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Overview
Keller Craig & Associates is available to help anybody that needs a well researched and accurate estimate of value. Our clients include lenders, attorneys, accountants, and government entities. Instances where an appraisal is needed include bank financing, divorce, estate valuation, real estate donations, real estate tax appeals, or estimating just compensation condemnation projects. Our firm has experience in all of the above, with eight designated appraisers from the Appraisal Institute with either the MAI or SRA designations. These designations indicate appraisers that have attained a higher level of education and have demonstrated to have a skill-set above just a state certified appraiser.
Our firm provides both residential and commercial valuations, with offices in Overland Park and Lawrence/Topeka. On the residential side, we focus primarily on Lawrence and Topeka. On the commercial side, we perform appraisals throughout Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. We have experience in virtually every property type from small local commercial buildings to institutional office and industrial distribution centers to hotel and hospitality properties.
Like so many other appraisers, I fell into it. I had always been interested in real estate but did not want to sell real estate. As a finance major at the University of Kansas, I knew that I liked data analysis. I applied for an internship as an appraisal assistant my last semester at the University of Kansas in 2009, and at that time I had very limited knowledge of appraisal. I quickly learned that appraisal is a great career for analytically minded individuals because you get to really dive into the numbers and determine what attributes really drive value for various types of property. After that semester as an intern, I was offered a full-time position and it has turned into a great career. Like so many other appraisers, I fell into it. I had always been interested in real estate but did not want to sell real estate. As a finance major at the University of Kansas, I knew that I liked data analysis. I applied for an internship as an appraisal assistant my last semester at the University of Kansas in 2009, and at that time I had very limited knowledge of appraisal. I quickly learned that appraisal is a great career for analytically minded individuals because you get to really dive into the numbers and determine what attributes really drive value for various types of property. After that semester as an intern, I was offered a full-time position and it has turned into a great career.
The challenges we face are similar to most businesses. How do we focus on growing the business without sacrificing the quality of our work? The industry has been shifting towards needing reports completed quicker and quicker. This has led to our company streamlining our business processes by hiring administrative staff to help with some of the front-end work and allowing our appraisers to focus on the analysis. We have also invested heavily in technology so that we are as efficient as possible.
MAI Designation from Appraisal Institute
General Certified Real Property Appraiser in Kansas and Missouri
2019 President of the Kansas City Chapter of the Appraisal Institute
That is a good question. I have really enjoyed appraising challenging properties over the past ten years. However, becoming a partner in the firm in early 2019 was a moment that is pretty high on the list.
Our firm has put an emphasis on technology. We went server-less in 2015, and have been using Google Drive for our file storage. It is a great tool that allows for file sharing, file storage, and provides a good spreadsheet product for our analysis.
Our primary tool is realquantum. This is a commercially available software available for all valuation professionals. It is unique in the market, in that it is a report writer, database, and has a calculation engine in the cloud. There is no need to download anything on your computer, or use any third party applications for writing the report. Since we have put an emphasis on technology, it allowed us to quickly switch to working from home without losing any efficiency during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The largest part of our company is a business to business model with most of our referrals coming from banks and government entities. However, good online reviews are crucial for bringing in new business.
We try to follow up with our customers to ensure they are happy with our service, and to write Google reviews if they are so inclined.
Keller Craig & Associates has extensive experience in providing valuations. We pride ourselves on providing well-researched and on-time reports, whether they be appraisals, feasibility studies, benchmark, or capitalization rate studies. We have one of the largest firms in the region, and we are very tech-forward.
Several members of Keller Craig & Associates are a part of the founding group of real quantum. Real quantum is a tech company headquartered in Overland Park that focuses on helping real estate appraisers keep up in today’s market with entirely cloud-based solutions for valuations.
Keller Craig & Associates' involvement with real quantum has allowed us to be at the forefront of the technological changes occurring and allowed us to deliver concise and accurate reports in a timely manner.