FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: DECEMBER 11, 2007
Lee Bookhout Retires, Passes Baton to New Real Estate Appraisal Firm
Leland T. Bookhout, MAI, SRA, President of L. T. Bookhout, Inc. of Rhinebeck, has announced his retirement after a 44-year career in real estate appraisal. Michael J. DeWan, MAI and Robert E. Schott, two of L. T. Bookhout’s principal appraisers, are announcing the launch of DeWan & Schott Appraisal Associates, LLC. Mr. Bookhout will associate himself with the new firm as consultant appraiser.
In the New Year, Mr. Bookhout (Lee to his friends, colleagues and clients) will be completing current work and taking on special assignments through L. T. Bookhout, Inc., and will serve as consultant to DeWan & Schott Appraisal Associates. Going forward, he is recommending DeWan and Schott to his clientele, saying, “I have every confidence in their abilities and dedication to this profession. Michael has been with the firm since 1993, and has excelled at every kind of assignment he has taken. In the four years since Rob has joined the firm, he has proven himself to be consistently thorough and insightful, and has drawn high praise from our clients and reviewers of his work. It is especially rewarding to me to be able to retire and be comfortable and enthusiastic in recommending these two, as they step up to the opportunities and challenges facing the appraisal industry.”
Since starting his real estate practice in 1963, Lee has taken on a multitude of assignments for a very wide array of clients in the financial, commercial, legal, nonprofit and governmental sectors. Over the years he built a reputation for setting the highest standards of integrity and service in performing valuation analyses throughout the Mid-Hudson Valley and beyond. In addition to his renown as an appraiser, Lee is known nationally as an instructor of real estate appraisal theory and principles. In 1970 he received the SRA designation from the Society of Real Estate Appraisers, followed three years later by the MAI designation, the two most highly esteemed in the industry.
Michael DeWan, a 20-year resident of Bearsville, began his career in real estate appraisal in 1986. He attained his MAI designation from The Appraisal Institute in 1999, and has built his practice at L. T. Bookhout since 1993. Rob Schott, a resident of the Village of Catskill, is a NYS-Certified General Real Estate Appraiser, and has been with the firm since 2003. He also has several years’ experience in real estate investment, sales and insurance valuation. Together, their mission in creating DeWan & Schott Appraisal Associates is to provide the highest-quality real estate valuation service throughout the Hudson Valley and beyond, serving clients in the financial, commercial, legal, nonprofit and governmental communities. Long-time office manager Kelly Bartholf of Pine Plains will join them in this new venture.
“I took my very first appraisal course with Lee, who endeared himself to his students with his quick wit, his passion for teaching, and his deep understanding of the art of appraisal,” recalls DeWan. “It has been my good fortune and a distinct pleasure to work side by side with him through the years. He has set the bar very high, and Rob and I are committed to maintaining those standards as we build our own practice.”
Lee Bookhout Retires, Passes Baton to New Real Estate Appraisal Firm
Leland T. Bookhout, MAI, SRA, President of L. T. Bookhout, Inc. of Rhinebeck, has announced his retirement after a 44-year career in real estate appraisal. Michael J. DeWan, MAI and Robert E. Schott, two of L. T. Bookhout’s principal appraisers, are announcing the launch of DeWan & Schott Appraisal Associates, LLC. Mr. Bookhout will associate himself with the new firm as consultant appraiser.
In the New Year, Mr. Bookhout (Lee to his friends, colleagues and clients) will be completing current work and taking on special assignments through L. T. Bookhout, Inc., and will serve as consultant to DeWan & Schott Appraisal Associates. Going forward, he is recommending DeWan and Schott to his clientele, saying, “I have every confidence in their abilities and dedication to this profession. Michael has been with the firm since 1993, and has excelled at every kind of assignment he has taken. In the four years since Rob has joined the firm, he has proven himself to be consistently thorough and insightful, and has drawn high praise from our clients and reviewers of his work. It is especially rewarding to me to be able to retire and be comfortable and enthusiastic in recommending these two, as they step up to the opportunities and challenges facing the appraisal industry.”
Since starting his real estate practice in 1963, Lee has taken on a multitude of assignments for a very wide array of clients in the financial, commercial, legal, nonprofit and governmental sectors. Over the years he built a reputation for setting the highest standards of integrity and service in performing valuation analyses throughout the Mid-Hudson Valley and beyond. In addition to his renown as an appraiser, Lee is known nationally as an instructor of real estate appraisal theory and principles. In 1970 he received the SRA designation from the Society of Real Estate Appraisers, followed three years later by the MAI designation, the two most highly esteemed in the industry.
Michael DeWan, a 20-year resident of Bearsville, began his career in real estate appraisal in 1986. He attained his MAI designation from The Appraisal Institute in 1999, and has built his practice at L. T. Bookhout since 1993. Rob Schott, a resident of the Village of Catskill, is a NYS-Certified General Real Estate Appraiser, and has been with the firm since 2003. He also has several years’ experience in real estate investment, sales and insurance valuation. Together, their mission in creating DeWan & Schott Appraisal Associates is to provide the highest-quality real estate valuation service throughout the Hudson Valley and beyond, serving clients in the financial, commercial, legal, nonprofit and governmental communities. Long-time office manager Kelly Bartholf of Pine Plains will join them in this new venture.
“I took my very first appraisal course with Lee, who endeared himself to his students with his quick wit, his passion for teaching, and his deep understanding of the art of appraisal,” recalls DeWan. “It has been my good fortune and a distinct pleasure to work side by side with him through the years. He has set the bar very high, and Rob and I are committed to maintaining those standards as we build our own practice.”
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