Appraisal & Consulting

Appraisal snapshot - Appraisals of the same prop. not the same

Have you ever taken a photo of something, then returned a second time and taken another photo of the same scene, and they just didn't look t...

Infrastructure bolsters the value of real estate

Something we all tend to take for granted in our everyday lives is infrastructure. We turn on the faucet and water flows. We flush the toile...

Turning "due" diligence into "do" diligence

"So how can we optimize the due diligence process to make sure we are getting the most meaningful results from our efforts? The answer is to...

Changes in the appraisal business over the past few years: UAD progress report

With all the big changes in the residential appraisal business over the past few years, starting with the HVCC, AMCs, the 1004 MC, Dodd-Fran...

Fall: A time for action, but what more can we do?

The end of Labor Day week-end is always seemingly an abrupt change: Automatically, the weather seems colder and the days shorter, as we are ...

Appraising the transition to a down or up market

I'm going out on a limb and calling a real estate bottom in my portion of Vermont, which includes the four southern counties. Appraisers oft...

Appraisal Institute presents "Hotel Valuation and Transaction Trends"

On Thursday, September 6th, the Massachusetts Chapter of the Appraisal Institute held a luncheon meeting at the Federal Reserve Bank. The to...

Water as a component of real estate value

Recent climatic developments including the drought that hit midwest farmland this summer sheds light on the importance of water as a compone...

Leverage - The future risk no one is talking about

Over the past several years, commercial real estate has attracted investors not only for its potential capital appreciation but also for its...

End of summer recap: Sharing some questions and observations about the market

The summer is winding up. After some two months of low traffic in and around Boston (sometimes) due to the absence of students on the roadwa...