Appraisal professionals in the greater Boston area (75+/- miles) are very fortunate to have two premier appraisal organizations working tirelessly on their behalf. Both the Massachusetts Board of Real Estate Appraisers and the Massachusetts Chapter of the Appraisal Institute continue to strive to bring an abundance of front line education and information to both members and non-members alike. In the true spirit of co-operation, the two organizations have combined once again, to co-sponsor The New England Appraisal Expo. For the 20th year, on November 8th, an all day program featuring vendors, speakers and panels have been brought together for the sole purpose of benefitting our profession and enhancing our professionalism. In a slight change of format, the morning program will be combined so that both residential and commercial appraisers can gain first hand knowledge of the current landscape confronting appraisers. The afternoon session will break back into separate groups with the programs tailored for specific interests. This will be the fourth year the Expo will be held at the Sheraton Four Points Hotel on Rte. 1 in Norwood, Mass. The joint session will cover a variety of topics including, the Housing Bust & Housing Affordability in New England and a State Regulatory and Governmental Affairs Update. These two sessions will be presented by Robert Clifford, policy analyst at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and Ann-Margarette Barry from the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Real Estate Appraisers and Scott DiBiasio from the Appraisal Institute. Barry will report on the goings on in Massachusetts and DiBiasio has his hand on the pulse in Washington, D.C. The commercial part of the program will cover two topics. The first, A Review of the Subsidized Housing Market, will feature a panel of experts including Bart Goldberg from HUD, attorney Robert Gaines and David Keane from Chelsea Neighborhood Development. These three gentlemen will be able to cover the topic from a variety of perspectives. The second half of the program will be on be the current state of the hotel and retail market, with Eric Baum and Ken Hecht leading what will prove to be a spirited presentation and discussion on two segments of the commercial market that have been most hard hit by the recession. The residential program will focus on the many facets of appraising for non-lending purposes. The assembled panel will discuss and illustrate the various differences an appraiser must confront when the residential appraisal assignment is for something other than a typical lending transaction. There are a variety of assignments that can come up including appraisals for estates, taxation, eminent domain, litigation, divorce, etc. Right from the start the appraiser must be aware of what is required, particularly if court testimony may be involved. Again, a spirited presentation and question and answer period is expected. This is an excellent opportunity to get six hours of continuing education, see some of the latest technology and services available to appraisers and of course, network with some of the finest in our profession. In addition, you get all this for $125 if you are a member of either organization or a still modest $175 if you are a non-member. However, if you are not a member I would strongly recommend you become one. Not only do you get the discount for the program, but you get a discount on all future additional educational offerings. It's too good a deal to pass up - so sign up and become a member. If you are already one, congratulations, and I hope to see you all on the 8th. Steve Elliott is president of Elliott Gottschalk & Assoc., Boston, Mass.