Services Offered
PBW has extensive experience with all types of real property including commercial, industrial, multi-family, residential subdivisions, special-purpose properties, resorts and vacant land. Our narrative appraisal reports comply with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP), any client-specific appraisal guidelines, as well as all rules and regulations of the state in which the assignment is located.
We provide the client with the option of a traditional proposal or one based on a multi-phased assignment with an allocation of expected fees for each phase. In the initial phase of a multi-phased assignment, we provide the same level of research needed to write the physical report, but we provide the client with an oral reporting of our conclusions and a summary of the data considered. If our conclusions are consistent with the client's needs, we can write the physical report and ultimately be ready to provide expert witness testimony.
Our pledge is to provide the most honest and accurate valuation possible, and we do so by adhering to the following principles:
- We require geographic familiarity with the property to be appraised, or we immediately discuss the issue with the client and the Scope of Work needed to gain familiarity;
- We require experience with the property type, or we immediately discuss research that will be conducted to become knowledgeable with our client at the onset of any assignment;
- We maintain access to local and national databases on commercial real estate, ensuring that our clients receive the most current market information available;
- We provide exposure to current regional and local information by attending (or presenting in) workshops, conferences and seminars (e.g., The Appraisal Institute's annual "State of Atlanta," The Georgia Land Trust's "Conservation Easement Workshop for Landowners and Professionals," and others);
- We require that each sale is verified by at least three sources, including primary sources (i.e., the buyer, seller or broker), inspection, as well as any secondary sources available (i.e., tax and deed records, information from subscription-based data services);and,
- We require that each report is reviewed internally by an MAI-Designated member of the firm.
Litigation
We provide support to attorneys with an understanding of appraisal concepts, review of appraisal reports done by others, as well as evaluating evidence used for formulating their case.
PBW has provided expert witness testimony in court proceedings including issues involving easements, condemnations, confirmations, tax appeals and general investment metrics. Joe Ball and George Petkovich both currently hold the Georgia Department of Transportation's highest appraisal level, Level 4, qualifying them to provide valuation services for the most difficult property types and the most challenging valuation issues.
The principals of PBW are qualified as expert witnesses in local, state and federal courts. A summary of prior deposition or direct testimony given is provided below:
Summary for George S. Petkovich, MAI
Summary for Andy D. Sheppard, MAI
Appraisal Review
Being experts in the field of real property appraisal, the firm's MAI-designated
principals are also available to provide concise and meaningful appraisal review services.
We typically approach review assignments on a two- or three-phased agreement, including an initial review of the document and an oral or written presentation of our findings. Additionally, we can provide our own independent research to affirm or reject the report's data and/or conclusions. As a final phase, we can be available for expert witness testimony services
regarding the report under review and/or our independent research and findings.
Andy Sheppard, MAI, currently serves as a final-level experience review screener for the Appraisal Institute, on a national level, providing reviews on a variety of property types throughout the United States submitted by Candidates for the MAI Designation. The experience review, along with a 16-hour Comprehensive Examination and Demonstration Report are the final three requirements required of Candidates for the MAI Designation.
Tax Appeal
As a routine part of every assignment, the appriaser comments on the current and prospective tax liability for the subject property, relative to the current Fee Simple Market Value, indicating whether the client should consider a tax appeal. It is important to note that appraisers are unable to be an advocate for a particular value or client; however, we are an advocate for our own research, analysis and conclusions.
Estate Issues
We assist individuals in making judgments about estate planning, retrospective appraisals based on the date of death, and we help property owners plan for exit strategies.
Special-Purpose Properties
PBW has been fortunate to provide help on understanding how the market values various special-purpose properties, for which there is a limited market, including correctional facilities, recreational facilities, historical landmarks and other property types.
"Other"
The firm offers significant experience with non-traditional property types and various ownership rights. The firm has worked for a number of public and private entities in the study and/or valuation of mineral rights, noise issues, quarries and borrow pits, street abandonments, landlocked parcels, cell towers sites and influences on surrounding property values, the impact associated with an interstate widening, billboards, pole attachments, waste treatment facilities, rendering plants, proposed landfills, contaminated properties and wetlands mitigation banks.
Among our more notable assignments, the firm provided prevailing price point information as part of the Atlanta Streetcar project, statistical market analysis of variables affecting value within the East Everglades / Big Cypress region as part of the Everglade's expansion, as well as a city-wide study pertaining to the effects on residential property values from noise following the Navy's change from operating F-14 Tomcats to the more current F-18A Superhornets in Virginia Beach, Virginia.