You will probably find it hard to believe I started my real estate appraisal career in 1979.  No, I wasn't in third grade  --  oh, wait, you can see my photo, can't you?  I'm not going to get away with that.  Please strike that from the record, your honor. 

Actually, I was still in college at the time, working on my B. S. in Business Administration degree from Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan.  That was back in the days before computers ran just about every aspect of our lives.  Computers were just being introduced into the real estate industry then, and I saw their immense potential to streamline everything real estate.  Soon I was working with the local Board of Realtors (that's what they were called back then) helping develop one of the first computerized MLS databases in the state.  Those early days in real estate database development and search development enhanced both my skills and my appreciation for complete and valid property data in the MLS.  Later, I worked with another Realtor Association to integrate public record data, including transfers, assessment data, and property characteristics into the MLS property record to give all real estate professionals more valid, reliable, and complete data about each and every parcel.  The result was significant enhancement to one of the most valuable tools we have in our arsenal to develop ever more useful valuation services for all phases of the real estate industry.