NWPA Chapter of AI – President’s Message 2010

I am honored to have been elected to serve as President of the Northwest PA Chapter of the Appraisal Institute in 2010. Over the past several years, the general public has become keenly aware of how critical our profession is to the well-being of the financial system of our country. And, if appraisers had any doubts, those have been laid to rest with the recent recession that has gripped the country and global real estate and financial markets.

As many real estate markets have recently been in chaos, there has never been a greater need for professional valuation services to be provided by well-educated, ethical and knowledgeable professionals. The Appraisal Institute, since 1932, has been upholding the “gold standard” of professionalism in appraising. Early in my career, I was drawn to the Appraisal Institute (AI) because of the quality of its educational offerings. Comparing the courses that I took through AI with other providers, there was little doubt that I would join the Appraisal Institute and become active in the organization. Basic through advanced course offerings were “tough” but you learned the material thoroughly, often from some of the best and most interesting instructors in the country. Locally, within our own chapter, we have strived to provide high-quality educational offerings to our members and we will continue to do so. Four different educational offerings are already planned for the upcoming year.

Drawn to the organization by the first-class nature of its educational offerings, I have more recently become aware of the importance of the Appraisal Institute as a voice for appraisers in Washington, D.C. The lobbying efforts of the Appraisal Institute have recently had a significant impact on legislation governing the registry of appraisal management companies (AMC’s), the limitations on Broker Price Opinions (BPO’s) and Automated Valuation Models (AVM’s) as well as various changes concerning Truth in Lending Laws.

My goals for the upcoming year are: (1) to better educate our members (and potential members) as to the benefits, services and educational programs that are offered to them through the Appraisal Institute; (2) to assist our members that are currently pursuing SRA or MAI designations; (3) to better educate the end users of our services as to the value of hiring Appraisal Institute members; and (4) to effectively represent our NWPA chapter as the liason to Region VI of the national organization of the AI.

In closing, I am proud of what it means to be an SRA member of the Appraisal Institute and to be affiliated with such excellent peer appraisers in Northwestern PA. I look forward to the challenge of upholding the “gold standard” tradition of excellence in appraising that the Appraisal Institute stands for. If, as a career path, you have interest in becoming a professional appraiser, I encourage you to visit the Appraisal Institute website (www.appraisalinstitute.org) for more information; or call me directly at (814) 836-0555 x 102. The AI offers various levels of membership and career paths leading up to the MAI and SRA professional designations.

If you are an already an appraiser and are interested in joining AI, I will be happy to talk with you about the benefits of our organization. There truly has never been a more important time for the services of well-trained, real estate valuation professionals.

Thank you,

Gary Carmosino, SRA