Category: Appraisal & Consulting

How was 2019 for the housing market? by Bill Pastuszek

December 13, 2019

From the Massachusetts Association of Realtors (MAR): The number of homes for sale and new homes added to the market went down in October. A spokesman notes, “Homeowners seem more inclined to stay off the market rather than risk having nothing to buy after the sale goes through

Maine Chapter of Appraisal Institute’s president’s message - by Tina O'Connell

December 13, 2019

I wanted to take a moment to personally thank Don MacKay for his hard work over the past year as president of the chapter. He has done a tremendous job keeping up with the many tasks required of him. He deserves some recognition for his strong leadership, which has had a broad

The write stuff - by Roger Durkin

December 13, 2019

Successful narrative appraisal report writing is based in the recognition that the appraisal report is an argument. An argument is a set of assertions supported by logic and evidence. According to USPAP and Black’s Law Dictionary, the term credible means worthy of belief.

Appraising dev. sites: With vs. without entitlements - by Thomas Jensen

December 13, 2019

Appraising a development site often requires “as is” and “as entitled” scenarios. However, larger sites tend to have a limited number of recent comparable transactions available for review. Therefore, a paired sales analysis of sites “with” and “without” entitlements is not always possible.

MA/RI Chapter of AI President’s final message - by Greg Curtis

December 13, 2019

It has been another productive year for the Massachusetts and Rhode Island Chapter of the Appraisal Institute. The chapter had a record 13 newly designated members, including 10 MAIs and three SRAs. Additionally, three RAs haves earned an AI-RRS and one MAI has earned an AI-GRS for a total of 17 new designees.

Keeping up with Portsmouth - Stephen Bergeron

December 13, 2019

In recent decades, the city of Portsmouth seems to have changed more drastically than any other community in New Hampshire. Before discussing some of these changes, I thought it would be interesting to note some of the demographic characteristics that make Portsmouth unique.

Hold the SALT - How has this impacted real estate? - by Albert Franke

December 13, 2019

SALT, as you may know, is an acronym for State and Local Taxes. It was first introduced to us through An Act to Provide Reconciliation Pursuant to Titles II and V of the Concurrent Resolution on the Budget for Fiscal Year 2018, better known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA).

Portfolio punch for 2019 and 2020 - by David Kirk

December 13, 2019

Year-end portfolio adjustments for tax, performance and allocation strategies are the logical foundation for tweaking budgets, resetting spending/saving plans for commercial real estate for 2020. Financial media and analysts/accountants focus on publicly traded investments,

Consumer retail good - Brick & mortar continues to decline - Daniel Calano

December 13, 2019

Our real estate office has been in Harvard Sq. for over 20 years. Over that time, there was not a lot of physical building change, often due to a general respect for small local shops catering to Harvard professors, students and neighbors. Now, and over the last few years, the square is full