As a real estate investor, I have the opportunity to rub shoulders with all kinds of people, even other appraisers on occasion. With a recent house purchase in another state, I got a call from the appraiser of this property as he was planning a visit out there. We talked about what was still needed and how to go about the property moving forward. I never mentioned that I was in his same line of work, but it was a breath of fresh air when I got off the phone and I was reminded of a principle I teach: The Arnold Palmer Effect.  You might be thinking of the golfer, but I mean the drink, whi ..read more

I want to talk today about something with which we are all familiar. I believe that we need to keep this in the forefront of our minds as business owners. This term is “opportunity cost.” The idea of opportunity cost is, “what are you missing out on when you do x,” the idea here being that when you do activity x, you cannot also do activity y, m, z, q, etc. During winter here in Idaho, it can be easy to get cabin fever. I can only stay nice and cozy inside for so long before I have to get out. When I get out during the winter, I like to go skiing or snowmobiling. Unfortunately, I can’t to bot ..read more

I talk a lot on this blog about change. That’s partly because so much change has happened just during my time as an appraiser. I’ve seen the advent of laser measuring, electronic forms, and most recently, remote appraisals. This industry is seemingly in an almost constant state of change! Change seems to be one of the only things we can expect to truly stick around. The problem is, change is scary for a lot of people. As human beings, we like it when things are predictable and consistent. Change presents new challenges to be overcome. Change makes us re-evaluate our mindset, our habits, and s ..read more

  I’ve already shared with you what I believe the most important key to success is: taking action. Without action, your ideas will never come to fruition. Period. Here, I’m going to tell you about the second most important key to success. When paired together, these two keys to success become a true powerhouse. The second key to success is confidence; confidence in your ideas and confidence in yourself. It seems so simple, such a little thing. But it makes all the difference!  There are many of you who, I’m sure, are thinking right now “Dustin, I wasn’t born with confidence. It’s no ..read more

          I’ve talked a lot about what I term the “principles of success.” I truly believe in them, and I think they are all important to achieving success. A lot of people ask me though what the one key to success is. In reality, there isn’t just one. There are many little things that need to be done in order to get where you want to be. However, there is one very important key to success that I’d like to talk about today: action.            There are many people out there who know the principles to success, but many ..read more

The post Did True Footage Fire Dustin? first appeared on The Appraiser Coach ..read more

           I’ve talked many times about the principle of the mastermind. Napoleon Hill, who was one of the first people to talk about it, described it this way: when you get more than 2 people in a room with similar backgrounds, similar needs, and similar goals, then you form an additional entity (paraphrasing). This is the mastermind. It is the power of communication and connection with other people. When you surround yourself with other successful people, you are more likely to be successful yourself. I encourage the mastermind where I can, because it is such a ..read more

          After a trip to Washington, D.C. and Chicago for some Mastermind classes, and a visit with my daughter at Michigan State, I went to work at my office in Idaho Falls to find that I had an “Official Mail” slip attached to my door. I thought that was a little strange, because the address of my office isn’t widely publicized. My first thought was that it was a package, but the slip specifically said it was a letter that I had to sign for. You probably all know what my next thought was: this was another complaint from the State Board. I was on the phone with one ..read more

It’s a situation I’ve seen time and time again. Someone in the appraisal office is doing too much. They take all the phone calls. They do all the data entry. They send out all the emails. They update AMCs when needed. They make appointments. What don’t they do? Sleep, probably. I have a term for this kind of behavior: Everyperson Syndrome. I know that many of you think you know where I’m going with this. I’ve shared the doctor’s office analogy many times. The doctor doesn’t greet you at the door or go over your insurance with you. They don’t take your blood pressure, and they don’t call you o ..read more

           When I first started coaching, I was told by many people that I should write a book. I was on fire with the good news that you didn’t have to be frustrated with your job, working long hours and getting nowhere. I had a model that I had found to be successful for me, and I was ready to share it with the world.            It didn’t take me long to learn, however, that not everyone runs their business the same way. In fact, not everyone wants to run their business the same way you do. Instead of telling pe ..read more