Todd Huttunen began appraising more than 20 years ago with a few years off in between to pursue a career in cabinet making. He relegated that to hobby status and is currently an appraiser in an assessor’s office. His best friend dubbed him The Hall Monitor because of his rigidity and respect for rules. He offers Soapbox readers tongue-in-groove insight on appraisal issues.

Besides showing all of us he is smart enough to read things deeper in emotion than a Stephen King novel, Todd makes the case that DELIVERING INFORMATION IS NOT JUST ABOUT CONTENT. …Jonathan Miller

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date.
Sometimes too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm’d;
And every fair from fair sometimes declines,
By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm’d;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

SHALL I COMPARE THEE TO A SUMMER’S DAY?
THOU ART MORE LOVELY AND MORE TEMPERATE.
ROUGH WINDS DO SHAKE THE DARLING BUDS OF MAY,
AND SUMMER’S LEASE HATH ALL TOO SHORT A DATE.
SOMETIMES TOO HOT THE EYE OF HEAVEN SHINES,
AND OFTEN IS HIS GOLD COMPLEXION DIMM’D;
AND EVERY FAIR FROM FAIR SOMETIMES DECLINES,
BY CHANCE OR NATURE’S CHANGING COURSE UNTRIMM’D;
BUT THY ETERNAL SUMMER SHALL NOT FADE
NOR LOSE POSSESSION OF THAT FAIR THOU OW’ST;
NOR SHALL DEATH BRAG THOU WANDER’ST IN HIS SHADE,
WHEN IN ETERNAL LINES TO TIME THOU GROW’ST:
SO LONG AS MEN CAN BREATHE OR EYES CAN SEE,
SO LONG LIVES THIS, AND THIS GIVES LIFE TO THEE.

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

WE THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES, IN ORDER TO FORM A MORE PERFECT UNION, ESTABLISH JUSTICE, INSURE DOMESTIC TRANQUILITY, PROVIDE FOR THE COMMON DEFENCE, PROMOTE THE GENERAL WELFARE, AND SECURE THE BLESSINGS OF LIBERTY TO OURSELVES AND OUR POSTERITY, DO ORDAIN AND ESTABLISH THIS CONSTITUTION FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

The most probable price, as of a specified date, in cash, or in terms equivalent to cash, or in other precisely revealed terms, for which the specified property rights should sell after reasonable exposure in a competitive market under all conditions requisite to a fair sale, with the buyer and seller each acting prudently, knowledgeably, and for self-interest, and assuming that neither is under undue duress.

THE MOST PROBABLE PRICE, AS OF A SPECIFIED DATE, IN CASH, OR IN TERMS EQUIVALENT TO CASH, OR IN OTHER PRECISELY REVEALED TERMS, FOR WHICH THE SPECIFIED PROPERTY RIGHTS SHOULD SELL AFTER REASONABLE EXPOSURE IN A COMPETITIVE MARKET UNDER ALL CONDITIONS REQUISITE TO A FAIR SALE, WITH THE BUYER AND SELLER EACH ACTING PRUDENTLY, KNOWLEDGEABLY, AND FOR SELF-INTEREST, AND ASSUMING THAT NEITHER IS UNDER UNDUE DURESS.

The definition of Market Value may not inspire the same emotions as Shakespeare’s Sonnet #18 or the Preamble to the Constitution. But whatever appears on the written page is far more pleasing to the eye when the majority of the letters are lower-case.

It’s harder to read text when it’s written in all capital letters. To illustrate how easy it is for our brain to read text in small letters, try to read the paragraph below. This would be almost impossible to read in capital letters:

Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteers are at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by it slef but the wrod as a wlohe.

Another result of writing in all capital letters is that the reader feels like you’re shouting at him. Not to mention the fact that it makes the writer look careless and lazy. Why would you, a professional appraiser who wants to be taken seriously, send out reports that make it look like you don’t pay attention to details?

If enhancing the quality of your work is not reason enough to unlock the caps, then do it for a more practical reason. You’ll save money by using less paper and toner.