institute’s Advanced Residential Report Writing and Case Studies classes and have questions. I am happy to assist you in any way possible. If you are not sure if you want to go through such a grueling process, my advice is - do it. The satisfaction of completing it and the things that you learn along the way are worth it.
Did I leave anything out or do you want to join in the conversation? Let me know in the comments below.
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Thanks for reading,
Gary