Welcome to the first blog post of Keystone Appraisal Group and thank you for joining us on this adventure!  For our first blog, we wanted to provide an outline of who we are, what we do, and what we hope to accomplish through this blog post.  Let’s get started!

What is Keystone Appraisal Group?

Keystone Appraisal Group is a full-service real estate Appraisal firm.  The founding partners – Jacob Brewster and Curtis Page – have over 25 years combined experience in both residential and commercial appraising.  We are well-versed in the following array of appraisals: SFR – FHA, USDA, VA, Conventional, Manufactured Housing, Large Acreage, High Value / High Complexity, Unique/Atypical Construction, Log Homes, Rural; Commercial – Office, Industrial, Retail, C-Stores, Self/Mini Storage, Restaurants, Warehouses, Medical/Dental, and much more.  Our clients include Fortune 500 companies, national lenders, banks, and financial institutions, CPAs, Attorneys, credit unions, and private investors and property owners.

Jacob Brewster

Jacob Brewster started his appraisal career in California in 2001 and has since expanded to Utah.  He graduated from University of Phoenix in 2014 with a Bachelor of Science in Business, Entrepreneurship (BSB) with an Associate of Arts in Information Technology (AAIT) in 2008, all while growing his full-time appraisal business and being a full-time husband and father of four.   Jacob maintains the highest level of appraisal certification in both Utah and California as a Certified General Real Estate Appraiser.  In his spare time Jacob enjoys the outdoors: boating and wake surfing, skiing and snowboarding, fishing and hunting, hiking and camping.

Curtis Page

Curtis Page followed his father’s footsteps, Curtis Wade Page who started appraising in 1993 and still runs his own successful business today.  He began appraising in 2010 and has made commercial and complex assignments his emphasis.  Curtis graduated from Utah Valley University in 2012 with a Bachelors degree in Business Management.  He is married with three small children and one more on the way!  In his spare time Curtis enjoys much of the same outdoor activities: boating and wake surfing, fishing and hunting and camping!  When he’s not working, Curtis can often be found on a rock in the wilderness pondering the earth’s beauty, or on the shores of a crystal clear lake with multiple poles/lines in the water just waiting for a bite.

The Team

Keystone Appraisal Group wouldn’t be much of a group without its staff!  Big shout-out to Wesley Duke, our staff licensed residential appraiser, and the rest of our non-licensed staff: Joanna Evans, Jenise Brewster, Katie Gardner, Emily Page, and Jillian Fellows.

Why a blog?  What’s the point?

So why a blog?  The short answer is: To reach YOU!  We want to be a resource for good in the real estate and appraisal industries.  More than anything else we hope we can add VALUE to you, your business, or your life.  There is a longer answer here though.  The appraisal industry is changing, and for that matter the real estate industry is changing.  With change often comes uncertainty for many participants.  Our goal is to be able to reach as many people as possible and provide effective and fun communication to our audience, to educate you on appraisal issues, to provide you with information, to walk through these changes with you in an interactive platform, and to arm you to become better at what you do!

What will be discussed here?

Here is a little bit of what we hope to discuss in the coming weeks, months, and years:

  • Appraisals and Inspections / Observations: FHA, VA, USDA, Conventional
  • Appraisals vs. CMA, BPO, Zillow, Trulia, Redfin, Etc.
  • Cost vs. Value
  • Home Improvements
  • GLA vs. GBA – “how big is my home?”
  • Watching market trends!!
  • PIWs
  • Hybrid Appraisals and Bifurcated products
  • How to Comp (or How to Think) like an Appraiser
  • Bracketing
  • Your value came in “low” – now what?  Reconsideration of Value (ROV)
  • Income Producing Properties
  • Other fun and interesting appraisal anecdotes

Wrap up

As we wrap up Blog #1, we sincerely THANK YOU for spending a few minutes with us!  We know your time is valuable and we hope we are able to add value to your life!  If you think this information could be beneficial to you or someone you know, please subscribe and share the blog with others.