Volume 14
 No. 3
Past Issues
November Meeting Program
Grow Your Business
with Marketing, Financial & Management Skills
Presented by Pat McDonell,
Former Insurance Industry CEO & SCORE Volunteer

Note Date Change!
When:
 Tuesday, November 23, 2004
Where:
 Monterey Whaling Co.
Private Room - Hilton Mission Valley
901 Camino Del Rio South
(619) 543-9000
Directions:
 Interstate 8 to the Mission Center exit, Mission Center south to Camino Del Rio South, west to Hilton Mission Valley
Schedule:
 5:00 pm - Board Meeting
5:45 pm - Place dinner order
6:15 pm - Dinner
7:00 pm - Program
Cost:
 $20 includes dinner & program
Menu:
 Choose from a special menu.

Vegetarian meals are available from the restaurant. Just make a note of your request when you make your reservation 24 hours in advance.
RSVP:
 Georgie Stillman
(619) 563-9000

November Program Notes
How SCORE can help you build your appraisal practice...
SCORE* is a non-profit organization dedicated to entrepreneurial success by helping small business owners with advice, leadership and problem solving in all areas of running and growing a successful business - from obtaining financial backing to developing marketing strategies, and managing personnel. They work one-on-one with entrepreneurs and also offer low-cost workshops.
Pat McDonell is a great speaker with limitless enthusiasm, and he has spent many years helping people become more successful in their small business endeavors.
This program will give you ideas to bring you more business and run your business successfully.
Please note the change from the usual 3rd Tuesday of the month to November 23rd.
Mark your calendar now!


* The SCORE Association (Service Corps of Retired Executives) "Counselors to America's Small Business" is a nonprofit association comprised of 11,500 and growing volunteer business counselors throughout the U.S. and its territories. There are about 400 SCORE chapters in urban, suburban and rural communities. SCORE members are trained to serve as counselors, advisors and mentors to aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners. These services are offered at no fee, as a community service. SCORE was formed in 1964 and nearly 4.5 million Americans have utilized SCORE services. Visit the local SCORE website.
USPAP in San Diego
SAVE MONEY & Fulfill your USPAP requirements
In January, your San Diego ASA Chapter is sponsoring a 15-hour USPAP course, a 7-hour USPAP Update course, and a dinner program, Changes in USPAP 2004-2005, at a convenient San Diego Mission Valley location.
USPAP is required for candidate and accredited members. Candidates must successfully complete the 15-hour course for membership and accredited members must take the 15-hour course or the 7-hour update every five years to recertify as ASA accredited members. Please check with ASA regarding your current USPAP requirement status. (www.appraisers.org)

The proposed dates for the San Diego ASA USPAP Courses are January 7, 8 & 9, 2005.  The fee will be very competitive with other USPAP courses and you will save on travel & lodging by attending a San Diego USPAP course.

Our teacher, Bill Novotny, is an Appraisal Foundation certified instructor with a specialization in PERSONAL PROPERTY.  He will teach the course with the needs of the PERSONAL PROPERTY appraiser in mind, and also will meet the needs of the BUSINESS VALUATION and MACHINERY & TECHNICAL SPECIALTY appraiser.  This course is not suited for the California Real Estate appraiser USPAP criteria.

Please let us know which event(s) you are interested in by completing the response form on our website - http://sandiegoappraisers.org/survey/USPAP-interest.php

  • Friday January 7th - 7-hour USPAP Update Course
  • Saturday & Sunday January 8th & 9th – 15-hour USPAP Course
  • Friday January 7th – Dinner & Program “Changes in USPAP 2004 – 2005”

Your immediate response is requested so the meeting room arrangements can be made. Please use the link above.
San Diego Chapter Gets Out the Word About You!

