Appraisal Institute promotes education and best practices.

Most people outside the real estate industry -- and even within it -- know very little about the education and training of real estate appraisers. Yet each day thousands of residential and commercial real estate decisions are made using evaluations provided by appraisers.

Are their judgments reliable, logical, and free of bias? One way to know is to check the credentials of the appraiser, not only for that person's experience and education, but also for the individual's membership and involvement in professional organizations.

In the appraisal industry, membership in and earning the credentials of the Appraisal Institute is the "acid test" of quality. Designated members are considered the highest qualified in the appraisal industry.

The Appraisal Institute is the worldwide leader in residential and commercial real estate appraisal education, research, publishing, and professional membership designation programs. With more than 18,000 members and 99 chapters throughout the United States and worldwide including Canada, Guam and Korea, its mission is to support and advance its members as the choice for real estate solutions and to uphold professional credentials, standards of professional practice and ethics consistent with the public good.

Earlier this year, I assumed the reigns as president of the New York Metropolitan Chapter of the Appraisal Institute, one of the largest chapters in the country. Our officers and board of directors are comprised of talented, energetic professionals who are on a mission to invigorate our chapter and provide appraisers access to the people who are shaping and defining the New York metropolitan real estate market.

Under the oversight of our new program chairperson, Joel Leitner, earlier this year, we unveiled a new breakfast series with the express intent of helping appraisers keep in step with rapidly changing area market conditions.

We solicited the help of New York City's premier office, retail and residential brokerages, coupled with real estate visionaries such as Daniel Rose, David Walentas, and Steve Witkoff. The president of REBNY Steve Spinola, offered his insights into the New York area's tax burdens, which are vexing the marketplace.

All of our recent "Breakfast Series" speakers have supported our mission of "getting our arms around this market." They have spoken of the challenges that they've confronted in trying to find value in an inconsistent sales market. Creativity and initiative still prevail.

Our regional conference in May provided our members with the mayor's office's view of the city's changing landscape, and New York Jets President, L.J. Cross described his hope to bring back pro football to New York. We also provided an economic overview and forecast by Dr. Glen Mueller from Johns Hopkins University and Congressman Scot Garrett updated our membership on legislative changes impacting our industry.

For our renowned, upcoming, September Conference, we have partnered with RELA and are honored to present as our keynote luncheon speaker, former Governor Mario Cuomo -- (save the date: Sept. 24) in addition to our who's who real estate developer's panel.

Our September event has become one of the premier events on the New York real estate calendar. Last years' conference, which featured former Mayor Ed Koch as our luncheon speaker, was followed by a panel presentation comprised of industry icons; Larry Silverstein, Steve Ross, Bruce Rater, David Greenbaum, Ed Minskoff and Bill Rudin. It was the best-attended conference in the chapter's history.

We believe we are providing not only our membership, but the entire real estate community -- lenders, brokers, property managers and owners -- a wonderful array of events to establish an unparalleled real estate-knowledge base. In an industry that creates a product from its most important "natural resource" -- market information -- we are "tirelessly working the farm" and inviting everyone to the harvest.

We believe this effort fulfills the mission of supporting and advancing our members as the industry's choice for real estate solutions and upholds professional credentials consistent with the public good.