I’m excited to share that the Appraisal Institute has secured a terrific general session speaker for its 2014 Annual Meeting, taking place August 4-6 at the Hilton Austin in Texas! Registration is now open, so be sure to sign up today.

AI Announces Annual Meeting Speaker

Mark G. Dotzour, Ph.D., chief economist and director of research for the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, has accepted our invitation to speak at a general session of the 2014 Annual Meeting. As chief economist, he is currently doing market research to monitor how global and national trends are likely to impact residential and commercial real estate markets, and he will share his insights with Annual Meeting attendees.

Attendees will experience first-class education and extensive networking options, the opportunity to earn Appraisal Institute CE credit and state credit, cutting-edge exhibits from valuation profession vendors, an awards dinner honoring top valuation professionals and the chance to explore numerous social and recreational activities in Austin.

Learn more about the 2014 Annual Meeting and register today.

AI Addresses ‘Green’ Issues at White House Roundtable

On March 11, I represented the Appraisal Institute at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Green Mortgage Appraisal Roundtable at the White House to help identify ways in which the mortgage appraisal process can be improved.

Meeting attendees also heard from Sandra K. Adomatis, SRA, who discussed ways in which the valuation profession has advanced relative to the appraisal of high-performance homes.

Learn more about the roundtable.

AI Provides Its First Education in Persian Gulf

The Appraisal Institute concluded an historic week-long teaching opportunity on March 18 at Kuwait University – Real Estate Academy in Kuwait City.

“Basic Appraisal Principles,” a 30-hour course taught by Leslie Sellers, MAI, SRA, a former Appraisal Institute president, was the organization’s first-ever educational offering  in the Persian Gulf and is part of an agreement signed with Kuwait University – Real Estate Academy on Nov. 18, 2013. Course attendees included appraisers, engineers and architects who work for banks. The Appraisal Institute will return to Kuwait on April 13-20 to teach “Basic Appraisal Procedures.”

AI Enhances Thought Leadership, Attends Key Industry Events

As I indicated in last month’s message, the Appraisal Institute is deeply concerned about the recent policy change by the Small Business Administration that disqualifies several thousand experienced real estate appraisers from performing “going concern” appraisals of special purpose properties in certain situations.

Now, Congress is demanding answers on this issue as evidenced by the March 6 letter sent by 15 members of the House of Representatives to the SBA’s acting administrator, Marianne O’Brien Markowitz, seeking clarification on the matter.

To further convey AI’s thought leadership to valuation professionals and others interested in appraisals, President-Elect Lance Coyle, MAI, SRA, attended the National Council of Real Estate Investment Fiduciaries’ Winter Conference March 12-14 in Phoenix; I represented AI at the Pension Real Estate Association’s Spring Conference March 19-20 in Boston; and I am currently in London at the International Valuation Standards Council’s Professional Board Meeting and the IVSC’s Standards Board Meeting.

AI Expands Registries for ‘Green’ Professional Development Program

The Appraisal Institute has expanded its Valuation of Sustainable Buildings Professional Development Program’s registries of residential and commercialappraisers, found on the AI website.

The registries now list the names of Designated members, Candidates for Designation, Practicing Affiliates, Affiliates and other professionals who have successfully attended and passed the examinations of the courses in the program.

Placement on the registries shows potential clients and employers that these individuals have obtained knowledge on this specialized topic. The Appraisal Institute expanded the list of those eligible to be listed in the online registries in response to requests from clients seeking to hire commercial and residential appraisers who had taken AI’s green and energy-efficient valuation education.

Learn more about the “Valuation of Sustainable Buildings Professional Development Program.”

Other News Around AI

And here’s some other important news from the Appraisal Institute:

• The Appraisal Institute website now includes a new online donation form for the AI Relief Foundation. Separately, contributions also may be made to the AI Education Trust and the AI Political Action Committee.

• On March 4, I was joined by Lance Coyle, MAI, SRA, for a Dallas/Fort Worth media tour, which included meetings with representatives from The Wall Street Journal, Fort Worth Business Press and HousingWire. These meetings provided the opportunity to enhance the Appraisal Institute’s reputation with key media contacts who cover commercial and residential real estate.
• The Appraisal Institute posted a new video to its YouTube channel this month, where Lance Coyle, MAI, SRA; Scott Robinson, MAI, SRA, AI-GRS; and I share details about the Annual Meeting keynote speaker.
• If you haven’t already done so, I encourage you to check out the latest quarterly editions of Valuation magazine and The Appraisal Journal, both of which contain timely and informative articles about relevant topics.

The Appraisal Institute continues to grow its social media presence. Be sure to follow AI on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.