Advertising Campaign for SD ASA
The San Diego Chapter of the ASA has taken an ad in the San Diego Lawyer Directory to promote use of ASA designated appraisers. The San Diego Lawyer Directory is used in more offices and by more lawyers than any other legal reference guide. It is the most widely distributed lawyers Directory in the County and the only one in every office of the San Diego Business Journal’s 25 largest law firms for 2004. In a survey last year, San Diego Lawyer Directory was named the number one publication used on a daily basis by members of the San Diego County Bar Association.
The ad directs readers to our new Chapter website. This is an important marketing tool to bring YOU referrals. Whether you do litigation work or not, by directing readers to the website we will introduce all visitors to the benefits of using an ASA designated appraiser for all types of work – not just litigation. They will read the interesting articles about our members, and the various and numerous types of appraisal needs met by our members.
Attorneys have real estate, business and collecting interests, as do the paralegals, secretaries and others who see our ad, and visit our website. We will also be taking a similar ad in the San Diego Metropolitan Magazine, which has wide distribution and readership in the business community.
This is an important marketing benefit provided by your San Diego Chapter.
ASA Holiday Party
Mark your calendar NOW!

Thursday Evening, December 9th - 6:00 pm

San Diego Museum of Art in Balboa Park
Enjoy a Gallery Insight tour and lecture about the exhibit “Past in Reverse: Contemporary Art of East Asia”. Betti-sue Hertz, SDMA’s curator of contemporary art, will take us through this important exhibition of cutting-edge artists from East Asia. Ms. Hertz organized this exiting show which will travel to other museums. Come & see what everyone is talking about!

The tour takes about an hour, and you will have free time to enjoy the rest of the art museum, which is open until 9:00 PM. The San Diego Chapter will host this tour and lecture – the admission to the Museum will be paid by the Chapter.

DINNER AT THE FAMED PRADO RESTAURANT in Balboa Park is available for members who want to have a fine meal together after the lecture and tour. This will be a no-host event, with members paying for their own meal. The Chapter will provide a complimentary glass of wine for all who attend.
You MUST RESERVE for this event. Please Email Georgie Stillman, ASA with your reservation for either the Art Museum tour and lecture only, or the lecture and dinner, by December 1st.
Course Notices

Classroom Alternatives

Did you know that ASA offers some courses in audio and online learning formats? Both formats afford you the opportunity to meet your educational needs without having to travel away from home and work.

For a list of upcoming classroom courses, please visit our Education page.
President's Message
This month marks achievements of great importance to our membership: a regional ad campaign to bring awareness of the ASA designation to the big spenders who can hire our members, and a regional USPAP course so our members can take the required courses for accreditation locally, saving in travel, hotel and related costs.

Georgie Stillman, ASA
Last month we had a very successful program on business issues common to all our members, featuring a member panel and free exchange of ideas amongst our fellow appraisers. This meeting was one of the best attended programs we have ever had, and from the comments I had the next day, one of the most appreciated. Everyone who called or emailed felt that they received something of great value from the exchange of ideas. We will try to do this type of program regularly, as it fills a networking need amongst our professionals.
This month our program features a speaker who can lead you to free or low-cost programs to enhance your business skills.
I am somewhat startled to think that ASA is considering making Chapter membership voluntary. Our San Diego Chapter provides value to our members, well beyond the $73 assessment. Our ‘cheap’ dinner & program cost of $20, well below the local average, the monthly programs that offer networking, referrals and education that meets your needs, the free PR of our truly outstanding website to serve you in this region, is a reflection of our acknowledgement and appreciation of your commitment to your San Diego Chapter when you get the HQ bill. Then I am reminded that our San Diego Chapter is not your normal ASA Chapter. We are one of the most, if not the most, active Chapters in the ASA. Over 50% of our designated members attend monthly meeting. LA Chapter is woefully behind us in % of membership attendance, and other Chapters do far worse. And none has such a dynamic website. That is why we consistently win Small Chapter of the Year Awards from ASA International. The fact that many of our members are outstanding professionals in their disciplines doesn’t hurt either, but I also like to think that our outstanding Chapter support helped put them where they are.
The best way you can make you voice heard, local, and by extension, nationally, is to get involved in this Chapter. Send me you ideas for programs that will benefit you.

