52 | APPRAISAL BUZZ FALL 2019
52 5 AP APPR PR PRAI AI AISA SA SAL BU BUZZ ZZ FAL AL A L L 20 19
THE BUZZ
����������������
��������������������������
MONEYBALL: THE ART OF WINNING AN UNFAIR GAME
��������������������������������
From the minute I read Liar’s Poker some 30 years ago, I was
��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
think Money Ball is the most relevant read for appraisers
considering he wrote The Big Short, the best book ever written
on the Financial Crisis.
Liar’s Poker was about the story of the creation of the mortgage
��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
Brothers, remains one of my heroes. I doubt Michael Lewis
realizes he has written the seminal book on how we as an
industry might rethink the appraisal process.
In Money Ball, Billy Beane takes a fresh look at the statistics of
baseball and comes to the conclusion that the current metrics
are looking at all the wrong things. I am a huge proponent that
the current appraisal forms are archaic in that they ask the wrong
questions. We need to rethink the process and learn from the
appraiser, the local market expert, to measure what matters. The
logical places to look for a solution for modernization are right in
front of our eyes. Appraisers hold the keys and yet the “smart”
people think otherwise. Do you think appraisers are on a rag tag
team no one wants? Place your bets.
BOOK REVIEW
Nothing surprised me more than the positive response I
received about my reading list originally published in the
Appraisal Buzz Newsletter a while ago - It was
overwhelmingly popular. Appraisers spend a good bit of
time in their car, which provides a great opportunity to put
that time to productive use. I highly recommend using
Audible to listen to books while you drive. A good narration
can make a dull topic easier to digest.
Here are a few of the recent books I’ve enjoyed: