The following is a quote from McHolland's Letter to the Editor:

"Today, most appraisers are still doing things in the same ways their grandfathers did half a century ago. While the complexity of the real estate market has increased dramatically since the founding of the Appraisal Institute, we as a group are still insisting on teaching and using methods born in the 1930s. While others experiment with expert systems, artificial intelligence, geographical information systems (GIS) and other sophisticated analytical tools to address valuation issues, we are still focusing on the techniques of the past."

"Today, appraisers find themselves standing on a railroad track in the path of an oncoming train bound for the future. Many other professionals are already on that train and many more are on the platform waiting to board. Many appraisers, I fear, are not even vaguely aware that the train is approaching. As I see it, we have two alternatives: We can wake up and board the train (i. e., change our curriculum, embrace technology, adopt new professional standards) or we can continue to fret over lapel pins and car rental discounts and be run over."