It's hard to believe we are in the 3^rd Quarter of 2021. Most of us are working hard to keep up with the current appraisal demand and the chapter has been very busy as well.

With the merger finalized and our new leadership in place, our chapter was able to hold three successful virtual education offerings in the second quarter of the year.

• Randy Button, MAI, SRA, AI-GRS presented Rapid Response: Market Analysis in Volatile Markets on April 16, 2021. This was a very timely offering considering the on-going pandemic as well as our current market conditions.

• On May 10, 2021, Lamar Ellis, MAI, SRA presented a 3 hour offering entitled Aerial Inspections for Real Estate. It was a well received, very interesting seminar on the use of drones. 

• On June 18, 2021 Stephen Wagner, MAI, SRA, AI-GRS instructed Getting it Right from the Start: A Workout Plan for your Scope of Work, a new 7 hour seminar from our headquarter office in Chicago. 

I would like to personally thank everyone that attended these classes. Our educational offerings are what set us apart and make us better appraisers. The Alabama/Mississippi Chapter is committed to providing the very best in education for our members and non-members alike.

Executive Director, Myra Pitts, has been hard at work on the new chapter website: https://almschapter.org/. It has been redesigned to be more

user-friendly. All of our Chapter’s upcoming education, social events, chapter meetings, and the links to register for each appear on the home page. This is far and away the easiest way to view everything our chapter is offering in one place. I encourage you to bookmark the new website address now and check back often to see what your local chapter is offering.

I am excited to tell you about the ALMS Chapter Education Opportunities that remain in 2021. Each of the top-notch offerings described below explores relevant and up-to-date topics to help you stay informed and remain at the top of your profession. 

Stephen Roach, MAI, SRA, AI-GRS has agreed to present the 4 hour seminar, Litigation Assignments for Residential Appraisers: Doing Expert Work on Atypical Cases , virtually on July 29, 2021. Please do not let the title fool you as commercial appraisers will get a lot out of this seminar as too. 

For the third year in a row, we are partnering with the Georgia-Alabama Land Trust to bring you a 5 hour CE seminar entitled: Conservation Easements: 2021 Updates on Legal, Appraisal, Accounting, and Ethical Issues. It will be held virtually on September 17^th and will be an excellent opportunity to hear from several subject matter experts within

the realm of conservation easements and score some extra continuing education credits for a variety of professions.

As fall gets underway, we are THRILLED about meeting in-person on the

Mississippi Gulf Coast over the dates of October 22-23rd for a new 7 hour

seminar entitled Inconsistency: It’s Hiding in Plain Site in Your Appraisal instructed by Leslie Sellers, MAI, SRA, AI-GRS. The Alabama/Mississippi

Q3 Chapter Meeting & Cocktail Social will follow part 1 of this class on October 22nd, and will provide our first opportunity for the newly merged chapter to get together in person. Please make every effort to attend this event. Let’s show our new Mississippi Members how happy we are to have them as a part of our awesome chapter!

And finally, our annual Christmas Party will be held at the Birmingham Country Club on December 3rd, 2021. A 3-hour seminar entitled

Six recent Appraiser Lawsuits and the Lessons from Each will be held from

1 p.m. to 4 p.m with a cocktail party and installation of officers to follow beginning at 6:00 p.m. This will be another great opportunity to network, see old friends, and meet some new members during the most wonderful time of the year.

The 2021 Appraisal Institute Annual Conference will take place next month - August 9^th and 10th, 2021. Appraisers from around the country will converge in Orlando, FL to engage with the leaders of our profession and hear several first-class presentations. If you are interested in attending, but have not signed up, you can still register here and take part in this outstanding event.

In closing, I would like to remind everyone that our chapter will only continue to grow and flourish if our members are willing to become more involved. The simplest ways to do this are to attend our educational offerings, social events, and the Appraisal Institute’s Annual Conference. It may seem like a sacrifice of time and money in the short-term, but I have certainly found the rewards to be long-lasting and well worth the effort, time, and expense.

Thank you again for your continued support of our Chapter, and I look forward to seeing you at a meeting very soon.

Respectfully Submitted,

Jennifer McDade, MAI, SRA

2021 AL/MS Chapter President 

UPCOMING CHAPTER MEETING

The AlaMiss Chapter’s Q3 Membership Meeting will be held in person on October 22nd, 2021 at the

Harrah's Gulf Coast Hotel & Casino.

Time:

6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Central Time

The chapter meeting and cocktail reception will be held on Harrah's Pool Deck* from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on 10/22. 

• Complimentary hors d'oeuvres & 2 drink tickets are included for all AL/MS Chapter Members +1 guest.
• A cash bar will also be provided.
• Additional guests are $50. 

*In the case of inclement weather, the event will be moved inside.

You must register HERE to attend the chapter meeting & reception. 

A new 7 hour seminar entitled

Inconsistency: Its Hiding in Plain Sight in your Appraisal

will be held in conjunction with this meeting.

