Swango Award.

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Randall Bell, MAI, is the winner of the 2008 Swango Award and a $1000 honorarium for his article, "Contaminated Waterways and Property Valuation," which was published in the Fall 2008 issue of The Appraisal Journal. Bell has donated his award honorarium to the scholarships program of the Appraisal Institute Education Trust.

The Editorial Board presents the Swango Award to the best article published in the previous year on a residential, general, or technology-related topic or for original research of benefit to real estate analysts and valuers; the article must be written by an appraisal practitioner. Articles are judged based on practicality and usefulness in addressing issues faced by appraisers in their day-to-day practice; logical analysis, perceptive reasoning, and clarity of presentation; and soundness of methodology used, especially in an area of original research.

In "Contaminated Waterways and Property Valuation," Bell addresses the factors to consider when studying the effects, if any, that contaminated waterways have on the values of nearby properties. It provides likely reasons as to why allegations rarely arise that contaminated waterways have caused a diminution in the value to nearby properties.

Randall Bell, MAI, is the CEO of Bell Anderson & Sanders, LLC, which specializes in real estate damage economics and conducts studies nationwide. A course developer and instructor for the Appraisal Institute, he is also the author of seven books, including Real Estate Damages, published by the Appraisal Institute, and a business management book, Strategy 360. Bell is a graduate of the Anderson School of Management at UCLA.

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