After running a sign business for 12 years, Debby Watson Lawson decided it was time to get back to a “real profession” and make some money. Her brother was a certified appraiser and, in 2004, she decided to shadow him on some inspections to observe the process.

“I loved it and absolutely knew I wanted to become a real estate appraiser,” Watson Lawson told Valuation Review. “I had college hours in accounting but knew that was not the profession I wanted to spend the next 20 years cultivating. In 2005, at the age of 49, I went to work for a small appraisal company in Houston and worked like crazy for almost two years to get enough hours to sit for my license test. After I passed my test, I decided to break out and become an independent appraiser. It’s been 15 years and I have never looked back, only forward.”

Watson Lawson became licensed in 2007 and got certified in 2015. One of the ladies at the Texas Appraising License & Certification Board stated that she had the largest experience log she had ever seen submitted when Watson Lawson sent it in for approval. 

And while she was so busy working and didn’t feel she needed her certification at that time, that’s when the Federal Housing Administration decided appraisers had to be certified to be on the list. Watson Lawson was on the list before they changed the rules, and realized it was time to “get it done.”

She addressed some specific challenges that exist working as a woman appraiser in a field where most appraisers are men.

“After working in the sign industry and as a fishing guide, both male-dominated businesses, I realized that as a woman I always had to work harder to be noticed and always prove myself,” Watson Lawson said. “Of course, having a competitive nature helped and I never let it get to me for the most part. I will say that there are a lot of men in this profession that appear to always want to belittle people, male or female, but I have worked hard to never let them get in my head.

“I truly believe that if you take this profession seriously and work hard to produce a well-supported and credible report, you can gain the respect of many appraisers,” she added.

Regarding other challenges appraisers face, Watson Lawson told us that today’s appraisers are not only dealing with the AMC model, rising interest rates and the cost of doing business, but the overall climate of the profession currently appears to be taking a toll on many seasoned appraisers. It appears that The Appraisal Foundation and the current government, she noted, are pushing an agenda that is not on the side of the appraiser.

She stressed that appraisers must all stay focused and keep trying to navigate these new waters.  She feels residential appraisers do not get the same respect and support commercial appraisers do.

And as the appraisal profession continues to navigate through 2022, we wanted to know what areas regarding appraisal demand will be most prominent.

“The current rise in hybrid appraisals, new ANSI standards and the progress of the AI (artificial intelligence) assisted measuring will have an impact on the future of this profession,” Watson Lawson told us. “I have an issue with lenders that want to utilize the hybrid/desktop appraisal and not utilizing the trainees that we have trained to measure and gather information. Instead, it appears that these lenders want to utilize a person that is not trained to be an appraiser to measure and gather data. I personally feel that in the future this will have a lasting impact on our profession.”

The status of the market, and how important is it for appraisers to be updated about market changes, also was an area of emphasis with Watson Lawson. She mentioned her current market in Texas, especially in the counties she works within, has slowed slightly but still appears to be stable.   

She said new construction and custom construction are still in progress in her area and, with building costs rising in the past two years, the appraisal process has been a challenge. As an appraiser, she said, it is important to keep an eye on the market on a regular basis by analyzing and dissecting the data. Also utilizing the local MLS (National Association of Realtors) publications and market reports helps to stay up to date on market conditions.

She said there are voids in the market, though, that need to be filled. Perhaps, she believes, this can be accomplished with younger talent (appraisers) coming into the profession.

“Some AMC companies have started trying to recruit young appraisers to their companies, offering perks to join their teams,” Watson Lawson said. “I am not familiar with their business models, so I don’t want to speculate, but I will say that without one-on-one training, learning this profession could be challenging. You might be able to have a team of data entry personnel, but can they complete an appraisal from start to finish?”

*Be sure to look for the conclusion to our story featuring Debby Watson Lawson.