If you want to fix something, you start by defining the problem.
That’s true whether you’re working a tough appraisal or trying to rebuild a broken industry.
But if we’re serious about fixing our own industry, it starts the same way every appraisal does:
Here’s the problem:
— We stopped talking to each other.
— We stopped talking to our clients.
— We let middlemen own the relationships that once defined this profession.
Now the industry is consolidating around giant platforms that see appraisers as interchangeable parts, not professionals.
But here’s the thing:
— Appraisers are natural problem-solvers.
— We know how to define a challenge, create a plan, and execute.
It’s time we start applying that same mindset to our own future.
Regional firms.
Small-firm cooperatives.
Local networks that are big enough to serve clients, and small enough to actually care.
That’s the path forward.
Not because it sounds nice.
Because it works.
✅ Local lenders want real expertise.
✅ Agents want real partnerships.
✅ Communities want trusted professionals, not check-the-box factories.
The solution isn’t going to come from Washington.
Or a new regulation.
Or another platform promising faster turn times.
The solution is going to come from us.
It starts with conversations.
It starts with collaboration.
It starts with remembering why we got into this business in the first place.
This isn’t about me.
It’s about the profession.
I’m just trying to get people talking again—before it’s too late.
If you’re serious about building something better, not just surviving, I’ve got a few spots left in my collaborative business owner group.
It doesn’t cost anything…
Except time, blood, sweat, and tears.
If you’re willing to invest those, let’s talk.
We’re not waiting for the future.
We’re building it.
Hardesty Appraisals 