Appraisal & Consulting

Try joining a professional appraisal organization

The appraisal profession is in a sorry state. It's not the result of the HVCC, Dodd-Frank or any of the myriad other external factors influe...

Revisits the 1004MC: A look at this form and asking the question, does it need fixing?

A note of caution: the following might be a little technical. It could even hurt. It might not mean much to folks on the commercial side, bu...

Economic cycles get a pump in the spring quarter

The first day of spring is March 21, 2012 and Daylight Savings starts March 11, 2012. Economic cycles probably get a pump in the spring quar...

Retro appraisal professionals - Times are changing

I admit it. I missed the big transition ten years ago, and it cost me. For 25 years, I have been appraising real estate in Massachusetts, an...

Reviewing appraisals: Art and science - Part 2

Part 1 appeared in the February 10th edition of NEREJ. To most investors, a competent appraisal is a welcome part of a prudent asset managem...

Appraisal Institute advocates for appraiser professionals

In the news from the Appraisal Institute. The Appraisal Institute (AI) commented February 15th on the Financial Accounting Standards Board's...

Perhaps we have learned our lesson, but probably not

The real estate industry comprises just one piece of a very complex economic puzzle. Other pieces include financial and business services, t...

Chapter chair message: 2012 commercial real estate outlook

The New England CRE chapter held its first program of the year on February 16th at the CBRE offices featuring Ray Torto, Ph.D, CRE. Torto i...

Inflation: Good, bad or ugly for real estate? Part 1

Much has been said about impending inflation recently, by politicians, banks, economists, and the Federal Reserve. Generally speaking, many ...

Light winter, what about the spring? What weather can do to real estate markets

It's been a mild winter in New England, of nearly historic proportions. Many of us are thinking golf in March with daffodils not far behind....