Are You a Professional?

Are you a professional? Do you hold a state license in the State of North Carolina? I recently attended an appraiser convention, and a state legislator said that a draft was being prepared that would make every person holding a "professional license" to have a office that is not located in their home. This would affect appraisers, RE brokers, mortgage brokers, home inspectors, land surveyors, etc.

If you are not located in North Carolina, is your state planning something to this effect? Get informed.

Below are two letters from State Officials in North Carolina:

"Mr. Brubaker did state that one of the buzz topics at the legislative building was the requirement that real estate appraisers and other professionals have a public office and not be allowed to have home offices. I do not recall him stating a minimum required number of hours that an office must be open. I have not personally heard this until Mr. Brubaker brought this topic up at this meeting. He did encourage everyone to know who represented them in the house and senate and to contact these representatives on all issues that are of concern to you. He also encouraged everyone to get involved in the campaign of their representatives."

"I spoke to Harold Brubaker yesterday. The rumors you heard are true. Legislative staff members are preparing draft legislation that would require anyone who holds a "professional license" in the State of North Carolina to have a "brick & mortar" store front office that must be manned a minimum of 30 hours per week. It will apply to real estate appraisers, mortgage brokers, real estate brokers and I would assume attorneys, psychologists and anybody else who is required to have a "professional license". I'm not sure the definition of "professional license" has been hashed out yet, but I was told it would include real estate appraisers. The logic behind it appears to be if you work out of your home, you are not professional and you will work for lower fees which hurts the industry. I don't follow the logic, nor do I see how they will ever enforce such a rule. The Appraisal Board does not have enough staff to enforce the rules on the books now, I can't see them going around the state verifying that somebody has an office that is open 30 hours a week. The residential appraisers around here who have store front offices don't spend 30 hours a week in the office. Most of them do their reports from their home offices. You can't make any money in the appraisal business sitting in your office unless all you do is commercial property. A residential appraiser has to be out looking at houses to make any money. This is going to come up so you better make your feelings known to your elected representatives. This is just the kind of help and support we need to get the appraisal business back on it's feet."

Real estate appraiser Charlotte NC