ACTION RESEARCH

Action Research



Action Research

Background

My Fielding journey has been both fascinating and transformative. I entered the doctoral program nearly three years ago. Prior to entering Fielding, I was a full-time practitioner and consultant in the field of real estate damage economics. I started in this field in about 1986, when I worked for a firm in Beverly Hills that purchased distressed properties. From there, my practitioner work evolved into conventional appraisal work, consisting primarily of commercial properties such as hotels, shopping centers, and office buildings. Around 1991, this work became routine, and I sought something more challenging. I took the LSAT and was admitted to law school. The day before classes were to begin I was floating in the pool with my family and wondered to myself, if I wanted to become an attorney. Then I had an idea that would change my world.

In my conventional appraisal work, I had noted how a number of damaged properties did not fit into the conventional appraisal methodologies. At that time, methodologies for damaged properties were largely underdeveloped. I wondered about the possibilities of developing applicable methodologies and refocusing my routine appraisal practice toward more interesting assignments involving damaged properties. Fortunately, I have always been more motivated by fascinating work than by merely making money.

I took a substantial chance and changed course completely. That night, I faxed my resignation to the law school, and the next morning I called all my clients and told them that I specialized only in damaged real estate. I went on the Internet and registered the domain realestatedamages.com. I had no idea of the scope of my actions or the widespread effect. At the time, the term real estate damages did not exist. Today it is a mainstream term used worldwide.

To commence my another specialty, I read what limited articles existed that touched on the subject. I found that these articles were incomplete, illogical, and often contradictory. This was my first attempt at a “literature review.” I made a list of everything that could damage real estate, and that list grew to about 200 or 300 items. I began categorizing these items and developing valuation methodologies, which caught the attention of a colleague, who asked me to teach a seminar to local appraisers. An appraiser from Hawaii liked the presentation and invited me to teach it there, which I did. I then went to the Appraisal Institute's national headquarters in Chicago and offered the presentation to them for widespread use. They were not impressed and literally told me to “go away.” As later events would show, this response was based on factors other than the merits of my proposal. This was my first experience with the political organizational concepts of autocracy and bureaucracy (Morgan, 2006).

Nonetheless, my timing for this whole endeavor was interesting. In southern California, we had the Malibu fires, the Los Angeles riots, the Northridge earthquake, and the O. J. Simpson trial, and I consulted in each of these ...