Company Overview

Hudson Valley Appraisal Corporation has been one of the most well-regarded and sought-after real estate valuation service providers since its inception in 1983. The company provides valuations of commercial and residential real property for a wide variety of purposes, from basic market valuations to complex issues. Hudson Valley Appraisal offers a wide variety of specialized services, including but not limited to consulting and appraisal services pertaining to conservation easements, eminent domain and condemnation, avigation rights, property damage claims, and tax certiorari proceedings.

About Michael Bernholz, SRA,MAI,CCIM

When President Michael J. Bernholz, SRA,MAI,CCIM founded Hudson Valley Appraisal in Ulster County, New York, he already had many years of experience working in the residential and commercial real estate fields. Today, Bernholz supervises a team of full-time appraisers with expertise in all types of property valuation.

Michael Bernholz earned his SRA designation from the Appraisal Institute in 1989, certifying his professional aptitude in residential real estate appraisal. Bernholz earned his MAI in 1997. This designation, conferred by the Appraisal Institute, establishes his expertise in commercial real estate appraisal. According to the Appraisal Institute, less than 15 percent of professional appraisers have the experience, qualifications and expertise to achieve these designations. Both the MAI and SRA designations require hundreds of hours of classroom time, multiple examinations and work experience. Bernholz also holds the CCIM designation from the Commercial Investment Real Estate Institute.

Bernholz is qualified as an expert witness and has testified before the Supreme Courts and Courts of Claim of Sullivan County, Ulster County, Dutchess County, Westchester County and New York City, as well as the state of Florida. He has offered expert testimony for dozens of complex valuation cases. His testimony and appraisal techniques have been upheld as far as the Appellate Division and his testimony plays a pivotal role in the outcomes of cases for which he consults, and his expertise has been crucial to favorable decisions in numerous cases. He has consulted on a number of contamination valuation assessments with nationally recognized leaders in the field of contamination valuation. Click here to learn more about his services for attorneys.

Bernholz holds active memberships in the following organizations: The Appraisal Institute; numerous Multiple Listing Systems; National Association of Realtors, and New York State Association of Realtors. Bernholz also holds the CCIM designation of the Commercial Investment Real Estate Institute. For a complete listing of Michael Bernholz’s certifications, memberships and professional education, please click here for a copy of his resume.

About Our Team

Professional real estate appraisers have to take into account several different criteria when determining value: utility, scarcity, desirability, and effective purchasing power. Appraisers must consider the context of availability, supply and demand, while taking into account both local and national property-related trends. Our appraisers consult a variety of sources to determine these factors and undertake extensive research to determine the most accurate valuation for a particular property. When you order an appraisal from Hudson Valley Appraisal, whether your request is simple or complex, rest assured that the appraiser has consulted the records of local assessors and other public officials, area tax maps, flood maps, zoning codes, regional sales databases and a national cost service database of surveys of reproduction costs and the records of several multiple listing services.

Armed with these tools and an average of 30 years’ experience in the market, each of Hudson Valley Appraisal’s professional appraisers can provide a complete and accurate property valuation, often in less time than it takes other appraisal companies. Hudson Valley Appraisal provides property valuations for property types including but not limited to single- and multi-family houses, co-op apartments, apartment complexes, condominiums, subdivisions, industrial properties, resorts, hotels, motels, restaurants, golf courses, shopping complexes, farms, marinas, multi-use buildings and vacant land.

Hudson Valley Appraisal covers a wide area, including New York’s Hudson Valley for commercial appraisals, and a larger portion of New York for residential appraisals. Please click here for more details about our residential coverage; click here for more details about our commercial coverage.

In addition to providing our lenders with appraisals for financing purposes, Hudson Valley Appraisal provides appraisals for the HUD’s FHA loan program, the New York State Department of Transportation, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (we are one of a select few companies chosen statewide to appraise for the DEP’s Land Acquisition Program in the watershed areas serving New York City), the New York State Department of Conservation, the Watershed Agricultural Council and numerous land conservancy agencies including The Scenic Hudson Land Trust, Open Space Institute, The Dutchess Land Conservancy, Kingston Land Trust, Mohonk Hudson Land Conservancy, and Mohonk Preserve, and a myriad of other governmental authorities. Click here for a list of agencies with which Hudson Valley Appraisal works.

Hudson Valley Appraisal has strong partnerships with leaders in the field of contamination valuations. We have been engaged by the nation’s top authority to consult on contamination valuation issues including valuation impact of contamination on soil and groundwater. We have the experience and expertise necessary to handle these highly complex and detailed assessments, and we have provided contamination valuations for litigation purposes.

Hudson Valley Appraisal has three full time office staff using a computerized tracking system to manage all orders, and we make prompt contact with property owners upon receipt of an appraisal order. We subject all projects to an extensive in-house review process so that our appraisals are optimally positioned for the secondary market. Clients may request completed appraisals to be delivered via fax, e-mail or postal mail. Click here for a copy of Hudson Valley Appraisal’s Errors and Omissions insurance. Our W-9 is available upon request. Please contact us if you would like a copy.