Appraisal & Consulting

Looking at 2018 from the rear view mirror - by Rocco Quaresima

As we enter the new year filled with new (or some of the same old) resolutions, it is important that these resolutions do not go unfilled. Looking back as the outgoing 2018 president of the Connecticut Chapter of the Appraisal Institute, 2018 was filled with many successes and challenges.

Get ready for a 2019 reset for commercial real estate - by David Kirk

Capital sources for commercial real estate are generally flush if cautiously prepared to invest during 2019. How flush will be apparent in the forthcoming weeks as term sheets are exchanged on debt and equity commitments, and offers on properties and portfolios.

Fed rates: A determined game plan, unwinding or not? - by Daniel Calano

Between the time I started and finished this article, I changed my mind twice. Why? Because it’s about interest rates. You know what I mean…total uncertainty. Six months ago, I wrote about increases in interest rates, but noted that there were no onerous real estate impacts to that date.

Hello to the commercial real estate community! - by Scott Bussey

Conn-Comp is working on its second major redesign in two years that will greatly deliver new value to our customers at no additional cost! We have been very busy speaking with our customers to provide a better product. We are committed to continual improvement! 

Rumblings from the deep version two: Markets seem to be showing stability - by Bill Pastuszek

“Are we there yet?” This could be the kids in the back seat or a way of asking if this long, long, long commercial real estate expansion is no longer. This end of days concept has been written about a lot over the past few years. 

Surviving the multifamily suppocalypse in Boston - by Mark Hickey

Unless you’ve been living in a cave the past few years, it’s impossible not to notice the tremendous amount of apartment supply hitting Boston, though we are not unique in this regard, as many metropolitan areas around the country are in a similar situation.

Technology and how it affects the appraiser today - by Tom Whiting

Technology continues to advance relentlessly, and modern real estate appraisers need to keep up or be left behind.

The state of valuation - How changes affect the consumer - by Craig Morley

Since 2005, there have been dramatic changes in real estate valuation starting with Government Sponsored Entities (GSE) introducing a new report form in 2005. In the wake of the “Great Recession” starting in 2007 the “Home Valuation Code of Conduct”

What is affordable housing? There are multiple meanings - by Rose Perrizo

The term “affordable housing” has a number of meanings. One is generic and simply means reasonably priced apartments or homes. In high-priced places like Boston, it essentially refers to any housing that is not high-end, luxury, or built for the very wealthy.

Raising appraisal De minimis: good or bad for the industry? - by Steve Hurlburt

Just recently, the federal regulatory agencies, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Treasury (OCC); board of governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board); and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), agreed to raise the appraisal threshold level from $250,000 to $500,000 for commercial real estate appraisals.