Michael J. DeWan, MAI
Michael DeWan, MAI has practiced real estate appraisal for 22 years, the last 15 years with L. T. Bookhout, Inc. Starting with residential valuation in 1986, he soon expanded his practice into commercial property and commenced his formal education toward the MAI designation. In 1999 he attained that designation, the highest recognition awarded by The Appraisal Institute for commercial real estate appraisal. In 1993 he went to work with L.T. Bookhout Inc., where he has built a solid reputation for integrity and service, and for providing meticulously researched, scrupulously developed appraisals presented in articulate, easy-to-follow reports.
As detailed on the attached qualifications, Michael has been involved in hundreds of assignments for an ever-growing clientele such as banks and financial institutions, government agencies and municipal corporations, land trusts and other not-for-profits. Some of the more interesting property types he has appraised include:
Adult Homes and Skilled Nursing Facilities
Agricultural Properties
Automobile and Other Dealerships
Camps and Camping Facilities
Medical/Dental/Professional Buildings
Mobile Home Parks
Motels, Hotels & Lodges
Park and Forest Lands
Conservation Easements Research & Development Parks
Golf Courses & Country Clubs Residential Subdivisions
Health & Fitness Centers Resort Complexes
Historic Properties Restaurants
Institutional Properties Schools: Educational and Religious Facilities
Marinas Special-Purpose Properties
Industrial Plants & Warehouses Vacant land: Highest & Best Use Analysis
In recent years he has begun to prepare and offer expert testimony in various courts of law, working closely with attorneys, municipal clients and private parties on matters of tax certiorari, matrimonial assets, partnership dissolution and other cases requiring real property valuation.
“I am tremendously excited about this new venture, and I am fortunate to have received such a great education,” says Michael. “Under Lee’s tutelage I have learned immensely - most importantly, beyond the fundamentals of appraisal theory, he has challenged me to ‘think outside the box,’ working hard and creatively to solve the client’s problem. This work ignites my natural curiosity, introduces me to all kinds of people, lets me experience some spectacular natural and built environments, forces me to write succinctly and cogently, and stimulates my analytical mind to find clear answers to the often ambiguous question, ‘What’s it worth?’ I welcome the continual challenges this profession brings me, and look forward to sharing with my clients the benefits of my excellent training and more than twenty years of experience.”
As a 20-year resident of Bearsville in Ulster County, he has been on the Board of Directors of the Woodstock Land Conservancy since 1995, and served as its President from 1997 to the fall of 2007, leading that land trust in permanently protecting almost 1,000 acres. For the Mid-Hudson Chapter of The Appraisal Institute he is currently Vice-President and Regional Representative, and is slated to become Chapter President in 2009. He lives with his wife Deborah Meyer DeWan, a conservation- and community-based environmental planner and policy analyst. Among his personal avocations are such outdoor pursuits as camping, hiking, cross-country skiing and birding. Indoors, he loves the graphic and performing arts, reading, music and the sheer pleasure of being with friends.
As detailed on the attached qualifications, Michael has been involved in hundreds of assignments for an ever-growing clientele such as banks and financial institutions, government agencies and municipal corporations, land trusts and other not-for-profits. Some of the more interesting property types he has appraised include:
Adult Homes and Skilled Nursing Facilities
Agricultural Properties
Automobile and Other Dealerships
Camps and Camping Facilities
Medical/Dental/Professional Buildings
Mobile Home Parks
Motels, Hotels & Lodges
Park and Forest Lands
Conservation Easements Research & Development Parks
Golf Courses & Country Clubs Residential Subdivisions
Health & Fitness Centers Resort Complexes
Historic Properties Restaurants
Institutional Properties Schools: Educational and Religious Facilities
Marinas Special-Purpose Properties
Industrial Plants & Warehouses Vacant land: Highest & Best Use Analysis
In recent years he has begun to prepare and offer expert testimony in various courts of law, working closely with attorneys, municipal clients and private parties on matters of tax certiorari, matrimonial assets, partnership dissolution and other cases requiring real property valuation.
“I am tremendously excited about this new venture, and I am fortunate to have received such a great education,” says Michael. “Under Lee’s tutelage I have learned immensely - most importantly, beyond the fundamentals of appraisal theory, he has challenged me to ‘think outside the box,’ working hard and creatively to solve the client’s problem. This work ignites my natural curiosity, introduces me to all kinds of people, lets me experience some spectacular natural and built environments, forces me to write succinctly and cogently, and stimulates my analytical mind to find clear answers to the often ambiguous question, ‘What’s it worth?’ I welcome the continual challenges this profession brings me, and look forward to sharing with my clients the benefits of my excellent training and more than twenty years of experience.”
As a 20-year resident of Bearsville in Ulster County, he has been on the Board of Directors of the Woodstock Land Conservancy since 1995, and served as its President from 1997 to the fall of 2007, leading that land trust in permanently protecting almost 1,000 acres. For the Mid-Hudson Chapter of The Appraisal Institute he is currently Vice-President and Regional Representative, and is slated to become Chapter President in 2009. He lives with his wife Deborah Meyer DeWan, a conservation- and community-based environmental planner and policy analyst. Among his personal avocations are such outdoor pursuits as camping, hiking, cross-country skiing and birding. Indoors, he loves the graphic and performing arts, reading, music and the sheer pleasure of being with friends.