2009 Upcoming Events:
Due to our recent class offering, May's meeting has been put off until June. Please join us on June 10 for a roundtable discussion regarding the 1004MC form and its application in our reporting process. We are interested in hearing your ideas and research options in order to gain consistency in the way we are reporting data. Any information shared among peers is greatly appreciated.
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The Lake County Chapter holds regular meetings on the 2nd Wednesday of each month except in months with special events as noted above. Our meetings are typically held at Lambs Farm (corner of Rt.176 and Rt.94 in Libertyville) at 12:00 PM.
Visitors are encouraged to attend with a charge of $15.00 to cover the cost of lunch. Please feel free to join us and bring your ideas! Contact Tami Bellisario at tami@bellisariopropertyconsultants.com to reserve a seat.
Please see our Education Page for the latest information regarding our class offering.
2009 Recent:
The Lake County Chapter just completed the mandatory National USPAP Update class held at the Gurnee Holiday Inn on Monday April 27, 2009. Featuring our favorite instructor, Betty Glynn, we had a wonderful turnout and the class interaction throughout the day provided for an exciting and eye opening event. Thanks to everyone who attended the class, which completed many of the the attendees' requirements for continuing education. We're looking forward to offering more classes after this fall's renewal period.
March found us enjoying our first two education offerings of the year. The Appraisal Review classes were informative and well attended. Thanks to Betty Glynn for another tremendous job putting up with a large group of independent appraisers. The Holiday Inn of Gurnee also did a great job with lunch and snacks. Finally, thanks to Tami Bellisario, Joe Herchenbach, and David Hartshorne of the Lake County Chapter for setting up and running the two day event.
February's meeting was replaced by attendance at this year's Lake County Forecast luncheon at Independence Grove in Libertyville. Economic stability seems to be this year's goal, with an expected upturn in all phases of economic development expected in 2010. Our plan as a Chapter is to place ourselves in position to take advantage of the anticipated rebound in the housing market and be fully prepared with updated education and speakers in the coming year.
Our 2009 planning meeting took place on January 14, 2009 at Lambs Farm in Libertyville at noon. Thanks to all who participated in this past year's activities, including several speaker events and the recent FHA class. We look forward to an exciting and promising 2009 and are planning new activities and classes for early in the year. Please stay tuned.
2008 Most Recent:
Our Education Offering this year was the new FHA Class, spawned by increased activity in FHA appraising. The successful class, held on November 14, provided updated information for those who are, and expect to become, FHA appraisers. Thanks to all who attended this all day event and received continuing education credit for licenses expiring in 2009.
October 8 brought us a presentation with Brian Weaver Appraisal Coordinator of the R.E.Appraisal Division of the IDFPR. This event was held at the Holiday Inn Gurnee (6161 W. Grand Ave., Gurnee, IL-- just west of Interstate 94) and included a sit down lunch. Lots of interesting facts regarding the Department were brought up and Brian provided a fun and informative afternoon.
August was our annual month off.
In July, we held an informal meeting to discuss the upcoming Continuing Education offering for 2008, as well as a planned presentation with Brian Weaver from the State of Illinois Department of Professional Regulation. Please see the Education Page for more information regarding the upcoming class.
June's meeting found us hosting a large group with a presentation by Mary Beth Magee regarding changes to the MLS system. Appraisers from all areas came for lunch and discussion about the consolidated system, known as MRED. The elimination of some old formats is a cause for concern to many of us, though several benefits will be evident to those using the new system for searching the extensive database. Navigation will take some practice and many questions remain, though the new system will prove to be one of the most extensive available search tools for appraisers in our area.
On May 14 we held an open meeting to discuss upcoming offerings and speakers. Professionalism and promotion of our services is always on the docket, and continuing USPAP issues continue to provide interesting subjects. We arranged to host a representative from MRED in June.
In April we hosted Tom Kneesel, a local well respected appraiser with years of experience. Discussion ranged from what review appraisers look for to how appraisers deal with management companies. It was determined that the best way to handle low fee companies is to remain professional and keep smiling.
March found our discussion turning to spring and upcoming educational offerings. We talked about the benefits of ICAP membership and their annual sessions coming this summer. We are checking further into the NAIFA Appraisal Review course and will determine an exact date. Watch for details.
February featured an open meeting where we discussed all of the Chapter benefits we initiated at the end of 2007, including a scholarship for membership to ICAP, reduced fees for our members attending Chapter sponsored educational events, and more extensive promotion of our individual chapter members' businesses. Our meetings this year will consist of open discussions with a speaker event planned for later in the year.
January 10 found several members of the Chapter attending the Lake County Chamber of Commerce Economic Forecast event at Independence Grove in Libertyville. Several well known speakers enlivened the crowd, including County Board President Suzi Schmidt and Congresswoman Melissa Bean. The Chapter sponsored a "Gold Table" at the event which drew close to 250 people and we were well represented with our individual company names printed in the brochure given to all attendees. Not only was the lunch fantastic, but the program enlightened us as to the expected economic and infrastructure development within the county. Additionally, the opportunity to network with several bankers in attendance drew positive attention to our Chapter and the professionalism of our members.