I wish you a happy Thanksgiving, and hope to see at the November 23rd meeting.
Georgie Stillman, ASA
2005 – 2006 San Diego ASA Officers
Past President Paul Golubouvs, ASA, is Chairman of the Nominations Committee for the 2005 – 2006 chapter officer election. Please consider serving your San Diego ASA Chapter in the coming year and contact Paul to discuss opportunities to get involved in the Chapter leadership. Email Paul or call him at (858) 578-5540
Georgie's Corner

Rhinoceros Horn Libation Cup
I often act as ‘supervising appraiser’ on a large estate or job with a huge variety of items, some of which are outside my own specialization. Sometimes I tell the client this item is beyond my area of expertise and ask them to get it appraised on their own. If I do this, I often include a physical description of the item and a photograph on my appraisal, with no value, and an ‘N.B. - note bene, Latin for “look well” – after the description, stating I am not qualified to appraise this item. Sometimes I ask the assistance of an expert of my choice to give me an appraisal of the item, and so note on the appraisal (with another ‘N.B.’) that the opinion is by ‘so-and-so’.
Often these experts are dealers, although always people trusted and respected, still I try to always look behind their information and consider their ‘dealer’ reference point, which seems to always win out. So I exercise caution as I analyze their opinion. Even with my N.B’s, I am still responsible for having decided their input was creditable.
According to my expert of 3 years ago, this Chinese libation cup carved from Rhinoceros horn is at least 300 years old and possibly more. The first estimate of value he/she gave me was $15,000. I thought WOW. That’s a big ticket item. A week later he/she had second thoughts, and reduced the value to $10,000. Three (3) years later the item has come up for sale, and this expert has offered first $4,500 and then revised his/her offer to $2,500.
I understand markets change. The expert said what was hot then is not now. However, he/she also now raised issues about the condition which he/she did not at the time of the original appraisal. That strikes my as odd. Why did I pay he/she $300 for the appraisal 3 years ago if the inspection was so desultory. I have decided to seek other opinions on the market value for this item.
Years ago an attorney friend of mine told me the law allows for me, as an expert, to rely on the opinion of other experts IF: I have investigated the item and find that the ‘expert’ I have relied upon is the best suited for the issue at hand; that there is no financial benefit or other beneficial contingencies to me from consulting this expert; I have asked the expert for supportive documentation for their opinion; and I have done my best to independently confirm their opinions and conclusions to the point that my client is not being asked to accept an unreasonable conclusion. The attorney told me that under the law this is considered a ‘negative assertion’ - I did not find anything in my investigation that would indicate I should not accept the expert’s conclusion. This prevents the information to be considered ‘hearsay’.

I don’t know if the rest of you have similar problems when you are organizing an appraisal of widely disparate items, some of which are outside your expertise and you must hire and rely on other experts. I can give lots of examples similar to the difficulty of the one above.

If you have any stories similar to this, please share it with our members. This is what makes our Chapter great.
Job Opportunities

Please check out the ASA International Website's Job Bank in the Members Only area. (If you are a member and don't yet have a login ID or password, a button to register for one is available on the entry page.)

About the ASA San Diego Chapter

For details about the ASA San Diego Chapter, contact information for Chapter Officers or to locate/contact an ASA designated appraiser to meet your needs, please visit our web site at SanDiegoAppraiser.org or
call 1-619-781-8588.

Chapter Governing Board
President
 Georgie M. Stillman, ASA 619-563-9000
 619-429-0737 (fax)
1st Vice President
 George LeBaron , ASA
 619-898-4936
 619-482-2178 (fax)
2nd Vice President
 Kim Ufford, AM 619-238-1077
 619-696-8614 (fax)
Treasurer
 Pamela Bensoussan, ASA 619-420-7782
 619-420-7788 (fax)
Secretary
 Jo Ellen Cole, Candidate 760-758-8315
 760-758-8315 (fax)
Immediate Past President
 Paul Golubovs, ASA 858-578-5540
 858-578-5548 (fax)
Governor, Region 9
 Lee Ackermann, ASA
 818-956-6616 818-240-4082 (fax)
District Deputy Director,
Region 9
 Georgie M. Stillman, ASA 619-563-9000
 619-429-0737 (fax)

About this Newsletter
This newsletter is published monthly (September through June) as a service to the ASA Members and the community it serves. If you would like to receive this publication, please contact Georgie Stillman - 619-563-9000 - Email.
Newsletter Editor - Georgie Stillman, ASA Newsletter Published by G-Force Services
If you came to this newsletter through our web site,
 
Past Issues
© Copyright 2004 - G-Force Services for San Diego ASA Chapter #84