Why? – Just Why?

 

Some people are leaders. Some people are followers. Some are takers and some are givers.  We are all different and we all contribute to society in different ways.

By now you are probably wondering where the heck are we going with this. No it is not about stepping up your involvement with VaCAP (although we will not object if you do), It is about supporting those individuals who support you. We want to take you behind the scenes of an industry publication that has been promoting the growth in appraisal Independence since 2011.

From their website:

“AppraisersBlogs started off with the intention of bringing news from appraisers’ coalitions, appraisal organizations, appraisers’ blogs, appraisers’ newsletters, appraisal software, etc. in one place. AppraisersBlogs also features the voice of real estate appraisers sharing their perspectives about the appraisal industry and discussing key issues affecting all sectors of the real estate appraisal profession. Appraisers who do not have a blog and don’t want the hassle of maintaining one, are welcome to use AppraisersBlogs as a venue to voice their opinions or make an announcement”

AppraisersBlogs is owned by an appraiser and a member of VaCAP. The owner, Desiree Mehbod, has been operating AppraisersBlogs by herself as a dedication to the profession. AppraisersBlogs does not accept any advertising, nor are any advertising articles ever published. No appraiser blogger has ever paid one penny to be published on AppraisersBlogs.  AppraisersBlogs is solely funded by the owner.

Does anyone know the time and expense of operating such a blog? Articles are published 3-4 days per week. How many late nights have been spent searching the web for an appropriate photograph to correspond to an article? Getting permission to use the photo without violating copyright laws? How many photos have been paid for?  How many hours are spent resolving security threats? Updating the programming? Fixing issues as a result of the latest update? How many times has the owner had to stop and approve a comment?

Well, the owner is so dedicated, she will not share how much it costs. It is not about the money we are told.  She is truly a giver of the profession. Rest assured, through our communication over the years, the amount of money spent out of her own pocket amounts to hundreds of dollars per month. This does not count the late night / early morning hours preparing the article for the next day’s release at the expense of not getting an appraisal report delivered.

Have you ever Googled an appraiser topic? Guess what, AppraiserBlogs articles are always at the top of your search results. This is not by accident. It is because of several things; the behind the scenes Search Engine Optimization, the length of the articles and the amount of comments on the Blog. A great amount of time is spent ensuring the public is made aware of appraisal concerns.  Unlike some forums and social media groups, anyone with internet access can participate on AppraisersBlogs. AppraisersBlogs is a great educational tool for the public.

Did you know AppraiserBlogs also has an appraiser directory available to all licensed and certified appraisers free of charge? Appraisers who guest blog on AppraisersBlogs are eligible to be upgraded or appraisers may pay for an upgraded placement listing. VaCAP knows first-hand the amount of time involved in maintaining such a directory. (One of the reasons we no longer have a directory)

Why does she do this? Simple, she wants to!

Now think about all the publications appraisers receive. Are there any others that don’t accept advertising? Are there any others that promote an agenda of appraisal independence? In all honesty, most other publications are biased to their advertiser’s agendas. How many of those publications have appraisers commenting? Are the comments censored?  AppraisersBlogs believes in free speech:

 From their website:

“AppraisersBlogs does not make a habit of censoring language or even passionate disagreements. We ask posters to be civil but ultimately it is the collective conscience of the blog readers and commenters that set the tone. This is a public forum. We try very hard to follow the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution though we have and will debar purely disruptive entities after explaining WHY. Post at your own risk of rebuttal.” 

So why are we sharing all this information with you about AppraisersBlogs?  It is time to give back to those that give so much of themselves to the profession.  On every article on AppraisersBlogs you will see random advertisements. These are Google Ads and are not part of AppraiserBlogs. However, if you click any of those ads, some funds are filtered back to AppraisersBlogs. Some ads pay a few pennies, but some pay dollars. These are random ads that don’t cost you any money to click. The funds AppraisersBlogs receives does not influence the articles published.

Let’s show the owner of AppraiserBlogs how much we appreciate what she gives to the profession each and every day. Start clicking the ads on the Blog. She will not know it was you, but she will know her efforts are appreciated and valued.

Check out AppraisersBlogs and e-Appraisers Directory now.