Since 1986 Michael DeWan, MAI has practiced real estate appraisal full time, 15 of those years with L. T. Bookhout, Inc. Starting with residential valuation, he expanded into commercial property and commenced his formal education. In 1999 he attained the MAI 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 built a reputation for integrity and service, and for providing meticulously researched, scrupulously developed appraisals presented in articulate, easy-to-follow reports. In March 2008, with fellow L.T. Bookhout employee Robert E. Schott, he launched DeWan & Schott Appraisal Associates LLC.
As detailed in 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 and challenging property types he has appraised include:
Adult Homes and Skilled Nursing Facilities
Agricultural Properties
Automotive and Other Dealerships and Service Centers
Camping Facilities, Sleepaway Camps and RV Campgrounds
Conservation Easements
Golf Courses & Country Clubs
Health & Fitness Centers
Highest & Best Use Analysis
Historic Properties
Industrial Plants & Warehouses
Institutional Properties
Marinas
Medical/Dental/Professional Buildings
Mobile Home Parks
Motels, Hotels & Lodges
Park and Forest Lands
Research & Development Parks
Resort Complexes
Residential Subdivisions
Restaurants
Schools, Educational and Religious Facilities
Special-Purpose Properties
Vacant land of all types and sizes
In recent years he has prepared and offered expert testimony in various courts of law, and has worked 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 launching this new venture, MDA&A, 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 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-five years of experience.”
As a 26-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 has served as Vice-President, Regional Representative, and Chapter President from 2009 to 2010. He lives with his wife Deborah Meyer DeWan, a conservation- and community-based environmental planner and policy analyst. He is a member of the Woodstock Chamber of Commerce, and is associated with a number of regional Multiple Listing Services. Among his personal avocations are such outdoor pursuits as camping, hiking, cross-country skiing and birding. Indoors, he loves the graphic and performing arts, dancing, reading, making and listening to music, and the sheer pleasure of being with friends.