Blaine Feyen is the founder of the Real Value Coaching Academy. Blaine is also the chief appraiser and founder of the Real Value Group, an appraisal firm founded in 2005 after several years building and running another large residential and commercial real estate appraisal firm with a former partner.
Before founding the Real Value Group, Blaine lead a large residential and commercial appraisal firm to exponential growth while also starting another entrepreneurial venture offering business training and coaching to new and existing appraisers within the firm. During that time, Blaine developed one of the most comprehensive Appraiser training programs the industry had seen up to that point.
Blaine's appraiser training programs covered aspects of the appraisal profession typically not taught in licensing courses and mentoring programs. The courses covered topics such as sales and marketing, social media, business development, utilizing the latest technology, public speaking, using video technology for appraising, prospecting for new business, mindsets for success, optimizing an office, using virtual assistants, developing a web presence, podcasting and using video for success, mentoring other appraisers, vital communication skills for Appraisers, and how to work 'on' your business while working 'in' your business.
Blaine founded the Real Value Group in 2005 with a vision of having a collaborative office of like minded appraisers and professionals from other industries all under one roof. The idea worked even better than first planned! Real Value Group became a business incubator for success minded individuals from several industries. Blaine has mentored and personally trained more than 20 appraisers since 2005, most of whom have gone on to build their own successful appraisal firms. All of the appraisers who were mentored by Blaine and started their own firms still collaborate with the Real Value Group in a variety of ways. Since Blaine’s teaching and mentoring philosophy includes the belief that there is enough business for everybody and nobody is considered a competitor, Blaine has graciously helped many others build successful careers in the appraisal industry while experiencing exponential growth every year since 2005.
Blaine's vision for the Real Estate, Lending, and Appraisal industries developed from his experience as a residential and commercial real estate investor, as well as having worked in real estate sales, lending, and the appraisal industries. Blaine invested in his first duplex when he was just 19, which ignited his passion for all things real estate! He got his Real Estate license in 1994 and developed his sales skills in Residential Real Estate for several years. Blaine expanded his knowledge of the Real Estate business by getting his builder's license and having a very successful career in his family's mechanical contracting industry. As is typical for Blaine, he developed a business development and sales training course for the HVAC industry that is still the most comprehensive sales course ever developed for the industry.
Blaine taught always sold out 3 day sales training boot camps to mechanical contractors for several years until leaving that industry to further his Real Estate career. In the late 1990's, Blaine entered the mortgage lending business and learned everything he could about loan origination and lending. Blaine's experience in the Real Estate sales and mortgage lending businesses eventually lead him to the Real Estate Appraisal business, which is where he's been since the early 2000's. Having had experience in almost all aspects of residential and commercial real estate; construction, mechanicals, purchasing, owning, selling, lending, and appraising, Blaine likes to say he "speaks all the languages" of his clients, making him uniquely qualified as an Appraiser, and uniquely qualified as a teacher and business coach to others in the industry.
In addition to Blaine's busy appraisal business, Blaine is a sought after teacher, speaker, and business coach, speaking regularly to real estate and lending groups around Michigan. Blaine is also a 4th degree Black Belt in the martial art of Aikido, a student of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and the founder of one of the largest full time martial arts academies in the Midwest. In the early 1990's, Blaine was accepted into the prestigious Leadership Development Academy as a full time live-in student under the renowned Aikido and Zen Master, Fumio Toyoda. Blaine spent several years studying Aikido, Zen Meditation, tactical defensive applications, and Leadership under Mr. Toyoda and traveled the world teaching. After graduating from the Leadership Development Academy, Blaine founded his own martial arts and leadership academy in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Blaine spent the next 16 years traveling around the world teaching Aikido, defensive tactics, and leadership to military, law enforcement, and civilian groups while also managing a busy career in real estate. Blaine's speaking and teaching schedule has taken him to Poland, Bulgaria, Wales, England, Latvia, Lithuania, Czech Republic, South Africa, and almost every state in the U.S.
Currently, Blaine is a busy appraisal firm owner and building one of the fastest growing podcasts and business coaching programs for the appraisal industry. Blaine's coaching program for appraisers, the Real Value Coaching Academy, is a high accountability coaching program designed to help new, as well as veteran appraisers, expand their businesses, become much more profitable, work less hours while making more money, give more to their chosen charities, and build wildly profitable appraisal firms that give their owners more life, more income, more enjoyment, and considerably more fulfillment.
