Nancy Vischer (Everest House Valuation)

Nancy Vischer is the owner of Everest House Valuation, a real estate appraisal company serving homeowners in the Twin Cities. 

A native of Blaine, Nancy grew up in a single-wide trailer in a mobile home park. 

“But it was the nicest Mobile Home park in all of Blaine!” she says with a radiant laugh.

With her modest upbringing, Nancy understands that Real Estate provides us with one of our most basic human needs, shelter! 

From a simple 1950’s rambler, to a $10 million dollar luxury property on Lake Minnetonka, Nancy appreciates the functionality of homes and the comfort and security they provide.  

She also loves the history of houses, including: the time-period they were built, and the couples who raised their families in these homes.  

From large holiday gatherings to the “shenanigans” that must have gone on when the cousins visited, Nancy thoroughly enjoys the history embedded into each home.  

In high school, where Nancy was often boisterous, yet engaged, she gravitated towards math classes.  

“I’ve always preferred numbers to letters,” Nancy jokes. 

That being said, she always made sure to do her homework, and she later parlayed her good grades into getting accepted to St. Cloud State University.

“I just followed my sister there,” she says, but after one year at the infamous party school, Nancy left the university and enrolled at Ambassador University in Texas.

“That’s where I met my husband,” Nancy reminisces.

In the years since venturing to The Lone Star State and coming back with a husband and a degree, Nancy has enjoyed the bliss of motherhood, as well as cemented herself as one of the top home appraisers in an industry dominated by middle-aged men. 

For context, becoming a home appraiser isn’t as easy as starting a YouTube channel.  

Rigid guidelines and the need for certification drive many people away from becoming appraisers, yet despite needing to endure a four-year apprenticeship and logging hundreds of hours of work experience, Nancy never wavered from her career path. 

It’s been ten years since Nancy became a Certified Real Estate Appraiser, and while she specializes in appraising single-family homes, condos, and townhouses, the Blaine product states she is continually perfecting her craft by keeping abreast of the latest news and technology in the appraisal industry.  

“It’s been quite the journey,” Nancy says.  

“I have appraised everything from studio condos in Downtown Minneapolis to a high-end abandoned property on Lake Minnetonka with giant steel water barrels taking up most of the basement. Throughout the course of time, my skills have evolved and my competencies expanded, but I certainly don’t know everything.”  

Appraisers must be competent to appraise a property prior to taking on that particular job or be able to gain competency while completing the appraisal report. 

Appraisers tend to find their own niche.   

Some appraisers focus on high-end luxury homes, and others gravitate toward other domains.   

The majority of appraisers complete mortgage lending appraisals, while others stick to strictly private appraisals such as divorce, date of death, eminent domain, and tax purposes.  

Nancy modestly claims she may not know everything about residential real estate, but she knows how to properly appraise a home, and if the term appraisal seems daunting, the concept itself is rather straightforward. 

“An appraiser determines the most probable price that a buyer would pay for a property as of a specific date in time,” Nancy says, and in cases involving divorce, death of a homeowner, or appealing property taxes, accurately appraising a property is crucial, which makes what Nancy does vital to the Twin Cities community. 

In a Real Estate purchase transaction, the appraiser is the only unbiased party. The buyer, seller, mortgage lender, and Real Estate Agents all have a vested interest in the purchase going through. The appraiser has no personal interest in the property and has nothing to gain or lose depending on the purchase transaction going through to closing. 

Appraisers are paid a fee for the appraisal whether or not the purchase goes through and therefore have no reason to be biased. Appraisers, regulated by the state they are licensed in, are required to follow and abide by USPAP (The Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice).  

During their apprenticeship, Real Estate Appraisers are trained to play a vital role in preserving the safety and soundness of America’s financial system.  

As mentioned, in a sector composed primarily of aging men who are more analytical than personable, the gregarious Nancy is a welcome sight for homeowners seeking a positive customer service experience as much as they are an official valuation of their property. 

“Appraisers tend to be highly methodical and not very communicative. I try to be the antidote to that by delivering great customer service while also distributing key information as it relates to the property in question,” explains Nancy.  

She then points out that her aim is to listen to her potential clients, evaluate their situation and needs, helping them determine if they need an appraisal, and what type of appraisal would fit their specific needs.    

“I don’t ever want someone to pay for a product they didn’t need, or to purchase a product from me that did not meet all their specific needs,” Nancy says. 

For reference, a typical appraisal takes 3-5 business days to complete, with costs ranging anywhere from $450-$1,500, depending on the complexity and magnitude of the scope of work for that particular property and intended use of the appraisal.

“At Everest House Valuation, our fees are based on how much time it’s going to take to conduct a thorough analysis of a property and deliver a comprehensive appraisal,” Nancy says. 

“Single-family properties in a development, townhouses, and condos typically take a lot less time to write up than a new construction property with an interior sport court on 10 acres in the far western suburbs.  Appraisers work to bracket all significant attributes of a property, and therefore, it takes more time and research to complete an appraisal on acreage with unique attributes than it would for a Row style townhouse in a suburban area.”

In that sense, Nancy is a legit pro, whose competency rivals other appraisals in this market. 

“Appraisers are held to a very high standard,” she emphasizes. 

“In fact, the guidelines that we operate under are so strict that there is typically very little malfeasance in the industry.”  

It takes a good 3-4 years to become a Certified Appraiser, and once an appraiser has that certification, they are in continual learning mode as they navigate and come across new or unique attributes such as solar panels on a house, indoor pools, lake front property, and cabins without heat or insulation.  

Each property is unique and determining the market value of these attributes is critical in accurately appraising Real Estate.

Nancy has spent the last decade-plus establishing herself as a consummate professional, which has led to opportunities she never envisioned back when she was a child. 

Consequently, Nancy is now striving to give more people the chance to carve out a niche in the home appraisal industry.  

“The number of Real Estate Appraisers has been dwindling over the past 10+ years. Moreover, due to recent events in the news, some appraisers have been called out for potential racial bias. Due to this, the Appraisal industry has been working on training a younger, more diverse generation of appraisers,” states Nancy. 

She recognizes this need and is dedicated to contributing to this effort in working to train others in her profession.  

“Entering the appraisal profession can be daunting at first! It is really difficult to become a Certified Real Estate Appraiser,” Nancy says, citing the lengthy amount of time required to become competent, on top of the fact that applicants must have a four-year degree to become an appraiser. 

“It takes a lot of work to get to the Certified level, but there is a ton of opportunity in this industry,” Nancy says. 

“I’m working to find people who will stay committed to the path and grow their Appraisal career for the next 15+ years. I’m currently in the process of training a Real Estate Agent, and over the next 10-15  years, I plan to train up to 4 more individuals to become Certified Real Estate Appraisers. My goal in contributing to the Appraisal industry is to help with training the next generation of appraisers to be thorough, unbiased, and focused on the continued strength in our Appraisal profession.” QS

**

Today’s post is sponsored by realtor Caleb Carlson!

If you’re a Twin Cities homeowner or property owner who is looking to buy/sell, I personally endorse Caleb Carlson. 

A staple of the Twin Cities real estate market, Caleb has helped countless homeowners buy and sell properties. 

Whether you’re a first-time buyer or this is your fourth time moving, Caleb’s expertise spans all corners of the real estate market. 

To get in touch with Caleb, call or text the number 701-520-8569 to speak with him directly!