T I M ' S S T O R Y
I began appraising real estate in 1978 while working for Detroit & Northern Savings and Loan (“D&N”) in Warren, Michigan, covering the greater Detroit area. After my training I moved to Flint, MI, where I covered the entire Genesee County area. In 1979 I relocated to Marquette to assume a vacated appraisal position there, also with D&N. When interest rates spiked in the early 1980’s I did a stint as the assistant branch manager and then manager of the Marquette D&N branch. When lending resumed I took the position of Residential Appraisal Manager for the Upper Peninsula. I traveled the U.P. locating and working with independent appraisers. I also appraised residential and commercial properties from Ironwood to Sault Ste Marie, and did appraisal reviews. In 1987 I earned my SRA professional designation from the Society of Real Estate Appraisers. In 1988 I became the chief appraiser for D&N and moved to Hancock. Completion of my SRPA (Senior Real Property Appraiser) designation occurred in 1990. In 1992 the commercial lending department of D&N planned to transfer me to the Troy, MI office. Having a family and not wishing to relocate, I elected to begin appraising on my own.
O U R F I R M
In 1992 I began a real estate appraisal company called Seaton Appraisal Service, now called Seaton Appraisal Associates. The MAI professional designation was achieved in 2000. Over the years I have trained 7 appraisers. We have appraised property throughout much of the UP. The majority of our work is residential and vacant land, but we have appraised personal property, commercial, industrial, subdivision developments, and businesses. We have worked for banks; attorneys; individuals; municipalities; universities; local, state, and federal governments; companies, large and small, etc. Some of our more unique projects have included appraising the entire K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base with 2 Marquette appraisal firms; Granot Loma’s land in Marquette County; the Osceola and Centennial Mines in Calumet and Kearsarge; the unique “green” development of Harlow Farms by Sunrise Builders in Marquette; and part of the Calumet Air Force Station for the GSA. We have appraised remote acreage with no access to multi-million dollar residential properties on private lakes.
