Book 4 - Appraisal Institute of Canada

P r o f e s s i o n a lQ u a l i f i c a t i o n sa n d c o m p e t e n c yB y B r a d B r e w s t e r , A A C I , P. A p pM e m b e r , P r o f e s s i o n a l Q u a l i f i c a t i o n sa n d C o m p e t e n c y C o m m i t t e eBank appraiser lists30C a n a d i a nAppraiserVolume 51 • book 4 • 2007EvaluateurC a n a d i e nhe Appraisal Institute ofCanada (AIC) has workedpersistently over the pasttwo decades to increasethe professionalism of its members.As members of the profession, weall have profited from the sometimesdifficult, but nevertheless beneficialprocess of increased educationaland applied experience requirementsnecessary to obtain and maintain ourdesignated member status.The CRA and AACI designations arewell recognized nationally, and most,if not all, major (national) users of ourservices appreciate and understandthat the members using these designationsare well trained, and haveachieved a high level of education andapplied experience necessary to begranted the use of the designations.The marketing initiative that is underwaynationally will further enhance thepublic perception of our members andthe skills we have to offer.Other professions have alsoincreased the educational requirementsof their members. I am suremost of us would agree that (forexample) the skills and abilities ofmembers of the accounting industryare much more diversified andenhanced from those of, say, 20years ago. For these organizations, asfor our own, much of this evolution isdriven by changing and increasinglycomplex economics, as well as otherfactors.It has long been a concern of somemembers of our organization that, incertain cases, national and regionalusers of our services have ‘lists’naming approved service providersof valuation services. Admittedly, thiscan be a cause for concern when, forexample, a client uses our services toget a valuation of a property completedand tells us that the appraisalis going to be used to obtain mortgagefinancing on the property, butthe financial institution has not yetbeen selected. To indicate to such aclient that the finished appraisal maynot be acceptable to certain financialinstitutions can be a source of angstfor sure, and may even raise questionsabout the credentials of theindividual completing the work.As our clients andthe public begin tobetter understand thebreadth and depth ofour experience andeducation, they willincreasingly trust theservices of our memberson a broad basis.However, it remains the right of acustomer or user of our services toobtain professional services from individualsthey have specifically selected.I do not think most of us would seriouslyquestion the credentials of anaccountant with a CA or some otherprofessional accounting designation.We trust the organizations towhich such individuals belong to grantdesignations only to those who havecompleted the necessary requirements.However, we retain the rightto base the reasons for our selectionsof professional service providers on avariety of factors, including a personalrelationship, referral from others weknow, or even, in some cases, theprice of their services.We are aware that there are storiesof individuals within our own organizationwho have provided less thanexemplary service to clients. Whetherwe want to admit it or not, this hascontributed to the creation of ‘banklists.’ In general, to be approved forsuch a list, an individual must submita number of samples of his or herwork, agree to certain requirementsof the financial institution for valuations(always within the parameters ofCUSPAP, of course), and form somesort of dialogue or relationship withthe client to discuss completed workwhen necessary. Is this an unreasonablerequirement?As an organization, we need tocontinue to support the AppraisalInstitute of Canada in its current,ongoing marketing initiative. As ourclients and the public begin to betterunderstand the breadth and depth ofour experience and education, theywill increasingly trust the services ofour members on a broad basis.Professional Qualificationsand Competency CommitteeAnna Meckling, AACI, P. App– ChairSteve Kelly, AACI, P. AppBrad Brewster, AACI, P. AppRoland Mayr, AACI, P. AppRobert Tipple, AACI, P. AppSuzanne Teal, Executive Director,AB AICTo contact this committee email:pqcc@aicanada.ca