About the Seminar:

The federal tax code creates a charitable deduction for property owners who donate conservation easements to qualified land trusts and preservation organizations. There is currently a nationwide shortage in the number of appraisers undertaking those assignments. This program will explore the business opportunities for appraisers interested in such assignments and introduce appraisers to the techniques to properly analyze the value of charitable donations of conservation easements. Tax code regulations and sources for the generally accepted standards of appraisal practice will be explored as will the seven critical components in every conservation easement valuation assignment. Pitfalls to be avoided will be discussed and appraisal issues raised in recent Tax Court decisions explained. The program will conclude with a discussion of how to use the easement appraisal checklist published in the Appraisal Journal article as a reference when completing a conservation easement appraisal assignment. The program will be of benefit to appraisers who have never previously appraised a conservation as well as a quick review for those with prior experience with conservation easements but who need a refresher on some of key issues involved in properly completing such appraisal assignments.

Speakers:

Annie Baxendale

Charles Brigden, MAI, CRE, FRICS

Richard Roddewig, MAI, CRE, FRICS

Time: 

Seminar: 1:45 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. EDT

Networking Reception: 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. EDT

Invitees: Appraisers, Users of Appraisal Services, and Land Trust Rally attendees

Classroom Hours: 3 Hours

CE Approvals:

Appraisal Institute: 15 Points

OH Appraisal Board - 3 Hours

KY Appraisal Board: 3 Hours (w/ Ohio Approval)

Pending CE Approvals:

IN Appraisal Board: 3 Hours

MI Appraisal Board: 3 Hours

PA Appraisal Board: 3 Hours

WV Appraisal Board: 3 Hours

Location:

Hilton Cleveland Downtown

100 Lakeside Ave. E

Cleveland, OH

Annie S. Baxendale

Senior Vice President, JLL Valuation & Advisory, LLC

She specializes in large-scale modeling and analysis of real estate market and transactional data using custom-built databases and geographic information system (GIS) spatial analysis technology. Ms. Baxendale’s specialties include valuation of historic preservation and conservation easements, corridor and right-of-way impact analysis, and the effect of environmental contamination on prices paid for properties located above contaminated groundwater. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from the University of Dayton and a Master of Urban Planning and Policy degree from the University of Illinois Chicago.

Charles T. Brigden, MAI, CRE, FRICS

Managing Director, JLL Valuation & Advisory, LLC

Charles T. Brigden, MAI, CRE, FRICS, is Managing Director of JLL VAS and a real estate appraiser with extensive experience in the valuation of many types of less-than-fee interests, including preservation and conservation easements. Mr. Brigden has appraised more than 300 conservation and preservation easements across the United States. Mr. Brigden has appeared before the U.S. Tax Court on five occasions to provide expert testimony concerning the value of conservation and preservation easements. Recent Tax Court decisions where Mr. Brigden served as the primary valuation expert include: Corning Place Ohio, LLC v. Commissioner; Savannah Shoals, LLC, et al. v. Commissioner; and Green Valley Investors, LLC, et al. v. Commissioner.

Richard J. Roddewig, MAI, CRE, FRICS

Senior Managing Director, JLL Valuation & Advisory, LLC

Mr. Roddewig is both a real estate economist and an appraiser, as well as an attorney, with extensive experience in the valuation of many types of complex properties and less-than-fee interests, including conservation and historic preservation easements. Mr. Roddewig has more than 45 years of real estate appraisal experience and more than 40 years of experience in conservation and historic preservation easements assignments. He is a co-author of Appraising Conservation and Historic Preservation Easements, a textbook published by the Appraisal Institute, and has developed and taught easement valuation courses fand seminars for the Appraisal Institute, the American Bar Association, the Land Trust Alliance, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

About the Seminar:

This program focuses on the responsibilities of review appraisers in assignments involving charitable donations of conservation easements. The key abusive appraisal issues identified by United States Senate Finance Committee in its 2020 report on syndicated conservation easements are discussed and analyzed in relation to generally accepted standards of appraisal practice. Highest and best use and discounted cash flow issues in two recent U.S. Tax Court cases involving conservation easement donations are summarized. The tension between the Internal Revenue Service definition of a “material advisor” to a fraudulent or abusive transaction and Land Trust Alliance Standard 10 requiring a land trust to evaluate/review appraisal reports supporting donations of conservation easements is explored in detail. The program concludes with a discussion of the “appraisal review checklist” that appeared in a 2023 Appraisal Journal article entitled “’he Evolution of Land Trust Responsibilities in Reviewing Conservation Easement Appraisals’ and how that checklist can be used in the review of a conservation easement appraisal. The program should be of interest to appraisers experienced in the valuation of conservation easements as well as to those with little or no such experience but interested in expanding their appraisal practice into this subject matter area. The course is designed to follow the three-hour introductory course on valuation of conservation easements although that introductory course is not a prerequisite.

(Sponsored by the Land Trust Alliance and held during their Rally 2025 in Cleveland, OH)

Speakers:

Margo LaClair

Richard Roddewig, MAI, CRE, FRICS

Robert Wells, ASA

Time: 

Seminar: 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. EDT

Classroom Hours: 4 Hours

CE Approvals:

Appraisal Institute - 20 Points (w/ AI CE log update)

OH Appraisal Board - 4 Hours

KY Appraisal Board: 4 Hours (w/ Ohio Approval)

Pending CE Approvals:

IN Appraisal Board: 4 Hours

MI Appraisal Board: 4 Hours

PA Appraisal Board: 4 Hours

WV Appraisal Board: 4 Hours

Location:

Huntington Convention Center

300 Lakeside Ave. E

Cleveland, OH

Margo LaClair

Associate, JLL Valuation & Advisory, LLC

Margo LaClair is an Associate with JLL who specializes in econometric analysis, with a particular focus on hedonic property value modeling. She leads large-scale research and quantitative analysis efforts in examining the impact of environmental issues on real property values and markets throughout the United States. She has previously presented at the Land Trust Alliance 2024 rally and the Appraisal Institute 2022 annual conference.

Richard J. Roddewig, MAI, CRE, FRICS

Senior Managing Director, JLL Valuation & Advisory, LLC

Mr. Roddewig is both a real estate economist and an appraiser, as well as an attorney, with extensive experience in the valuation of many types of complex properties and less-than-fee interests, including conservation and historic preservation easements. Mr. Roddewig has more than 45 years of real estate appraisal experience and more than 40 years of experience in conservation and historic preservation easements assignments. He is a co-author of Appraising Conservation and Historic Preservation Easements, a textbook published by the Appraisal Institute, and has developed and taught easement valuation courses fand seminars for the Appraisal Institute, the American Bar Association, the Land Trust Alliance, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Robert S. Wells, ASA

Executive Vice President, JLL Valuation & Advisory, LLC

Robert Wells, ASA, is an Executive Vice President within JLL’s Complex Real Estate Analysis and Litigation Support team under JLL Valuation Advisory. Mr. Wells’ duties include overseeing the appraisal process for assignments covering a diverse group of complex property types, uses, and users. Assignments include all property types, including industrial, office, retail, development land, multifamily, and special use properties such as data centers, movie theaters, golf courses, marinas, historically-designated properties and others. Robert has appraised properties in the majority of U.S. states, and on six continents. He has also served as expert witness defending his appraisals. Clients served include large public and private corporations, law firms, private property owners, financial institutions, pension funds, and other users. Assignments have been completed for a variety of uses, including litigation support, ad valorem tax, financial accounting, financing, insurance, estate tax planning, and purchase/sale negotiation.