| This Appraiser's Journal beginning May 10, 2006 |
It is my intention to write a little from
time to time about the goings-on around
here --- mostly in the appraisal arena.
One must remember that what happens
to each of us day-by-day and beginning
minute-by-minute from the time we
awake each morning affects our state of
being. My state is California and more
specifically Northern California and even
more specifically --- Humboldt County ---
and well, specifically Trinidad,
Humboldt County, Northern California,
U.S.A. I am thinking about my time and
place in the world-wide- web and the
state of things, places, people, events.
I have been diligently working on
creating my website since last Friday
when I finally broke down and took the
best deal I could find to get on the web:
the start up fee had been waived and the
monthly rate cut $2 for 2 months. Best
of all, Yahoo! offers 24/7 tech support!
So far I have telephoned the toll-free
number 16 times and spoken to Holly,
Christian, Terence, Billy, Tammy, Billy,
Brandon, Mozom, Henry, Ray, Jose,
Calvin, Mark, Angel, Mark and Carina ---
with every call ending with an asurrance
that "we want to thank you for calling
Yahoo! and is there anything more I can
do for you? You have a very good day..."
"...good evening..."
Tuesday morning, our telephone rang at
6:10am and my husband John
scrambled down the ladder (we were just
waking up in the loft) to try to reach the
phone before our answering machine
did. I peer down at him and he turned
and looked up to me to say: "It's for you
--- it's Bank of America."
I must admit that this is the earliest in the
day a lender has ever telephoned me.
Ever. But, I was excited at the thought
that this could be an assignment with a
lender I had not yet had the pleasure
with which to work.
The nice lady on the other end said: "I'm
the one who calls the bad appraisers..."
Then she laughed as she explained that
she was returning my call to her of the
day before when I was trying to connect
with their appraisal department. She is in
procurement and does indeed call the
appraisers that have done something
wrong and are on the 'bad appraisers'
list. We had a very enjoyable
conversation and I was surprised to hear
she was also calling from the west coast
but she was unsure of my area code
thinking that it could have been further
east --- which would have made it further
along into the later morning hours. She
happily gave me the phone numbers of
two other folks to try to reach (in the east)
and the fax number of a collegue of hers
who was putting together some
publication for which she needed
"copy". I thanked her and faxed and
emailed her collegue some information
and telephoned and left messages for
the two folks in the eastern branch. I
have not yet heard from them so I will
call them again tomorrow.
time to time about the goings-on around
here --- mostly in the appraisal arena.
One must remember that what happens
to each of us day-by-day and beginning
minute-by-minute from the time we
awake each morning affects our state of
being. My state is California and more
specifically Northern California and even
more specifically --- Humboldt County ---
and well, specifically Trinidad,
Humboldt County, Northern California,
U.S.A. I am thinking about my time and
place in the world-wide- web and the
state of things, places, people, events.
I have been diligently working on
creating my website since last Friday
when I finally broke down and took the
best deal I could find to get on the web:
the start up fee had been waived and the
monthly rate cut $2 for 2 months. Best
of all, Yahoo! offers 24/7 tech support!
So far I have telephoned the toll-free
number 16 times and spoken to Holly,
Christian, Terence, Billy, Tammy, Billy,
Brandon, Mozom, Henry, Ray, Jose,
Calvin, Mark, Angel, Mark and Carina ---
with every call ending with an asurrance
that "we want to thank you for calling
Yahoo! and is there anything more I can
do for you? You have a very good day..."
"...good evening..."
Tuesday morning, our telephone rang at
6:10am and my husband John
scrambled down the ladder (we were just
waking up in the loft) to try to reach the
phone before our answering machine
did. I peer down at him and he turned
and looked up to me to say: "It's for you
--- it's Bank of America."
I must admit that this is the earliest in the
day a lender has ever telephoned me.
Ever. But, I was excited at the thought
that this could be an assignment with a
lender I had not yet had the pleasure
with which to work.
The nice lady on the other end said: "I'm
the one who calls the bad appraisers..."
Then she laughed as she explained that
she was returning my call to her of the
day before when I was trying to connect
with their appraisal department. She is in
procurement and does indeed call the
appraisers that have done something
wrong and are on the 'bad appraisers'
list. We had a very enjoyable
conversation and I was surprised to hear
she was also calling from the west coast
but she was unsure of my area code
thinking that it could have been further
east --- which would have made it further
along into the later morning hours. She
happily gave me the phone numbers of
two other folks to try to reach (in the east)
and the fax number of a collegue of hers
who was putting together some
publication for which she needed
"copy". I thanked her and faxed and
emailed her collegue some information
and telephoned and left messages for
the two folks in the eastern branch. I
have not yet heard from them so I will
call them again tomorrow.
