Simonson Appraisals

From Panic to Profit, An Appraiser's Story The real estate market has experienced significant market changes over the past few years. It's had a direct impact on many appraisers, their work volume and opportunities. With real estate being cyclical, it's not the first time and won't be the last. There are many ways you can prepare, lean into and embrace any market downturn. We don't have the ability to dictate the direction of the market, but we do have control on our mindset, actions and approach to moving forward, no matter which direction the market is headed. "Working RE" magazine is published to help readers build their businesses, reduce their risk of liability and?stay informed on important technology and industry issues. Isaac Peck and Tony Jones interviewed me recently on strategies I've adopted in my career that have helped me overcome challenges, develop new skills and optimize ways for generating new business. Developing clarity on who you can serve best, with your unique skillset is an effective way to attract the right clients and opportunties and create win-win scenarios for your clients and you. Give the article a read and don't hesitate to reach out with any questions! #passion #cre #commercialrealestate #residentialrealestate #appraisers #valuation #appraisal

Don't let the picture fool you! Yes, I captured this picture today at 1:00 pm midweek. Right amidst a full week of training team members, appraisal report reviews and several property inspections across Northern MN. However, when your work travels have you traverse right thru the mountain bike mecca of Cuyuna, MN, you just have to stop for 90 minutes for an amazing ride and swim. Scheduling this midweek quick pitstop was the perfect way to help keep the throttle pressed on a fun, yet very full week knocking out several reports and inspections. This week, I'm celebrating the growth of several of our team members who continue to put in the work and uplevel their abilities. Something very satisfying about seeing others willing to put in the work and increase their knowledge base, skillset and opportunities. It serves as inspiration and deepens my commitment to continue to raise the bar of showing up as well. Also, grateful for the constant stream of referrals we receive for great CRE appraisal assignments. Now, back to work at a cool space called High Wheels in Ironton - Future looks bright! #passion #CRE #appraisals #valuation #workhardplayhard

Burnout to Breakthrough: Reigniting Career Success I have been appraising now for 20 years. In college, I had lunch on the 50th floor of the IDS Center. As a small town boy, with a blue collar upbringing, I dreamed of being able to do business with top tier law firms in downtown. Driving to a meeting recently in a high rise office tower with a law firm, I realized the 20 year plan is here. It was an incredible feeling and the future looks bright. Here is why. The experience of the past two years training closely with the best speaker I've seen speak from a stage and working with his entire team leaves me filled with immense gratitude, joy and nothing but The Best memories. It’s been a wild and fascinating journey, with many twists and turns pushing towards big dreams, yet the vision for the future is brighter and more realistic than ever before. I joined the training knowing it was exactly what was needed to continue the arc of fulfilling on dreams for the future, and to help others do the same. So many positive changes while achieving many long held dreams its difficult to list all of them. Here is the main one, career wise. Most unexpectedly, rediscovering my passion for the commercial real estate appraisal business, Simonson Appraisals after hitting a burnout phase in 2021 from long days and not seeing a clear path ahead. In recent years, writing and delivering appraisals had started to feel like a treadmill, a bit mundane and a grind. Despite 2023 being the most challenging CRE market since 2009 with transactions way down, our company persevered and we doubled down and pushed the envelope of sharing content and giving it our all, driven largely by the training and ability to extract out our full potential. What’s happening now is exactly as was predicted in the training (it took lots of faith and trust for me to believe it could happen because it was scary pushing so far out of my comfort zone). The business is going through an incredible transformation as we are attracting high level, intellectually stimulating and rewarding projects. This year, we’ve close to completing our third large portfolio project, which has simplified business and allowed the company to do deeper work with amazing clients while mixing in other assignments that make sense. Looking ahead, we're commencing a new round of multi-property valuation assignments. These projects also allow me to tap more deeply into my coaching passion with both clients and employees. Additionally, the growth affords the opportunity to chisel down my responsibilities to the vital few items that keep me in my zone of genius. To help with that, I’m studying and implementing the book, Buy Back Your Time by Dan Martell. It’s led to profound insights on optimizing my business and how to hire. The past few years have revealed a powerful lesson. Just Do the Work and Don't Worry about the time to fulfill on your big dreams! #passion, #cre, #appraisals, #valuation

Satisfaction of leaving it all on the table It was a great weekend of weather to spend swimming, biking and running. I signed up for an Olympic Triathlon beginning of summer after finding out kids had different age level tri's the day before. Three of my boys were fired up to join and they completed their first one. Watching them push themselves to the limit was great! I followed up the next day. There is something very satisfying about training, maintaining discipline and then leaving it all on the table and striving to do the best you can. This relates to anything in life and business. While no records were set, the art of giving all of yourself is something no one can take from you. What are you committing to this week? #passion #cre #appraisals #training

Have Work, Will Travel! One of the things I still love most about commercial real estate and the appraisal industry are the people we meet, the buildings we tour, and the problems we solve! To me, buildings are so much more than just physical structures. They represent people's dreams, visions and years of toil, often with no recognition. They help weave communities together, often forming the very fabric and culture for the area. They provide jobs, housing and opportunity. Yet, they also create valuation needs that must be adressesd. This is where we step in at Simonson Appraisals. This week, I'm on a northern MN tour viewing apartments, industrial and storage properties in Grand Forks, ND, Roseau, MN and Duluth, MN for litigation, financing and property tax appeal clients. A few years ago on a similar trip, I almost wrestled with a bull moose on the highway and saw several bears and other wildlife. We'll see what adventure this week brings! Later, this week, we'll be viewing several properties in Minneapolis-St Paul for financing and estate planning clients. Let's GO!! #appraisals #cre #commercialrealestate #valuation #travel