Daniel started his career as a petroleum engineer working in the oil & gas industry.
“After doing that for about six years, I pivoted into real estate. A friend of mine had his own appraisal company and convinced me to come work with him and showed me the ropes.”
The change in careers has proven to be rewarding to Daniel for a variety of reasons.
“I find the interaction with others rewarding. I feel like I’m contributing a service that is necessary too. I also like that I own my own company and can grow it at my pace, how I want to.”
Daniel has never forgotten how intimidating and confusing it felt when he was first learning about the inner workings of mortgage transactions and financing.
“I try to keep that in mind whenever I interact with homeowners and answer any questions they may have. Most buyers and sellers will only go through the mortgage process a couple of times in their lifetime. Spending two minutes simply talking with a homeowner can make them feel more at ease and make the whole process go much smoother.”
Empathy for his clients is just one of the ways Daniel brings professionalism to his role as an appraiser.
“I think what we do is very necessary and I find it rewarding to be a part of that process. Being a professional is incumbent upon all appraisers because it instills trust in our profession.”
Houston, Texas is the area where Daniel conducts property appraisals. The market continues to represent a healthy location for appraisal work.
“There is a lot of new construction happening in Houston and the surrounding areas.”
The city continues to attract new citizens.
“In addition to a diversity of job opportunities, people are becoming more aware of what Houston has to offer culturally, as well as its amenities and of course, its food scene. It will be interesting to watch Houston continue to grow over the next 5-10 years and I’ll be here to appraise it!”
The Houston real estate market remains stable.
“The median home price in January in Houston was $315,000. This represents a 1.6% increase from last year. The number of homes sold in January vs. the same month last year increased slightly from 5,002 SFR to 5,064 SFR.”
The biggest change is the reduction in homes for sale.
“In January 2024 there were 38,410 SFR for sale. In January 2025 that number had dropped to 12,074 SFR –a difference of almost 60%.”