CMB MAGAZINE cmba-achc.ca spring 2019 | 39
and we are sharing best practices, they want to
immediately come on board."
ere are an estimated 400 firms in
Canada completing residential appraisals, and
BAREA's goal is to have 75 per cent of them on
its membership roster. Walker says that goal
should be reached by this coming spring.
"We've never had a common voice on
business matters, which is the attraction of
BAREA," he says. "Getting us all on the same
page and sharing best practices to efficiently
run our businesses is the goal. We want to
complement our national associations, not
compete with them."
Run by a six-member board of directors,
BAREA, as a non-profit, bases its membership
fees on the size of the appraisal firm. e group
is hoping that word will spread from the larger
centres to smaller locations, prompting those
firms to inquire about membership.
CREATING EFFICIENCIES
Walker says that, first and foremost, BAREA is
about communication. "It's a group of business
owners sharing similar goals and dealing
with issues common to firm owners across
the country. We want to make sure appraisal
firms keep abreast of what is happening in the
lending world and stay on top of technology.
at will create efficiencies that would never
have been there before."
For example, members currently
communicate using an app called Slack. It's like
an online forum where members can ask their
colleagues for real-time advice.
"It's like a Mastermind group at our
fingertips," says Walker. "For example, how do
we handle marijuana grow-op properties in
different parts of the country? If we all share a
similar technology platform, we can all be on
the same page."
BAREA has also partnered with leading
appraisal soware firm Anow of Red Deer,
Alta. e company offers a cloud-based
soware suite that helps real estate appraisers
simplify their work.
With appraisal technology undergoing
rapid change, Walker says BAREA encourages
collaboration, communication and
information sharing. Although its members
may in fact be competitors, the association
enables them to pool their knowledge for the
common good.
at can only be a positive for both
consumers and professional appraisers alike.
Learn more about BAREA by visiting
www.barea.ca.
BAREA
encourages
collaboration,
communication
and information
sharing
