Book 1 - Appraisal Institute of Canada

MEMBER PROFILE
a step, but, if you cannot do the
99 steps before that, then you will
struggle at completing the final one.
I have concluded that it is important
for people to start by developing
a solid grasp of the first 30 steps.
Then, the next 70 are much easier
for them to do.”
Because ‘assistants’ do not
provide significant professional
assistance, they do not need to sign
their names to appraisals or to be
insured and registered as candidates
with the Institute. In fact, the AIC
has recently created a non-insured
Student Membership category which
supports programs such as Dybvig’s.
When hiring trainees, Grover,
Elliott & Co. looks for people with
analytical skills and an undergraduate
degree, who are taking or
are interested in taking appraisal
courses. “I want somebody who
shows passion for the work,” says
Dybvig, adding that he will choose
someone who enjoys going to open
houses and reads the business section
of the newspaper over someone
who does not. “When I was a candidate,
most people got into appraising
as a second or third career. Now,
many people get into it while they
are still in university. That is a positive
thing. The earlier you can get
them and the lower the level you can
bring them in at, the quicker they
are going to be productive.”
Dybvig also has some advice for
young people thinking of entering
the profession. “They need to make
sure they understand the educational
and other requirements,” he
says. “This can be a lot of work.” To
learn about real estate, he suggests
people interested in appraising start
by doing such simple things as reading
the real estate section of their
local newspapers and visiting the
properties described. Or, they can go
to their municipal web site and learn
about planning land use controls in
their community. They can also read
market reports available on web
sites for local residential and commercial
brokerages and go to see
the properties and neighbourhoods
discussed therein.
“Then, if you are still serious, take
courses,” he continues. “Employers
prefer serious applicants who have
completed some of the classes to
others who have not. And, if you
do not yet have a degree, the best
one to get is a business degree that
makes you eligible for the AIC/UBC
Post Graduate Certificate Program.”
Dybvig requires anyone he hires
to give the company a three-year
commitment. Another one of his
best practices is to require everyone
joining Grover, Elliott and Co. to
have taken the Standards and Ethics
Seminar before starting work with
the company. As they progress, they
train any incoming appraisal assistants.
When they finish their course
load, they register as candidates and
become junior appraisers under the
primary supervision of three senior
AACIs in the office. “Then, it is up to
the supervising appraiser to ensure
that the candidates work within the
standards in everything they do,”
says Dybvig.
To assure the public that candidates
who co-sign reports are
provided appropriate guidance and
supervision, Institute policy provides
requires designated members to register
four candidates only. However,
this ratio has proven to be challenging
for a company such as Grover,
Elliott, where candidate training and
supervision is spread out over a
number of AACIs.
Dybvig appreciates the great
advances the Institute has made
in educating and grooming future
appraisers. He notes that trainees
and candidates continuously find
similarities between case studies in
courses and the work that takes place
in the office. He also reflects on the
great strides made since he trained
as an appraiser in the early 1970s:
“Today, I do not think you could find
a valuation organization that has a
better connection with its education
and actual practice in the field.”
His advice to employers is to
maximize on the excellent training
provided to today’s candidates.
On the other hand, he cautions
that bringing on a candidate is not
necessarily “for everybody.” “It is a
long-term commitment,” he explains.
“You have to be prepared to invest
time in people. But, if you do it, the
youthful enthusiasm is a real asset.”
Be an author for the Canadian Appraiser
Canadian Appraiser magazine is one
of the Appraisal Institute of Canada’s
most effective tools for communication
with and between members. Every
issue is distributed Canada-wide to
the Institute’s entire membership
of AACIs, CRAs and Candidates. An
expanded distribution and subscription
list extends the reach of this magazine
to Institute members’ clients, affiliate
organizations and libraries.
Through content licensing
arrangements Canadian Appraiser
articles are made available to
researchers and students by way of
various research libraries’ electronic
databases. As well, all articles are
posted on AIC’s web site where they
are fully available to Internet users via
popular search engines.
In addition to regular features dealing
with such significant initiatives as
continuing professional development,
standards, liability insurance,
communications and professional
practice, each issue also provides
a venue for members to share their
knowledge, expertise and experience by
contributing articles they have written
on timely and informative appraisalrelated
topics.
The CPD Program allows for
members to earn a maximum of 40
credits for authoring articles throughout
the 5-year cycle. Credits should be
reported on the basis of one credit per
hour required to author the articles.
If you are interested in contributing
an article, please contact Joanne
Charlebois, AIC’s Director of
Communications at (613) 234-6533
ext. 224 or joannec@aicanada.ca
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C a n a d i a n
Appraiser
Volume 51 • book 1 • 2007
Evaluateur
C a n a d i e n