I just wrapped up a lunch and learn at an eXp Realty office here in my market, and it was a good reminder of something appraisers tend to overlook. Some of the best business opportunities are not sitting behind your desk. They are in a conference room with a sandwich and a group of agents who are trying to figure out how to price deals better.
This one came together through an agent in my BNI group who asked if I would speak to his team. Nothing formal. About 10 agents, lunch, drinks, and a laptop hooked up to a TV. No production, no pressure, just a conversation. And honestly, that is what made it work.
The biggest mistake you can make walking into something like this is trying to sell your services. Agents can smell that from a mile away and they will tune out fast. The real goal is to educate. When you help agents understand how appraisers think and how valuations actually work, you position yourself as the expert. Once that trust is there, the business tends to follow without you having to force it.
I kept the presentation simple. About five or six slides, just enough to stay organized and not ramble. A quick intro with a “call me anytime” message, a breakdown of how I search for comparables, what agents should bring to an appraisal, a few common adjustments, some real-world scenarios, and then a quick overview of my services at the end. No fluff, no 50-slide marathon.
The most valuable part was walking them through a real example. I pulled up a neighborhood and showed exactly how I search for comps, what I filter for, how far back I go, and what actually matters. Then I flipped it back on them and explained how they can make the process smoother. Bring a few solid comps. Have a list of updates ready. Share the contract and anything relevant. Basic stuff, but most agents have never actually seen how we do it on our end.
And this needs to be said. If an agent shows up to your inspection with information and you brush it off, you are hurting yourself. That agent is not just noise. They are a potential referral source and they might actually know the neighborhood better than you do. Your job is to consider all relevant information, not ignore it. You do not have to use it, but you should at least review it. Ignoring it is not professionalism. It is ego, and it costs you business.
Another part that really clicked with them was going over simple neighborhood stats. Days on market, list-to-sale price ratios, pricing trends. This is the stuff they actually use in conversations with sellers. When you can show them how to think through those numbers, you become more than just the appraiser they call when they have to. You become a resource.
I also shared a real example of an agent who underpriced a property by about forty to fifty thousand dollars. Nothing complicated about the house. No unusual features. Just bad pricing. A pre-listing appraisal would have completely changed that situation. Stories like that stick a lot more than theory ever will.
At the end, I spent a few minutes going over services. Pre-listing appraisals, work for cash buyers, helping with stale listings, and even a newer option combining a pre-listing appraisal with professional photography. Nothing pushy. Just showing where I fit into their business now that they understand what I do.
That one hour in a small office is not just one meeting. It is ten agents who now understand your process, ten agents more likely to call you, and ten agents who can refer you to someone else. Not a bad return for showing up and being helpful.
If you get the chance to speak at an office, take it. Every time.
If you want more opportunities like this and want to grow your non-lender business, get connected. Check out the Appraisal Referral Network at ReferAppraisals.com. There are over 1,600 members nationwide with both free and paid options depending on what you need.
And if you are already an Elite member, take a look at the Lunch and Learn module inside the non-lender course. It walks through exactly how to land these presentations and make the most out of them.
