SCCAI AND CCIM GREATER LA JOINT MEETING - Real World California Valuation: Navigating Today’s Market Across Multifamily, Industrial, Office & Retail

Webinar Description:

Join the Appraisal Institute of Southern California and CCIM Greater Los Angeles on Thursday, August 14th, 2025, from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM for a powerful lunch & Learn webinar where top valuation experts break down what’s really happening in California’s dynamic real estate market.

Whether you're working with multifamily, industrial, office, or retail properties, this session will deliver real-world case studies and fresh insight into how rising operating expenses, fluctuating CAP rates, tightening DSCR requirements, and tariff uncertainty are reshaping property values across the board in California.

Our expert panel—Gazelle Wichner, MAI; Charles Wilson, MAI, CCIM; and Michael Tidwell, SRA, CCIM—will unpack valuation trends from both the appraisal and investment lenses. Moderated by Jeff Gould, CCIM, CPM, and LEED AP this webinar is designed for investors, brokers, lenders, asset managers, and fiduciaries looking to better understand how to navigate valuations in today’s evolving market.

Topics will include:

• How operating expenses like insurance, utilities, and R&M inflation are impacting NOI and value

• Shifts in discount rates and CAP rate spreads by property type

• The impact of local and global policy uncertainty (including tariffs)

• Lessons learned from recent California-based valuations and deal activity

MEET OUR SPEAKERS: 

GAZELLE RAYE WICHNER, ASA, MAI, AI-GRS, CCIM

Gazelle Raye Wichner, ASA, MAI, AI-GRS, CCIM is a native of Southern California who began her career assisting the family’s Mineral Law and Land Use practice. Since that time, she has amassed over 30 years of experience in Real Property Valuation, Appraisal Review and Project Management on a national scale, with experience spanning a wide variety of complex real property assets. She has been active in the valuation profession through several major economic/real estate cycles, most recently concentrating on the West Coast and Southwest US markets. 

At CBRE she serves as Director of Quality and Risk Management for the SoCal Valuation and Advisory Services practice. Prior roles include Appraisal Review Manager for JP Morgan Chase and First Republic Bank, Director of the West Coast Real Estate Practice for Marshall & Stevens Inc, and founder/owner of Azalea Valuation Advisors, a boutique valuation and advisory practice. 

Her appraisal career began with immediate immersion into portfolio valuation and project management on a national scale, for clients such as Motel 6 (KKR), Traveler’s Inn, Federated, Hewlett Packard, Thrifty-Payless, Wal-Mart, Circle K (Tenneco), and many more, including high profile estates. Other portfolio-based assignments included asset testing and reporting for bank acquisitions. 

Gazelle also managed portfolio valuation assignments for public offerings (IPO)s for clients such as American Homes for Rent (Public Storage) and a prominent SoCal industrial fund. The fund assignments included integration of ARGUS and excel models. Her team worked with IT to develop excel templates to manage property, financial and comp data which were all linked to a consolidated worksheet for workfile documentation. The models also included a presentation valuation matrix and worksheets for sensitivity analysis. Most of the portfolio assignments involved a great deal of client interface and quite a few boardroom presentations. 

Active on the Executive Board of the Los Angeles Chapter of the American Society of Appraisers (ASA-LA) for over a decade, she currently serves as Vice President and is a past President of the Chapter (2020-2021). 

Gazelle is dedicated to upholding public trust in the appraisal profession through best practices, education, and mentorship, and takes a special interest in supporting the efforts of new entrants to the field. Community leadership service includes financial literacy programs, elder assistance and advisory, and service on the Board of the West Pasadena Residents Association Land Use Committee. In addition to a life-long passion for property, her interests include early to mid-20th Century art and architecture, film history and yoga.

CHARLES L. WILSON, MAI, CCIM, MRICS

Since 2003, Charles L. Wilson, MAI, CCIM, MRICS has been providing advisory services to small and medium sized enterprises seeking to maximize the full potential of their real estate investments.  Currently, Charles is a services provider focusing on commercial real estate valuation and advisory of institutional and SME real property throughout the USA and internationally. He has over 20 years of professional experience providing financial reporting valuation, portfolio valuation, appraisal review, valuation management, dispute resolution, litigation support, and due diligence services.

Charles has extensive experience in all major commercial real estate asset classes including multifamily, retail, office, and industrial property types. His areas of specialization include hospitality, shopping centers, student housing, and manufactured housing property types.

Charles is a Certified General Real Estate Appraiser and an MAI Designated Member of the Appraisal Institute where he is on the Litigation and Valuation of Sustainable Buildings Registries. He is also a Licensed Real Estate Broker and holds a Certified Commercial Industry Member (CCIM) designation with the CCIM Institute.  Additionally, Charles holds a MRICS designation with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, and memberships with the Real Estate Executive Council, the Urban Land Institute, and the International Council of Shopping Centers.

Charles has a multifaceted background spanning professional and entrepreneurial experience in the real estate, digital media, themed entertainment, and music and aerospace industries.  He has a Master of Business Administration degree from California State University Long Beach where his studies emphasized sustainability within business organizations. He also holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering from California State University Long Beach. Additionally, he has extensive professional studies in real estate valuation, finance and investment analysis through his Certificate in Business Studies from the University of California Los Angeles, and his designations with the Appraisal Institute, and CCIM Institute.                                

 MICHAEL J. TIDWELL II, SRA

Michael J. Tidwell II is a distinguished Multifamily Investment Sales expert in Los Angeles with two decades as a trusted advisor. His expertise fuses deep valuation knowledge, sharp emotional intelligence, and comprehensive awareness of multifamily market trends, establishing him as the premier Multifamily Connector for discerning investors. As a Los Angeles native, Tidwell offers pivotal insights into the market's complexities and its historical evolution.

Renowned for his ability to yield exceptional results and forge lasting client relationships, Tidwell's approach is defined by personalized, outcome-focused solutions. His oversight of over $10 billion in national valuations reflects his significant impact on the industry.

Focusing squarely on multifamily acquisitions and dispositions and on tenant representation for commercial leasing, Tidwell guides investors and owner-users through every stage of their transactions—designing strategies that drive premium pricing and expedited closings. He leverages his deep understanding of LIHTC and HAP contract mechanics to unlock affordable-housing value, while pinpointing land-development sites primed for highest-and-best use. This comprehensive model—spanning acquisitions, dispositions, commercial lease advocacy, and site analysis—delivers superior returns and manages risk across conventional and subsidized multifamily assets and adaptive commercial leases in the Los Angeles region.

Recognized for his real estate leadership and dedicated community service, Tidwell has held prestigious board roles and has been honored for his integrity and significant contributions. He extends his leadership to coaching youth sports and volunteering with non-profits. Clients gain from his exceptional market acumen, personalized strategies, and steadfast drive to surpass expectations, ensuring that investors receive optimal outcomes.