Don't get caught legally unaware-- This book is a must read for real estate appraisers, brokers and attorneys. It explains in a clear way the sometimes difficult but important areas of the law that impact the real estate and legal professions. Some of the main areas covered are how to become an outstanding expert witness, malpractice, ethics, standards of proof, stare decisis, attorney ploys on cross examination, how to become an excellent expert witness, how to bullet proof an appraisal, negligence, common mistakes appraisers make, how to compare two appraisals on the same property. The book is laced with illustrative examples and citations to the court reports. There is also a five page key word index for easy reference. It is organized so that concepts, principles, guidelines, techniques and recommendations presented will have an immediate, medium and long term positive impact on the appraiser who wants to improve the quality of an appraisal or an attorney who wants to gain better insight into appraisal and legal concepts or someone from any profession who wants to learn to become an outstanding expert witness.

​This compilation of laws, rules, and regulations for the real estate agency and appraising communities is fully up to date with statutes enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Georgia through the latest Regular Session and with rules and regulations updated to the date of the publication. This publication is a handy reference to the laws and regulation that govern the real estate professions.

"The purpose of this book is to provide practical guidance to real estate appraisers about how to manage liability risk associated with their professional work and the operation of appraisal firms. Part I of this book introduces the essential concepts for managing risk related to appraisal work. The guidance provided in this part of the book applies to all types of appraisal assignments. Part II focuses on unique issues relating to specific types of work and particular scenarios. Finally, Part III addresses several special risks relating to the operation of appraisal firms that have arisen in recent years"--

This book explains, "what an appraiser thinks about when his client is the court." It is based on real world experiences that are interesting to appraisers, attorneys and businessmen. The stories are also interesting to the general public who usually don't have to think about the meaning of the value of something. The most likely market for the book consists of the 50,000 or more commercial real estate appraisers and business appraisers working here and in other countries that follow our general models for valuation, the thousands of attorneys in eminent domain condemnation or real estate practice, bond financing, estates and tax who have to rely on appraisers, people and companies whose property is being taken under eminent domain, and the tens of thousands of people who find themselves in court because the value of something is an issue. Most of author Hank Wise's work has been as an expert witness in civil cases wherein the critical issue to be decided is 'what is it worth?' His clients include the U.S. Department of Justice, states, cities, counties, and many national and regional law firms. He appraised the Everglades and Big Cypress, tourist attraction caves, wells, mountains, air rights, mineral rights, even when all parties agreed that there were no minerals, as well as the usual panoply of shopping centers, apartments, office buildings and other commercial real estate properties. He also is a business appraiser, and has appraised privately held companies, fractional interests, limited partnerships and tenancies in common. His book, It's Only An Opinion: An Appraser in Court, uses interesting and unusual cases to illustrate the appraisal process and the reasoning that makes an appraisal credible. INTERESTING BACK STORY The abrupt collapse of real estate mortgage values beginning in 2008 lead to a five-year worldwide recession. This near failure of the banking system substantially increased the public's awareness about the importance of understanding what an appraiser thinks or does. Mr. Wise's career as an expert witness provides interesting anecdotes that gave him a chance to generally illustrate the foundations of value in the economy.

This reference book defines hundreds of terms related to buildings, properties, markets, regulations, and appraisal. Specialized sections cover property types, business valuation, international valuation, real estate organizations and professional designations, legal and regulatory aspects, uniform standards, information technology, measures and conversions, and architecture and construction. The architecture and construction section is heavily illustrated with black-and-white photographs and diagrams. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR.

Using an effective blend of theory and practice, this best selling textbook provides a strong foundation for understanding today's ever changing appraisal marketplace.