Pamela Crowley has been a Florida certified residential appraiser for nine years.
ON HER OWN?
She does work alone now, but previously owned Alpha Real Estate Appraisal Services where she worked with several other certified appraisers for seven or eight years. Prior to that she trained under four different appraisers to learn the business.
AREA SHE COVERS?
St. Johns, Duval, Clay and Flagler counties.
CLIENTS?
Crowley said she gets most of her business from large banks and major lenders. “You just build a reputation and they come.”
HOW’S IT GOING ON YOUR OWN?
“Good. I’m as busy as I want to be.”
WHAT PROBLEMS DO APPRAISERS FACE TODAY?
“Pressure. The pressure is to hit a predetermined value and make sure you don’t cite any repairs or problems. The main pressure comes from loan officers and the Realtors. Those are the two people who have a commission on the line. There’s a lot more pressure in refinance. The refinance loan officers tend to push a much higher value then the Realtors. The biggest problem is that they don’t understand the definition of market value.”
WHAT IS ONE BEST THING THAT YOU COULD TELL A REALTOR?
“Return phone calls and fill in the Multiple Listing Service as completely and accurately as possible. Unless they can show that they have measured the house to ANSI [American National Standards Institute] standards, please use the tax records for the square footage.”
LESSONS LEARNED?
“I have been attending the State Appraisal Board meetings. What I have learned is to pay attention to the laws and don’t let anyone else influence you. I am the disinterested third party, I don’t care what anyone else’s motivations are.”
PET PEEVES?
Crowley said her pet peeve is loan officers that call and wants to know what the value is before the appraisal is even done.
WHAT CAN REALTORS DO TO HELP YOU?
“Be realistic. We all need to work hand in hand. I sold real estate first. I’ve been a Realtor since 1972. Pay attention to the code of ethics especially where it says don’t mislead anyone. If it was your mother or your sister buying that property, how would you advise them?”
BEFORE APPRAISING?
She was a Realtor in Michigan.
HOW DOES YOUR PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE AS A REALTOR HELP YOU NOW?
“I can’t imagine going into appraising without having a very strong background in real estate. I understand the motivations of the buyers and the sellers. I spent enough time listing and selling that when I walk into houses, I already know the things that the buyers are looking at and what their reactions are going to be to a lot of different things. I can’t imagine appraising without that knowledge.”
WHAT MADE HER GO INTO APPRAISING?
“I don’t like listing and selling. I love the statistical analysis. I love digging in and researching properties.”
BORN AND RAISED?
Michigan.
MOVED TO FLORIDA?
In 1995 to become an appraiser. “I decided it was time for me to do what I wanted to do, which was appraising, and where I wanted to be, which was the Florida sunshine.”
RESIDES?
Crescent Beach in St. Augustine.
FAMILY
She lives with her dog, King Tut, and her cat, C.C.
WHAT DOES SHE DO WHEN NOT WORKING?
She enjoys kayaking and reading.
FAVORITES
Crowley is a big mystery reader and cites John Grisham, Michael Crichton and Mary Higgins Clark as authors she reads a lot. Movies that she has enjoyed over the years and would recommend are “Steel Magnolias”, “Quigley Down Under”, and “Blazing Saddles.” When relaxing at home, she enjoys tuning into “Law and Order.” When traveling, she likes Cedar Key. A restaurant she loves to visit often is the South Beach Grill in Crescent Beach.
- by Michele Newbern Gillis