A little later in the day, as I was working
on my appraisal website, my telephone
rang. It was Billie calling from Detroit
(from another lender I have contacted to
be placed on their approved appraiser
list). He told me they really need more
appraisers in our area since Humboldt
County is so compar- atively scantily
populated and to be sure and read the
email he had sent and get the
information back to him that he had
requested. He left me his call-back
number saying: "Just in case the email
didn't get through...". I commented:
"What a long extension number (sic. 5
digits). Your company must be very
large." He said yes probably over 3,000
folks there and I said hmmm... that's
more folks than in most of our towns out
here. He said --- soulfully ---- he
understood small towns, he being from
West Virginia. I am wondering why he is
in Detroit.
The next call was the one I made to
check in to my office in Eureka. I do this
every day to see if there are any calls I
need to return or any new assignments.
The boss told me he had heard from
Wells Fargo Bank Estate Department
inquiring about whether there had been
a property value increase in a site I had
appraised last November. I got the news
back to him a little later that there had
been only 2 land sales in the Trinidad
area since then; 1 for 15 acres sold at
about half million and the other for 20
acres on the ocean sold at over 1.5
million: no recent comparables on
which to base a reappraisal.
By 9:30pm last night, I finished my
website --- my 2nd website. When
Victoria's 1st web page was published on
Sunday, I notified my most trusted family
members and friends and invited them to
"visit my web page". My daughter Emily
(age 23) emailed her suggestions:
instead of one loooooong page I should
divide up the information and link it all
on the first page and certainly I should
remove the background music! Her
husband said Yes! Nobody wants a
middy playing in the background. Do
you know what a middy is? I screamed
out (to myself) No! I'll never remove the
music! I like it too much! I removed the
music and I created 5 pages and I
published my 2nd website at 9:30pm last
night. I hope you like it!
You are reading my on-going story in
This Appraiser's Journal.
on my appraisal website, my telephone
rang. It was Billie calling from Detroit
(from another lender I have contacted to
be placed on their approved appraiser
list). He told me they really need more
appraisers in our area since Humboldt
County is so compar- atively scantily
populated and to be sure and read the
email he had sent and get the
information back to him that he had
requested. He left me his call-back
number saying: "Just in case the email
didn't get through...". I commented:
"What a long extension number (sic. 5
digits). Your company must be very
large." He said yes probably over 3,000
folks there and I said hmmm... that's
more folks than in most of our towns out
here. He said --- soulfully ---- he
understood small towns, he being from
West Virginia. I am wondering why he is
in Detroit.
The next call was the one I made to
check in to my office in Eureka. I do this
every day to see if there are any calls I
need to return or any new assignments.
The boss told me he had heard from
Wells Fargo Bank Estate Department
inquiring about whether there had been
a property value increase in a site I had
appraised last November. I got the news
back to him a little later that there had
been only 2 land sales in the Trinidad
area since then; 1 for 15 acres sold at
about half million and the other for 20
acres on the ocean sold at over 1.5
million: no recent comparables on
which to base a reappraisal.
By 9:30pm last night, I finished my
website --- my 2nd website. When
Victoria's 1st web page was published on
Sunday, I notified my most trusted family
members and friends and invited them to
"visit my web page". My daughter Emily
(age 23) emailed her suggestions:
instead of one loooooong page I should
divide up the information and link it all
on the first page and certainly I should
remove the background music! Her
husband said Yes! Nobody wants a
middy playing in the background. Do
you know what a middy is? I screamed
out (to myself) No! I'll never remove the
music! I like it too much! I removed the
music and I created 5 pages and I
published my 2nd website at 9:30pm last
night. I hope you like it!
You are reading my on-going story in
This Appraiser's Journal.
5/16: Today I was excited to receive an
assignment in Ferndale --- especially
since when I travel there I stop by the
No-Brand-Burger Stand for a very
delicious hamburger! I'll bring back
some pictures.
assignment in Ferndale --- especially
since when I travel there I stop by the
No-Brand-Burger Stand for a very
delicious hamburger! I'll bring back
some pictures.
The Victorian village of Ferndale was a
delight, as usual, and we tried the Bleu
Cheese Burgers at the No Brand Burger
Stand. Very Yummy Rich! And don't
pass up the onion rings... how do they
do that? Very huge and fluffy! Here are
some pictures of the friendly,
hard-working owners and their
one-of-a-kind establishment ---
delight, as usual, and we tried the Bleu
Cheese Burgers at the No Brand Burger
Stand. Very Yummy Rich! And don't
pass up the onion rings... how do they
do that? Very huge and fluffy! Here are
some pictures of the friendly,
hard-working owners and their
one-of-a-kind establishment ---
Continuing on page 7...
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