It’s time. That last appraisal is done. Review completed. Vacation scheduled. It’s go time.
There’re few professionals that need a vacation more than appraisers. Most haven’t taken a vacation in 3+ years. That’s way too long to wait to recharge.
Everyone needs time off, even if it’s just a long weekend. Sometimes vacations involve lots of arduous travel, airports, rental cars, hotels, on the go. But when it’s all said and done, there’s memories that you get forever.
I recall a really great day playing golf with some friends last weekend in Savannah. Though my golf performance was no bueno, we yucked it up for about 5 hours. Luckily, we came back to little damage from Hurricane Ian in the Tampa Bay area, super lucky. Prayers for Southwest Florida.
Vacations increase mindfulness
Did you think you’d be working this hard at this stage of your career?
As we have less appraisers in the fee and bank world, existing people pick up the slack. Without the use of processes augmented with technology, stress levels can go through the roof. This can be a big negative on your health.
Chronic working has no net career benefits. It’s like a slow burn, diminishing your attitude, and ultimately a huge drain on productivity.
Break your normal routine
Your vacations don’t have to be exotic. It can be as simple as staying at a super cool hotel in your own town (with phone and laptop off). Maybe schedule a made-up golf tournament with friends with faux prizes. Maybe keep it relatively short but funky.
My wife and I randomly were invited to a bar mitzvah in Tel Aviv in a few weeks. It would have been easy to say, “no thanks.” I don’t know what to expect, but I guarantee it will not be our normal routine. Be open to the randomness of time off.
Taking time off improves your capacity to learn. Clear your mind by not thinking of anything to do with appraising. Yes, you love your career, but if you don’t break out of working everyday (yes checking emails counts), your passion can wane.
It takes a relaxed state of mind to come up with ‘aha’ moments that can significantly improve the productivity of your appraisal firm or appraisal department. Without time off, there’s no new ideas, just a recycling of reruns.
Lower blood pressure
Ironically stepping away from your keyboard can renew your sense of purpose. Reenergizing how you view the valuation industry and your contribution.
Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress; working hard for something we love is called passion.
Banks are struggling to keep up with appraisal volume. Appraisal firms have their talent being poached by nationals. Take a break to clear your mind on how to address your day-to-day challenges.
Boost energy levels
Technology alone isn’t the solution to productivity. When it’s wrapped with customized processes is where results are realized. At Realwired, we understand the frustrations of the fee appraiser and bank appraiser alike. Providing productivity software like YouConnect and DataComp Suite, along with access to best practices, facilitates addressing the overwhelming volume.
Appraisal departments that lack full transparency and reporting with their platform, feel stress. Commercial fee appraisers that lack the basics like comp database and report writing are falling further and further behind. Many are experiencing fatigue.
So where are you going on your next vacation?
Your goal is a relaxed state of mind.
It doesn’t matter where. Just go.
