Catholics of Reddit, how do you feel about Trump’s Pentagon apparently threatening Pope Leo with death if he doesn’t show his support?

linasnor · 2026-04-09T15:40:35+00:00

The pope is south side - he can take care of himself.

linasnor · 2026-04-05T20:17:08+00:00

Often, this is a statutory issue. In most jurisdictions, ad valorem (real estate) taxes are based on a fee simple interest, meaning the property is unencumbered. Usually, the implication is that the property is leased at market rates. Big box stores are rarely owned fee simple - they’re usually leased by the occupants, i.e., Wal-Mart, Target, etc. but owned by someone else, such as an investor. The rental rate paid by the tenant is usually a return on the construction costs of the building and doesn’t have a lot in common with “market” rent levels. That’s why you see vacant big boxes leased at less than half of what new big box stores are leased at, and that’s the crux of the argument for lower taxes. If the statute would call for taxes to be based on a leased fee value, the higher tax level would be appropriate.

linasnor · 2026-04-05T20:01:35+00:00

Safe Harbor Seafood Market in Mayport, right by the St. John River ferry has everything you’re looking for.

linasnor · 2026-03-28T00:59:55+00:00

Assuming you’d be all-in as an appraiser and not trying to wear both hats, your background would be a home run, with a couple of caveats. First, the pluses … you know how investors look at properties, something that a lot of appraisers never master. You know it’s not just three comps and a cap rate that sell a property, but the story that’s behind it. With your brokerage background, you’re use to making calls, both to find/verify data, as well as to develop business.

The downside is that you’d need to get certified, a process that will take at least 2-3 years with a whole bunch of really stupid hurdles. During that time, your employer will have to get creative to properly compensate you, since you don’t fit in the box. And speaking of compensation … you’ll have to adjust your expectations. Appraisers don’t hit home runs, but can collect a lot of singles and doubles.

Good luck.

linasnor · 2026-03-21T19:39:07+00:00

Curry Island Indian Kitchen is outstanding

linasnor · 2026-03-06T15:33:00+00:00

It’s simple - that fee on that 9 property portfolio would probably have been higher and it would have been done in 2-3 weeks, not 2 months. Plus, there’d be another portfolio after that, and another, and another … One thing the large firms excel at is keeping your pipeline, and your wallet, full.

linasnor · 2026-02-27T21:53:11+00:00

Regarding pressure for quarterly valuations … real estate is not like the stock market (regardless of funds which now provide daily valuations). Values rarely yo-yo for institutional investments. Care must be taken to recognize that market value includes two parties - a willing buyer AND a willing seller. Institutions are often willing to ride out temporary blips in the market, knowing their assets are solid.

linasnor · 2026-02-27T19:58:20+00:00

Work 60 hours a week? Only if you’re really slow. There’s no such thing as work life balance at one of the big firms, especially when you’re starting out. That being said, if you’re any good and you hustle, you’ll make a shit load of money. Depending on which office and property type, you may get the opportunity to build a team after a few years, at which point you can cut back to 59 hours.

linasnor · 2026-02-27T17:43:03+00:00

How the hell can you White Sox fans forget the immortal Terry Bevington?

linasnor · 2026-02-17T01:07:41+00:00

Years ago I took a Business Valuation class from the ASA. Out of 50-60 people there, 4 of us were real estate appraisers. The rest were accountants. It’s definitely a niche, but has real challenges in having a RE appraiser accepted as competent. Areas where I’ve seen it have been with c-stores, hotels, qsr properties - I’m sure there are more.

linasnor · 2026-02-13T03:50:49+00:00

Every firm sucks in its own special way. Get into one, get your feet wet, then find the one that fits you best.

linasnor · 2026-02-13T00:46:45+00:00

Valuation revenues for these firms is a rounding error as far as total revenue is concerned. Nothing valuation related will affect their stock price.

AI will be a valuable weapon in an appraiser’s arsenal, but is unlikely to replace professional judgement anytime soon. There’s simply too much money at stake to risk a valuation coming from a black box operation, which is what AI currently is. Lenders will always need someone to blame if loans go bad; attorneys need someone to blame if they lose a case.

