No sale: the art of the real estate appraiser

For real estate appraiser Jonathan Bernz, going into business for himself hasn”™t changed the perception of his profession.

“Many people don”™t have much of a clue what a real estate appraiser really does,” Bernz, a Yorktown Heights resident, said. “Even friends of mine that I”™ve known for 25 years ”“ if I see them at a cocktail party or something, they”™ll say to me oh, so how many houses did you sell this year? I usually just respond to that by saying well, you know, I didn”™t really sell any this year.”

Bernz has been a professional real estate consulting advisor and appraiser for nearly 25 years. He recently formed Hudson Property Advisors L.L.C. after leaving his position as senior vice president at Albert Valuation Group Inc.

Located in Mount Kisco, Hudson Property Advisors is a real estate advisory services company specializing in appraisal and consulting of commercial, industrial, large scale residential, special purpose properties and vacant land in the Hudson Valley area.

“One thing about this business is that you end up speaking with or meeting every type of person imaginable,” Bernz said. “You get to see some unusual properties also.”

Bernz was inspired to become his own boss by his late father, Harold, who owned a jewelry manufacturing company in New York City.

Bernz has accumulated more than 500 hours of real estate courses and seminars since his graduation from the State University of New York at Albany in1979 where he earned a degree in economics.

He started his real estate career in 1983, doing single family house appraisals at Fannie Mae. Now, 25 years later, he is working to set up his own office on South Moger Street.

“I love Mt. Kisco,” Bernz said. “It”™s the commercial hub of northern Westchester ”“ it”™s got a little bit of everything within a few miles of here. People call it a microcosm of America.”