Real Estate Appraisal Experience

My appraisal business has been continuous in Los Angeles County beginning in 1984. I have performed over a hundred appraisals per year in various cities and communities throughout the county.

My work currently is nearly entirely appraisals of commercial and industrial properties.

I have extensive experience in appraising commercial properties with office buildings as a particular specialty. I have appraised medical office buildings and high-rise office buildings with fifty tenants, including the Imperial Bank building near LAX and the Glendale Federal building of Torrance. Discounted Cash Flow analysis was used in many appraisals. Some appraisals have involved a ground lease. As well as many retail stores and centers, I have also appraised industrial properties ranging in size up to 100,000 square feet of building area.

Another of my specialties in income producing properties is the appraisal of apartment projects. I have appraised hundreds of such projects ranging in size from 5 units to 250 units. In addition to existing developments at stabilized occupancy, I have worked on proposed construction and significantly damaged buildings.

The spectrum of property types appraised has also included combination, car wash/convenience- store/quick service restaurants/gas station properties, hotel/motels, vacant land, residential subdivisions, office condominiums, and special purpose properties. I recently completed an appraisal of the historic Variety Arts Center Theater in downtown Los Angeles.

During my career I appraised over a thousand appraisals of single family homes ranging in value from fifty thousand to five million dollars and I have appraised many condominiums and 2-4 unit properties in all value ranges.

My appraisal work since the mid 1980s has served various purposes such as loan underwriting, eminent domain, estate settlement, estate tax, property tax reduction, casualty loss, marriage dissolution, and asset acquisition and management.

Related Professional Activities and Comments

I qualified as an expert witness in Los Angeles Superior Court several times and I have provided litigation support appraisals and consultation numerous times.

My work has covered complex appraisal tasks by applying relevant appraisal theory and problem solving methods. I use state of the art data sources and current report presentation technology to produce fully documented and clear analyses.

After working two years with First Federal Bank of California, I have owned and managed my own business, Hampstead Appraisal Company, since 1984. Throughout the existence of my company, I have guided subcontractors who have assisted me in handling the volume of my business.

I am an active member of the Southern California Chapter of the Appraisal Institute where I am currently program moderator for the bi-monthly breakfast meetings of the Westside Group of the Wester Branch of the chapter.  I am current with my educational requirements for recertification with the Appraisal Institute for the MAI designation and with Office of Real Estate Appraisers with the State of California for the Certified General Appraiser classification.