Posted by Randy on October 19, 1998 at 22:23:34:
I am a licensed appraiser. In my state there is no disclosure rule when buying a property. I hope not because I don’t. So a seller won’t know you’re an appraiser. Well unless you’re a good one, in which case hopefully everyone would know who you are.
If they did seem hesitant about your license, I would simply inform the seller that you are an investor too, and NOT a magic value maker. When you are a buyer you are an investor and can not be an impartial appraiser. You have shown an interest in the property and cannot perform an appraisal because of that personal or business interest. Besides that purchase negotiating should be a win/win situation. You want their future referrals for both properties and appraisals.
Don’t ever name dollar amounts unless making real purchase negotiations. They will ty to hold you to your word or first impression without your performing adequate research.
You’ll need to take lots of state accepted appraisal education courses to get your license. Ask your instructors about your state’s rules during the classes. They are usually lifetime pros with professional group affiliations. They are a super resource so ask lots of questions… About everything real estate.