VALBRIDGE BLOG

Valbridge Office Spotlight: Chicago

August 28, 2020

The team of appraisers at Valbridge Property Advisors | Chicago, led by Gary DeClark, MAI, CRE, FRICS, R/W-AC and Anthony Mulé, MAI, provides high quality independent property valuation and consulting services, including advising clients on real estate business and investment decisions as well as providing litigation support services, including expert witness testimony. Each member of the firm brings a diverse real estate background, including appraisal, brokerage, investment, ownership, financing and development, that allows us to better serve our clients with a multi-dimensional view of the industry. In today’s highly scrutinized regulatory environment, our independence — including from real estate brokerage firms — makes your life simpler and provides a better result. Our clients benefit from the collective strength of Valbridge Property Advisors, the largest independent commercial real estate appraisal firm in the U.S.

SPECIALTY SERVICES

  • Litigation support, including expert witness testimony
  • Portfolio valuation
  • Real estate market and feasibility analysis, including rent and demand studies
  • Site analysis and selection
  • Property and lease comparables, including lease review
  • Due diligence
  • Property tax assessment review, property tax appeals, real estate tax implication analysis
  • Valuations and analysis of property for right-of-way, eminent domain, easements
  • REO and foreclosure and bankruptcy evaluation
  • Valuations of property for financial reporting, including goodwill impairment, impairment or disposal of long-lived assets, fair value and leasehold valuations
  • Valuation of property for insurance, estate planning and trusteeship, including fractional interest valuation for gifting and IRS purposes
  • Business and partnership valuation and advisory services, including partial interests

ADVISORY SERVICES

  • Office buildings
  • Industrial buildings
  • Retail buildings
  • Apartments, multi-family, senior living buildings
  • Hotel, lodging, hospitality, recreational buildings
  • Other special-purpose buildings

Meet the team:

Gary DeClark, MAI, CRE, FRICS, R/W-AC

Gary DeClark has 39 years of experience and is a distinguished veteran in the counseling and valuation field. DeClark’s clients include numerous public entities, Fortune 500 companies, life insurance companies, major commercial banks and highly regarded law firms and attorneys. He is considered an expert witness in several federal district courts and many state circuit courts. DeClark’s major activities center around unique and unusual property analysis and litigation support potential. His professional designations include MAI, CRE, FRICS and R/W-AC. DeClark previously served as Managing Director for Integra Realty Resources – Chicago Metro, a Chicago based consulting and appraisal firm. He also served as President of the Chicago Chapter of the Appraisal Institute, and as the Chairman of the Midwest Chapter of the Counselors of Real Estate. DeClark is an associate member of the Chicago Real Estate Board, and holds an active Illinois Real Estate Broker license.

Anthony Mulé, MAI, CCIM Candidate

Anthony Mulé has over 12 years of professional experience in the commercial real estate industry, primarily focused on commercial valuation and consulting work. Mulé graduated from Marquette University, and is experienced with virtually all types of commercial property, with expertise with litigation support, condemnation/eminent domain appraisals, going concern valuations, tax assessment appeals and valuation for estate planning purposes. His valuation work includes a comprehensive portfolio across the Midwest, with experience working on a variety of commercial properties that include large-scale apartment complexes, retail properties, restaurants, industrial facilities, professional office buildings in addition to special purpose properties and more. Along with conventional appraisal work, other major activities center on unique and unusual property analysis and litigation support potential. His professional accomplishments include the MAI designation through the Appraisal Institute. He is also a candidate for designation with the CCIM Institute and is scheduled to obtain that designation in late 2020. Mulé volunteers his time as an associate board member of the Harold E. Eisenberg Foundation and a Board of Director of Marquette University’s REALM Network, which was established to strengthen the network of real estate alumni from the university. Mulé is also a member of the Illinois and National Association of REALTORS® along with NAIOP. He also holds licenses as Certified General Real Estate Appraiser in several Midwest states along with an active Illinois Real Estate Broker license.

Angelica Mulé

Angelica Mulé has eight years of professional experience in the finance and accounting industry. Specifically, she has experience within audit and internal controls field ensuring that companies are compliant with the Sarbanes Oxley Federal Regulation. Mulé is an acting CFO for Valbridge Property Advisors | Chicago Metro in all the accounting and finance functions and responsibilities from invoicing, receivables, payables, financial statement review, forecasting, and staying current with new Accounting Standards. She obtained her bachelors from Loyola University of Chicago in 2010 and her Master’s from Roosevelt University in 2012. Along with her work experience, she is a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors, Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, and Institute of Internal Controls. She currently holds her CFE, IIAC, COSO Certificate, and a candidate for CIA.

Bill Hoff

Bill Hoff has been actively engaged in real estate; valuation, due diligence inspection, ownership, development, and counseling since the mid-1980s. These experiences, in multi-family and mixed-use real estate, and prospective from; being an owner and operator; a developer and rehabber; acquirer and seller; a lender and loan underwriter provides his clients with a very useful and unique skill set. His recent experience is concentrated in urban and suburban analysis. His valuations and due diligence inspection skills have been performed on various properties including, but not limited to special use properties, multi-family, mixed use, commercial and industrial. His expertise also extends to the analysis and valuation of corridors, funeral homes, wind energy facilities, condominium deconversions, tax incremental financing as well as market studies.

Matthew Weir

Matthew Weir is a native of Champaign, Illinois, a graduate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and has been appraising properties with Valbridge Property Advisors since 2018. Prior to joining Valbridge, Weir spent six years with CBRE in various roles including a staff appraiser. Primarily, he has focused on retail valuation assignments including free-standing and inline centers, neighborhood/community centers, lifestyle centers, and net-leased investments. Some of his more intricate assignments have included religious related facilities, self-storage facilities, as well as various other special use properties. Recently, Weir has completed multiple appraisals of regional hospitals, some of which have been used in condemnation proceeding involving the State of Illinois for use during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thaddeus Landis

Thad initially appraised single-family homes and small rental properties for 10 years before moving into commercial valuation in 2016. His recent focus has been on tax appeal appraisals for various types of real estate, including multi-family, multi-tenant industrial and retail, branch banks and office properties. Appraisal/valuation and consulting assignments include: Single-family residential, condominium, apartments, vacant land, office buildings, hotels/motels, service stations, retail, restaurants, industrial plants, research and development properties, warehouses, contaminated properties, self-storage facilities, special purpose properties, feasibility/market studies, as well as condemnation/eminent domain/easement right-of-way valuations. Landis has early five years of professional experience in the commercial real estate industry, primarily focused on commercial valuation and consulting work. He currently holds a trainee license in the state of Illinois and is pursuing a certified general appraiser’s license.

Ben Walters

Ben Walters is a Real Estate Analyst of the Valbridge Property Advisors Chicago Metro office. Walters entered the appraisal profession after graduating with honors from Davidson College in 2020 with a degree in Economics. He is working towards his Trainee License in Illinois and is currently assisting team members on report writing, data collection, and valuation analysis. With a background in Statistics and Economics, Walters hopes to bring his experience in data visualization and quantitative reasoning to his appraisal work at Valbridge. He is also an aspiring real estate investor and looks to bring a fresh eye to the appraisal industry.

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