Category: Goals

I spend time in appraisal Facebook forums for one reason only: to observe. I don’t post much. I read. I scroll. I watch how appraisers think. Some are sharp as hell. Some are insightful. Some clearly know their craft. And some… confidently don’t.

 

Every few weeks, the same post shows up in a slightly different flavor:

 

“I’m super dead right now.”
“Worst month I’ve ever had.”
“I haven’t received an order all month.”
“Anyone else seeing this?”

 

And then the comments roll in.

 

A few people say they’re busy.
A few people say they’re even deader. Most just pile on with a collective group therapy session of misery.

 

Here’s my honest question: what does that accomplish?

 

Why do you care if another appraiser in your market is slow? What does their volume have to do with your business? Comparing how dead you are to how dead someone else is doesn’t pay a bill, doesn’t create a lead, and doesn’t magically make January better.

 

It’s just a bitch fest. What I wish I’d see more of is this:

 

“December was slow. I had no orders. Here’s what I’m doing about it.”

 

Because being slow isn’t the problem. Staying slow is. If December sucked, fine. Acknowledge it. But then answer the only question that actually matters:

 

What’s your plan so this year’s shitty December doesn’t turn into next year’s shitty January?

 

And this is where things usually fall apart. A lot of appraisers are going to do absolutely nothing. They’ll kick the can. They’ll blame rates. They’ll say they’re retiring soon anyway. They’ll keep waiting for the market to save them.

I chose a different route.

 

I’m willing to get up at 7:00 a.m. every Wednesday and spend two hours at a networking meeting.
I’m willing to meet for coffee and lunch with potential clients during the week.
I’m willing to spend hours marketing through emails, social media, follow-ups, and actual conversations.
I’m willing to build relationships instead of waiting for orders to magically appear.

 

And you know what happened?

 

2025 was one of the highest-grossing years of my appraisal career. I’ve been doing this since 2002, and I made more money this year than ever before. That happened in a high-interest-rate environment, with no refinance boom and limited sales activity. That’s not luck. That’s behavior.

 

I recently heard Tony Robbins respond to someone who said, “I have a great idea.” His answer was simple: I don’t care. Because everyone has great ideas. What separates people isn’t ideas. It’s implementation. Action beats an idea every single time.

 

So the next time you feel like posting about how slow you are, go ahead and acknowledge it. Then ask yourself the harder question: What am I actually doing to change this?

 

Create a plan. Create a vision. Take action. Complaining is easy. Doing the work is optional. But only one of those leads to a better year.

Final Thought

If you want help getting out of the slow cycle and building real momentum, that’s exactly why the Appraisal Referral Network exists. It’s built for appraisers who want to take action, not just talk about how dead they are.

 

If you want to make 2026 different, join the network or reach out to me directly. I’m happy to help. There are plenty of solid resources in this profession, but none of them work unless you do.

 

Action beats an idea any day of the week.