colorado chapter appraisal news - Colorado Appraisal Institute

PRESIDENT’S CORNERby John A. Schwartz, MAIGOOD NEWS - BAD NEWSYou see a headline like this and you immediately begin towonder what’s wrong. Well, let’s get the bad news out inthe open first. The Executive Committee e-mailed thechapter presidents a summary of the motions made at themeeting held on February 22–24, 2002. To my disappointment,Seattle was selected as the location for the2004 national meetings by the Meeting RestructureProject Team. The good news is subtle, but there is some. Aftera phone conversation with John Ross, Executive VicePresident, I was assured that Colorado will be consideredfor a summer national meeting location. When? Nobodyknows, probably when a hotel facility with a suitable numberof meeting rooms has been built in DowntownDenver. Obviously, there are other issues that are runningin the background, but there isn’t enough space to provideyou with the details. I do, however, want to thank theChapter National Meeting Committee for their hardwork in putting together a presentation for National toeven consider Denver as a National meeting location.During the November meetings in Chicago, the Boardof Directors, Councils, and other members of thenational leadership team spent a day performing an environmentalscan of the appraisal industry and theAppraisal Institute. The same type of meeting was held atthe Chapter President’s orientation meeting which washeld at the same time. Now this “environmental scanningsession” has come full circle and now the chapters,through their officers and directors, are being asked toconduct a Chapter Environmental Scanning Session. Thetopics covered will be: Reinventing the AppraisalInstitute; Future of the designation; The 2010 appraiser;and Appraisers and the public. They also wanted thechapter to hold planning meetings by the end of April,2002 and hold one of these scanning sessions. Our chaptermeeting schedules don’t coincide with this request.In response to national’s request, the chapter is goingto try something new. After many discussions with membersat meetings, seminars, and funerals, I am asking thechapter to hold two breakfast meetings. All chapter membersare invited and encouraged to attend, especially ourassociates. These informal breakfast meetings are goingto be called Schwartzenegger Ham n’ Egger. The firstbreakfast meeting will be held on May 20, 2002 at theHoliday Inn on South Colorado Boulevard and CherryCreek Drive North at 7:00 am. The chapter will pay partof the breakfast expense and those in attendance will pay$10.00. (See the enclosed flyer for additional information.)Why have a meeting like this? It seems that every meetingor seminar I attend I see someone that I haven’t seen ina long time. Everyone asks, “Why don’t we have more meetings”?Here is your chance. This gives chapter members anopportunity to discuss issues on the table for the RegionalMeeting and how you want the regional representatives tovote on these issues. We also need to know what other membersand prospective members are doing in their everydaypractice. It wouldn’t hurt to familiarize ourselves with newmembers that recently received their designations and welcomethose members that are close to completing designationrequirements. As Chapter President, I am embarrassedto tell you that I don’t know all of our newly designatedmembers and associates. This scanning session/breakfast isintended to help all of us become more familiar with ourmembers and associates. I would rather see your facebehind a cup of coffee talking about current events thantalking about you in a coffin at a funeral.Bad News? The next topic you will not like to hearabout. This is from the Colorado Board of Real EstateAppraisers. “Beginning January 1, 2003, every licenseemust complete a specific Appraiser Qualifications Boardapproved National USPAP Update Course every otheryear. The course will include a written exam, and must betaught by an instructor certified by the AppraiserQualifications Board. This requirement will be phased in,and every licensee will have until December 31, 2005 tocomplete their first National USPAP Update Course.The every other year USPAP update requirement willbe out of sync with the three-year license renewal cycle setin Colorado statute. In some cycles, a licensee will onlyneed to take the update once, while in other cycles it willhave to be completed twice. A further complication arisesin that many appraisers belong to professional appraisalassociations with continuing education and USPAP educationrequirements on yet another schedule.Remember the USPAP Standard 2-2 reporting optionsand how confused we were?Last but not least, the focus of the Chapter’s CharitableCause this year will be the MS Walk. Those of you whoknow me will understand why I am biased toward thiscause. The more important issue is that the Chapter canparticipate in this charitable event at locations all over thestate at several different dates this spring. I ask for yourhelp in collecting pledges, checks or cash donations. Youwould be surprised how many Coloradoans have MS,even a Colorado Supreme Court Judge.Page 3