What Is the National Appraisers Forum?

The National Appraisers Forum is among the top sites for appraisers to chat, ask questions, and build community in the industry. It’s an especially useful tool when you’re new in your career and looking to network with members from all backgrounds and experience levels. Whether you’re a trainee or a seasoned appraiser, it’s the National Appraisers Forum’s mission to provide a common area for help, guidance, and support.

The Mission of the National Appraisers Forum

The National Appraisers Forum was put together to serve as a resource for appraisers at all levels, to share information, report on findings, discuss current events in the industry, and more. It was originally hosted in Yahoo! Groups before the site stopped adding new content in 2019 and finally closed in 2020. Now, it is based in Groups.io.

In this forum, a discussion or thread of conversation is called a “Topic.” You can also post a “Poll,” which is its own topic that includes a poll for other users to answer. Hashtags are used to label the topics and can be searched to find the exact type of content you need.

How the Forum Supports Appraisers

As a place to share ideas, questions, seek guidance, and learn from other appraisers, the forum can forge connections in this otherwise independent career.

Common topics that are discussed in the forum include:

• Market Analysis

• Trend Analysis

• Statistical Analysis

• Client Pressures

• Due Diligence

• Scope of Work

• Records Research

• Measuring Most Probable Price verses Highest Price

• Performing the Cost Approach

• Verifying Market Data

• Proving Market Adjustments

• Civil and Criminal Liabilities

The community is actively sharing new topics and responses every day. It has become a great resource for appraisers to get feedback and build connections. If you are more of the observant-type, you can also email the forum’s primary moderator to create posts on your behalf or for the benefit of the group.

Best yet? Becoming a member is easy. And free.

How to Join the National Appraisers Forum

Joining the National Appraisers Forum is as easy as 1, 2, 3:

1. Fill out a short form on their home page with your name and contact information

2. Wait to be approved by a forum moderator

3. Start exploring, reading, and sharing!

Once you’ve become a member, you can adjust your personal notification preferences (amount and type), wade through the archive of discussions (over 4,500 and counting!), and begin posting and commenting as you please.

Discussions can be explored by clicking “Messages” on the left-hand column. There, you can filter through discussions by topic, by poll, by hashtags, or by most recent message. There’s also a filter to find comments and discussions by their post date. When you start a new topic of your own, you can include pictures, attachments, and links in your posts, and be notified when you get responses on the topic. With so many things to do, where do you begin?

4 Ways to Make the Most of Your Membership

The best way to make the most of your National Appraisers Forum membership is to be involved — plain and simple. Here are 4 easy steps to make the most of your membership:

• Subscribe to email notifications so you can stay in-the-know.

• Customize your subscription settings so you receive email notifications only when you want them.

• Comment on topics with insight and questions.

• Post your own interesting finds, tips, questions, and have conversations with others.

The forum can be an incredibly useful resource for your career, so take advantage of all it offers.

Networking Opportunities Through the National Appraisers Forum

Job duties and industry know-how aside, being part of an online community is an excellent way to network. The National Appraisers Forum makes it easy to connect, have discussions, and meet other appraisers, both locally and nationally.

Trainee appraisers can have more luck finding an appraiser to train under. Licensed and certified appraisers can find others to get referrals from, continuing education opportunities, or collaborative requests on complicated projects. Networking with other appraisers offers limitless potential for professional growth.

Shape Appraisal Industry Standards in the National Appraisers Forum and Beyond

As an appraiser, you can make an impact on industry standards by being part of a data-sharing, collaborative, actively communicating group in your field. The National Appraisers Forum is one of the most active internet communities out there for appraisers, and it’s special for the collective expertise it brings to the table. Take your appraisal knowledge to the real world; after all, there’s more to life than school, and it’s ripe for the taking.