As the year draws to a close on my tenure as president of the MBREA, I would like to reflect on the past issues we have discussed and the state of the appraisal profession as a whole as 2013 rolls into 2014.
One of my goals as president of the MBREA was to grow on a more national scale. I believe we succeeded in that by nominating and eventually seeing our own director of the organization, Steve Sousa, elected to the board of regents for the Alliance for Valuation Education (Alliance). The Alliance, sponsored by the Appraisal Foundation and eleven other appraisal organizations, is dedicated to providing greater availability of consistent, quality valuation education. The Alliance will develop appraisal curriculum that will be available to educators and organizations like the MBREA. As was noted in a previous article, Steve Elliott, MRA, MBREA past president, and well know instructor for the MBREA, is currently serving as the chairman of the board of trustees for the Appraisal Foundation. The MBREA is a highly regarded organization in the country and considering our size and demographics, this reflects directly back on our management and members.
The MBREA continues to stay on top of local and national rulings, changes to license and education requirements and has become very active in legislation. MBREA's 2013 legislative agenda included two bills refilled by senator Thomas Kennedy and representative Thomas Stanley and a new bill filed by representative Stanley. The three bills included appraisal management company licensing legislation, rescinding disciplinary actions against appraisers who completed USPAP updates, but not within 24 months of each other and legislation limiting the ability of the state board to investigate complaints made on appraisals that fall outside (e.g. are more than 5 years old) the Record Retention requirements of USPAP.
The MBREA started offering classes in Danvers, Dedham, Taunton and Connecticut. Classes are also being offered in Springfield and Cape Cod. This has increased enrollment and members appear to be pleased with the ability to attend classes in locations more convenient to them. We relocated our administrative offices to 50 Federal St., Boston providing greater access to the State House and regulators.
My MBREA continues to offer members a forum for questions, comments and opinions about the appraisal profession. As social networking continues to become a major component of the everyday workplace, being a member of the MBREA and keeping your profile up to date is crucial. I have tried to encourage appraisers who are not part of an organization to get onboard. Being a member of the MBREA ensures that you keep up with all the latest changes in real estate valuation and appraising and also gives you a sense of community in a field that can be isolating if you are out there working alone.
The New England Appraisers Expo took place October 21st at the Four Points Hotel in Norwood. This was sponsored by the MBREA and the MA/RI Chapter of the Appraisal Institute and attendance was the highest since 2006.
My year as president of the MBREA granted me an inside look on all that goes on within this organization. With our strong leadership and members who continue to educate themselves and others, I am confident that the MBREA will continue to grow and thrive and continue to fulfill our mission, "To support, promote and encourage the highest level of professionalism and ethical appraisal standards, through education and communication, and to represent the interests of our members."
Paula Wolfe is the 2013 president of MBREA, Dedham, Mass.