This seminar will be taught over two days: October 22 & 23rd. 

Part 1: Friday, October 22nd:

• 12:30 p.m. CT - Check In
• 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. CT - Class Instruction

The Q3 Chapter Meeting & Cocktail Reception will be held on the hotel's pool deck following Part 1 of the class.

Part 2: Saturday, October 23rd  

• 8:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. CT - Check In
• 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. CT - Class Instruction

Students must attend class on BOTH days to receive the 7 hrs of CE.

Leslie Sellers, MAI, SRA, AI-GRS will be your instructor for this class.

Hotel Reservations:

Book your room early as the group block may sell out!

Book online HERE (we prefer attendees to book rooms online) or call

(800) 946-2946 and use the code S10APP1.

The standard guest room rate is $169 per room, per night* for single or double occupancy. Rates are subject to applicable resort fees & governmental room taxes.

*This link shows only 10/21 – 22/2021 but it will allow you to book a room for

10/21 – 23/2021 (if you choose to do so). 

This Hotel Group Rate ends Wednesday, September 22, 2021.

EDUCATION SCHEDULE

The remaining 2021 AlaMiss Chapter class offerings are listed below. 

Please click the title to register or to see additional information for each class, such as price, times, etc..

You may also visit our local chapter website, almschapter.org. at any time to view & register for ALMS Chapter classes and events.

July 29th -  Litigation Assignments for Residential Appraisers: Doing Expert Work on Atypical Cases (Virtual) 4 hrs | Steve Roach, MAI, SRA, AI-GRS

September 17th - Conservation Easements: 2021 Updates on Legal, Appraisal, Accounting, and Ethical Issues  (Virtual) 5 hrs | Panel of Speakers

October 22 & 23rd - Inconsistency: It’s Hiding in Plain Sight in your Appraisal (Biloxi) 7 hrs | Leslie Sellers, MAI, SRA, AI-GRS

December 3rd - Six Recent Appraiser Lawsuits & Lessons from Each (Birmingham) 3 hrs | Peter Christensen

The AL/MS Chapter will begin featuring a "Member Spotlight" in each quarterly newsletter. The goal of this new feature is to recognize AL/MS Chapter Members' accomplishments across all career stages and to help members from AL and MS feel more connected by learning a little bit more about each other.

Hayden L. Scott, MAI - Hayden resides in Birmingham, AL and joined Graham & Company, one of the most respected commercial real estate firms in the Southeast, in 2002.

Educated at Vanderbilt and with an MBA from the University of Alabama, Hayden spent 17 years specializing in valuations and appraisals of a wide variety of commercial real estate to include professional office, medical office, retail, and industrial properties. Her clients range from financial institutions, attorneys, accountants, municipalities, and institutional clients.

Hayden's father is an MAI in the city of Mobile, AL. As is the family tradition, she earned her own MAI designation with the Appraisal Institute in 2010. In 2019, she transitioned into her current role as the Vice President of Corporate Services at her firm. Her valuation background provides a strong foundation for negotiating leases for a corporate client on a nationwide platform. Hayden’s attention to detail, organizational skills, and real estate knowledge yield the essential tools for providing tenant representation and lease administration for more than 450 locations throughout the United States.

She is a member of Saint Luke's Episcopal Church in Mountain Brook, AL and finds fulfillment through volunteering for Habitat for Humanity and at the Firehouse Shelter. When she is not working, Hayden enjoys spending time with her husband of 18 years (John), and their three boys, ages 14, 11, and 8. They also have a dog named Bo, so she is used to being surrounded by a lot of male energy!

Look to hear more from Hayden in the coming months as she is the current Vice President of the AlaMiss Chapter and will soon transition in to the role of Chapter President for the year 2022.

2021 Annual Conference Registration

The 2021 Appraisal Institute Annual Conference will be held in-person Monday, August 9 - Tuesday, August 10, 2021 at the JW Marriott Orlando Grande Lakes. This event will offer a chance to connect and reconnect, to learn and to grow, to share solutions to common challenges and celebrate collective successes. We look forward to safely welcoming you to Orlando this summer! 

Registration is NOW OPEN! Click here to begin your registration process.

Should the COVID-19 pandemic restrict an in-person gathering, the conference will be canceled and refunds will be issued.

Leadership Resource Registry Deadline for Submissions 

If you are interested in serving the organization at the national level in 2022, please complete the Leadership Resource Registry no later than 5:00 pm CT, August 2, 2021. To be considered for national committees, panels, the Appraisal Institute Insurance Trust, or the Appraisal Institute Education & Relief Foundation, if eligible, you must express your interests within the Registry. You may access the Registry HERE.

Even if you submitted your interests last year in the Registry and there are no changes to your preferences, you will need to log back into the Registry. 

We thank you in advance for indicating your preferences in the Registry. We look forward to a strong response, which will help to broaden the base of participation in the organization and serve as a source of new ideas and growth.

If you have questions or need assistance completing the Registry, please contact Rachael Georges at [email protected].

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