The Terms of Use for this Appraisal Institute blog (“AI Blog”) encourages prudent use of the AI Blog. Accordingly, please read the Terms of Use (“TOU”) carefully. When you access, post and/or use the AI Blog, you acknowledge that you have agreed to abide and be bound by the terms and conditions of this TOU. Please also note that the Appraisal Institute reserves the right to change the AI Blog and/or the terms and conditions of this TOU at any time. Your continued use of the AI Blog following any change will be conclusively deemed as an acceptance of any change to the AI Blog and/or to this TOU. Please review this TOU periodically.

1. RESPONSIBILITY FOR USE.  At all times, you agree to conduct your on-line activities on the AI Blog in a professional, responsible, and business-like manner in accordance with this TOU. And as applicable, especially if you are an AI member or affiliated with the Appraisal Institute, you agree to uphold the standards of the Appraisal Institute which includes its Bylaws, Regulations, Policies and the standards of the real estate profession. The Appraisal Institute is entitled to any additional legal remedies if you violate or breach this TOU and/or the standards of the Appraisal Institute.

 

2. USER OBLIGATIONS.  By accessing or using the AI Blog, you represent that you are at least eighteen (18) years of age and will, at all times, provide true, accurate, current, and complete information when submitting information or materials on the AI Blog.  If you provide any false, inaccurate, untrue, or incomplete information, the Appraisal Institute reserves the right to terminate your access and use of the AI Blog and/or to remove any of your postings to the AI Blog.  In addition, you agree to abide by all applicable local, state, national, and international laws and regulations with respect to your use of the AI Blog.  You also acknowledge and agree that use of the Internet and the AI Blog are solely at your own risk.  Accordingly, you should understand that the confidentiality of any communication or material transmitted to/from the AI Blog over the Internet or other global communication network cannot be guaranteed.  Accordingly, the Appraisal Institute is not responsible for the security of any information transmitted via the Internet, the accuracy of the information contained on the AI Blog, or for the consequences of any reliance on such information.  You must make your own determination as to these issues.

 

3. RIGHT TO USE.  The AI Blog is provided by the Appraisal Institute as a resource for you and to further the purposes of the Appraisal Institute.  You may print and download materials and information from the AI Blog solely for personal use, provided that all hard copies contain all copyright and other applicable notices contained in such materials and information.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, you may not modify, distribute, publish, remove or alter any proprietary notices or labels, transfer, exploit, or otherwise use in any manner not expressly permitted herein the AI Blog and or this TOU.

 

4. PROPRIETARY RIGHTS.  All text, graphics, user interfaces, visual interfaces, photographs, sounds, artwork, computer code (including html code), programs, software, products, information, and documentation as well as the design, structure, selection, coordination, expression, “look and feel,” and arrangement of any content contained on or available through the AI Blog, unless otherwise indicated, are exclusively owned, controlled, and licensed by the Appraisal Institute and are protected by law including, but not limited to, United States copyright, trade secret, patent, and trademark law, as well as other state, national, and international laws and regulations.  Except as expressly provided herein, the Appraisal Institute does not grant any express or implied right to you or any other person under any intellectual or proprietary rights.  This site is Copyright © 2011 the Appraisal Institute.  All rights reserved.  The Appraisal Institute also owns the copyright in the contents of the AI Blog as collective work and/or compilation and in the selection, coordination, arrangement, and enhancement of the content of this site.  Any downloadable or printable programs, information, or materials available through this site and all copyrights, trade secrets, and know-how related thereto, unless otherwise indicated, are owned by the Appraisal Institute.  The Appraisal Institute and all other names, logos, and icons identifying the Appraisal Institute and its programs, products, and services are proprietary trademarks of the Appraisal Institute, and any use of such marks without the express written permission of the Appraisal Institute is strictly prohibited.

 

5. ENFORCING SECURITY.  You should be aware that the AI Blog is a resource of the Appraisal Institute.  You therefore have no proprietary interest and no reasonable expectation of privacy while using the AI Blog.  The Appraisal Institute considers electronic transmissions and communications, such as postings, made through the AI Blog as the Appraisal Institute’s own records, and the Appraisal Institute may therefore obtain access to, intercept, disclose, and review those transmissions at any time.  Moreover, actual or attempted unauthorized use of the AI Blog may violate the Appraisal Institute’s employment policies and/or result in criminal and/or civil prosecution, including, without limitation, punishment under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986.  The Appraisal Institute also reserves the right to view, monitor, and record activity on the AI Blog without notice or permission from you.  Any information obtained by monitoring, reviewing, or recording is subject to review by law enforcement organizations in connection with investigation or prosecution of possible criminal activity on the AI Blog.  The Appraisal Institute will also comply with all court orders involving requests for such information.  In addition to the foregoing, the Appraisal Institute reserves the right to at any time, and without notice, to delete any postings, and to modify, suspend, terminate, or interrupt operation of or access to the AI Blog, or any portion of the AI Blog, for any reason.