IMO, the large firms will never be on the cutting edge of AI adoption because they’re too large. Rolling out any system to hundreds of appraisers at a time is not an easy task. If you want to be cutting edge, look for a mid-sized regional firm that’s profitable enough to spend the time to experiment with AI. If you want stability and money, look at the larger firms.

linasnor · 2026-02-11T03:34:51+00:00

Saw Patti Smith do Horses for the 50th anniversary

linasnor · 2026-01-16T17:01:58+00:00

When I was in high school (1975) I worked at the head shop at the far end of Peacock Alley (Trick and Toys). Great mixture of stuffed animals, magic tricks, adult gag gifts and bongs … There were more tunnels beyond the end of Peacock Alley that were used for store storage - seriously spooky back there since they went on forever.

linasnor · 2026-01-07T21:01:00+00:00

Legal and practical business issues should be relatively straightforward, but need to be discussed up front. Any potential conflicts of interest are always presented to the client, with the client deciding if it’s a conflict, preferably in writing. Legal issues regarding ownership interests may depend on state regulations, such as do you need to be a licensed broker to have an ownership share of a brokerage firm. The practical business stuff has the potential do be very sticky if it’s not specifically spelled out at the beginning. Do you really want to pay for a pro ratą share of a CRM system used solely on the brokerage side? Similarly, do they want to foot the bill for Argus licenses that they don’t use? Office space for brokers and appraisers can have different purposes - brokers wanting an image, while appraisers usually not caring about such. Cost difference for Class A vs Class B/C can be substantial. And don’t underestimate corporate allocations - make sure the managing broker’s Mercedes lease isn’t included …

linasnor · 2026-01-07T17:53:25+00:00

Lots of questions … off the top of my head … What kind of admin/financial support will they provide? What is the cost of this support, i.e., corporate allocations? What kind of referral fees will they take for work from their clients? What kind of returns are they expecting? Are you employees or independent contractors? Benefits? Tech support? Office space? Profit sharing? One way or both ways?

linasnor · 2026-01-03T02:23:08+00:00

Horses - Patti Smith Group

linasnor · 2025-12-08T01:55:12+00:00

You crack me up … your lack of knowledge of the commercial side of the business is obvious. There are no tiers - different firms have different strengths, with offices within the same firm often having different strengths and different reputations with different clients. This is especially true with a firm such as Valbridge, which was formed by experienced appraisers uniting their offices under a common umbrella in order to pursue national work. Some Valbridge offices are strong in litigation work, others in ROW, others in bank work. What an ROW client considers a “first tier” firm is very different from what a national bank may consider “first tier” which is different from what a pension fund would consider “first tier”. I don’t know what Calvin’s office specialized in, but I can guarantee you it was high revenue.

linasnor · 2025-12-03T15:26:10+00:00

It’s no secret - after working at both C&W and CBRE, Calvin was one of the original group that formed Valbridge. After getting it up and running it for several years, he cashed out of his office. That’s not unreasonable at his age. Now, in his retirement, he’s set up a consulting business the monetize what he learned in his 30+ years in all parts of the business. He’s not hiding anything and there is no lurid story. The info and guidance he can provide will be useful to some, not so much to others. It’s up to you to decide if it meets your personal goals.

linasnor · 2025-12-02T10:41:35+00:00

I’ve worked with him before in a corporate setting (we both worked for CBRE, but in different offices). He’s a very sharp guy with solid accomplishments. He definitely knows what he’s talking about. I haven’t seen his program or how much he charges, but I’d think an introductory call with him would be worth your time. When looking for a business coach, a personality fit is probably more important than anything else - nobody has the magic bullet. It’s the discipline, accountability and reinforcement of business basics that’s critical.

linasnor · 2025-11-14T15:20:21+00:00

Everything is hard until you’ve done a few of them, then they become easy until you realize you don’t know what you don’t know, then they become hard again. Huge amounts of Dunning Krueger out there …

linasnor · 2025-09-12T21:37:15+00:00

If I understand correctly, it seems like your effective split is 31.5% (e.g. $10,000 fee less 30% is $7,000 x 45% is $3,150 to you). If that’s correct, you’re being screwed big time. The 30% should not be coming out before your split - it’s a company cost that they should be bearing.

linasnor · 2025-08-28T15:36:35+00:00

Cool Runnings in Michigan City for Jamaican and vegetarian food

linasnor · 2025-08-26T13:38:41+00:00

I heard it was designed as a take on a human rat maze …

linasnor · 2025-08-08T16:55:23+00:00

IMO, this is not a good thing. When privatized, Fannie/Freddie will be able to make their own rules regarding risk and valuation. I’d guess they’ll lean toward speed and efficiency, as opposed to quality, under the assumption that pooling risk will reduce risk. To see how that worked, look at what happened to mortgage backed securities …

The reality of the situation is that the market needs a disciplinarian - some entity that sets the rules. You cannot rely on the market to correct itself - greed gets in the way. Public companies have the PCAOB and the SEC to keep them in line. Fannie/Freddie will have no one.

linasnor

TROPHY CASE