 

6. By submitting content or information of any type to the AI Blog or by otherwise using the AI Blog to transmit or display a posting, you automatically grant the Appraisal Institute a royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive right and license to use, reproduce, modify, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, transmit, perform, and display such content or information (in whole or in part) worldwide and/or to incorporate into other works in any form, media, or technology now known or later developed for the full term of any rights that may exist in such content or information.  You also acknowledge that such submissions are non-confidential for all purposes.  Moreover, you agree that by using the AI Blog you will not post or transmit any of the following materials on the AI Blog:

 

• Anything, which interferes with or disrupts the AI Blog or the Appraisal Institute, and/or the operations of the AI Blog or the Appraisal Institute;
• Statements or material that defames, harasses, abuses, stalks, threatens, or in any way infringes on the rights of others;
• Unauthorized copyrighted materials or any other material that infringes on the intellectual property rights, trade secrets, or privacy of another;
• Statements or material that violates other contractual or fiduciary rights, duties, or agreements;
• Statements or material that encourages criminal conduct or conduct that would give rise to civil liability or otherwise violates any law or regulation in any jurisdiction;
• Statements or material that contains vulgar, obscene, profane, or otherwise objectionable language or images that typically would not be considered socially or professionally responsible or appropriate in person;
• Statements or material that impersonates any other person or entity, whether actual or fictitious, including employees and representatives of the Appraisal Institute;
• Anything that violates the privacy or publicity rights of any other person;
• Statements or material that are off-topic, irrelevant, inflammatory, or inappropriate for the purposes of the AI Blog;
• Statements or material that constitutes junk mail, spam, or unauthorized advertising or promotional materials; and
• Files that contain malicious code, viruses, corrupted files, or any other similar software or programs that may damage the operation of another’s computer, network, or this site.

 

As the AI Blog is generally public, please follow these guidelines. Please remember to respect others and their opinions.

 

7. NO PRE-SCREENING OF POSTINGS. The Appraisal Institute is not responsible for screening, policing, editing, or monitoring yours or another user’s postings and encourages all users to use reasonable discretion and caution in evaluating or reviewing any posting.  Moreover, and except as provided below with respect to the Appraisal Institute’s right and ability to delete or remove a posting (or any part thereof) at any time and for any purpose, the Appraisal Institute does not endorse, oppose, or edit any opinion or information provided by you or another user and does not make any representation with respect to, nor does it endorse the accuracy, completeness, timeliness, or reliability of any advice, opinion, statement, or other material displayed, uploaded, or distributed by you or any other user.  Nevertheless, the Appraisal Institute reserves the right to delete or take other action with respect to postings (or parts thereof) that the Appraisal Institute believes violate this TOU, the standards of the Appraisal Institute, and/or are potentially unlawful, or are contrary to the purpose of the AI Blog, or for any other purpose or reason within the Appraisal Institute’s sole discretion.  If you violate this TOU, the Appraisal Institute may, in its sole discretion, delete the unacceptable content from your posting, remove or delete the posting in its entirety, issue you a warning, and/or terminate your use of the AI Blog.  If you become aware of postings that violate or breach this TOU regarding acceptable behavior or content, you may contact the Appraisal Institute as identified below.

 

8. LINKS TO OTHER SITES.  The Appraisal Institute, in its sole discretion, or other end users may provide links to other sites on the Internet for your convenience in locating related information, products, and services.  These sites have not necessarily been reviewed by the Appraisal Institute and are maintained by third parties over which the Appraisal Institute exercises no control.  Accordingly, the Appraisal Institute expressly disclaims any responsibility for the content, the materials, the accuracy of the information, and/or quality of the products or services provided by, available through, or advertised on these third party web sites.  Moreover, these links do not imply an endorsement or approval by the Appraisal Institute, or affiliation with the Appraisal Institute with respect to any third party or any web site or the products or services provided by any third party.

 

9. THE AI BLOG IS PROVIDED ON AN “AS-IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS AND MAY INCLUDE ERRORS, OMISSIONS, OR OTHER INACCURACIES. MOREOVER, THE APPRAISAL INSTITUTE MAY MAKE MODIFICATIONS AND/OR CHANGES TO THE AI BLOG AT ANY TIME AND FOR ANY REASON.  THE APPRAISAL INSTITUTE MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES ABOUT THE SUITABILITY, COMPLETENESS, TIMELINESS, RELIABILTY, LEGALITY, OR ACCURACY OF THE AI BLOG OR ANY INFORMATION, SERVICES, PROGRAMS, PRODUCTS, AND MATERIALS IDENTIFIED OR DISCUSSED ON THE AI BLOG FOR ANY PURPOSE AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT.

 

10. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY.  IN NO EVENT SHALL THE APPRAISAL INSTITUTE BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, PUNITIVE, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF OR IN ANY WAY CONNECTED WITH THE USE OF THE AI BLOG OR WITH THE DELAY OR INABILITY TO USE THE AI BLOG, OR FOR ANY INFORMATION, SERVICES, PROGRAMS, PRODUCTS, AND MATERIALS AVAILABLE THROUGH OR IDENTIFIED ON THE AI BLOG, WHETHER BASED IN CONTRACT, TORT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR OTHERWISE, EVEN IF YOU HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

 

11. GOVERNING LAW.  This TOU has been made in and will be construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of Illinois as applied to agreements entered into and completely performed in the State of Illinois.  A printed version of this TOU and of any related notice given in electronic form shall be admissible in judicial or administrative proceedings based upon or relating to this TOU to the same extent and subject to the same conditions as other business documents and records originally generated and maintained in printed form.

 

12. CONTACT INFORMATION.  If you have questions regarding this TOU and/or the AI Blog, please contact opinionsofvalue@appraisalinstitute.org.